40th Anniversary Of The Drive
Forty years ago, the Denver Broncos started a spectacular Super Bowl campaign. They fell just short of the championship that year, but that didn’t stop Denver from claiming a rightful crown in another arena.
In the 1986 season, quarterback John Elway passed for 3,485 yards, and running back Sammy Winder rushed for a team-best 789 yards. This was the final year for remaining veterans of the original “Orange Crush Defense,” with players like Tom Jackson and Louis Wright retiring.
During that memorable season, veteran wide receiver Steve Watson and rookie Mark Jackson formed a dynamic duo for Elway. Both finished as the team’s top two yardage gainers at wide receiver. As expected, both made critical plays during the postseason.
The Broncos faced a tough test on the road against the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship. During Elway’s historic 98-yard game-tying march (The Drive), Jackson caught a crucial 20-yard pass on 3rd-and-18, and moments later, caught the 5-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, Elway launched a 28-yard pass to Steve Watson. His catch put Denver deep into Cleveland territory, which set up a game-winning field goal from Rich Karlis. The Broncos moved on to Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena to face a very tough New York Giants team. Although Denver led the Super Bowl at halftime, the Broncos lost 39-20. The Giants dominated the second half.
To help harness the lightning from that amazing season, Watson and Jackson joined our outreach campaign for Big Brothers of Metro Denver.
Ironically, Denver had the largest chapter of Big Brothers in the nation at the time. Unfortunately, it still had a waiting list of children. It was a chance for Big Brothers to build even more support in the community.
Thanks to the help of many people, the campaign came together quickly. In addition to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Watson, the team included:
- Scott Watson (my Little Brother, #7 — no relation to Steve)
- Mike Stillman, Photographer
- David French
- Continental Airlines
- Channel 9
- The Denver Post
- The Rocky Mountain News
- Mike Naughton Ford
- Brian Kinkel
- Greg Ferri
- Jim Dudley
- Jeff Pester
- Derek Okubo
“Thanks to these supporters and many others, this is still one of my favorite campaigns,” said Gary Chandler, CEO of Crossbow Communications. “It was opportunistic and strategic, but the community support was overwhelming.”
The campaign generated several new Big Brother matches, while generating cash, in-kind donations and national media coverage. Those who donated $500 or more received two round-trip airline tickets from Continental Airlines. We used the D&F Tower on the 16th Street Mall as a barometer of donations (below).
Big Brothers began in 1904 as an alternative to the juvenile justice system. Ernest Coulter, a New York City court clerk, saw an endless cycle of young boys in court. He recognized that the legal system wasn’t what these children needed. He believed that the guidance of a caring adult could help these young men. He recruited 39 volunteers to become the first “Big Brothers.”
Simultaneously, the Ladies of Charity (later Catholic Big Sisters) began befriending girls entering the New York Children’s Court. Among these pioneers were Mrs. O’Keefe and Mrs. Parker, two of the first Big Sisters who realized that equity in mentorship was just as vital for young women.
Since 1918, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBSC) has believed in the incredible potential that exists within every child. As part of the nation’s largest mentoring network, BBBSC creates meaningful matches between adult mentors (“Bigs”) and youth (“Littles”) through Community-Based and Site-Based Mentoring.
Additionally, BBBSC’s School-Based (STARS) program provides peer-to-peer group mentoring, while Big Futures supports high school students with post-secondary planning. Through these programs, BBBSC fosters positive relationships that create lasting impact and empower young people to achieve their full potential.
For more information, visit https://biglittlecolorado.org/
