Mile High Stadium

The move was precipitated by the awarding of a Major League Baseball franchise to the city of Denver, and in 1993 the Colorado Rockies season opened in Mile High.

The team played the 1993 and strike-shortened 1994 seasons in Mile High setting MLB attendance records while Coors Field was being constructed in downtown Denver.

The Denver Gold of the United States Football League called Mile High home from 1983 to 1985, and the stadium played host to the inaugural USFL championship game on July 17, 1983.

Advised that to get a major league franchise Denver would need a much larger ballpark, Bears Stadium would begin the first of its many expansions.

[citation needed] Bucky Bronco In 1975, Denver approached actor Roy Rogers to commission a statue of his horse, Trigger, for display at the stadium.

Painted white to match the Broncos logo, the statue was mounted atop the scoreboard at Mile High, where it remained for 25 years before being relocated to the new stadium.

[10] Mile High Stadium, in the 1970s and 1980s, was the only professional-caliber baseball facility to have an all grass infield, with sliding pits around bases.

[citation needed] In 1986, 77 luxury suites were added atop the west stands, increasing the official seating capacity to 76,123.

The stadium's large capacity combined with enthusiasm for the new team and the lowest MLB ticket prices allowed the expansion Rockies to set Major League Baseball attendance records before moving to Coors Field for the 1995 season.

The Broncos had defeated every visiting franchise from the stadium's opening to close, enjoying perfect records against the Arizona Cardinals (3–0), Baltimore Ravens (1–0), Carolina Panthers (1–0), Green Bay Packers (5–0), and Indianapolis Colts (5–0).

[13] The Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer (MLS) were the final professional team to play in Mile High Stadium, their home from 1996 to 2001.

[16] The Rapids played the last professional sporting event ever held at Mile High on September 8, 2001, a 2–0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy with 17,129 in attendance.

The demolition of Mile High Stadium began in January 2002, an event covered extensively by local newspapers and broadcast live on television.

[19] June 27, 28 and 29, 1969, concert promoter Barry Fey held The Denver Pop Festival at Mile High Stadium with many well-known acts performing every evening.

The Denver Police however allowed non-ticket holders to enter the parking area whereupon they attempted to climb over chain link fencing to see the show while claiming that music should be "free".

[20] The stadium was the penultimate stop on Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Born in the U.S.A. Tour, where they performed two shows on September 23 and 24, 1985.

The stadium hosted the final show of the 1988 Monsters of Rock Festival Tour, featuring Van Halen, Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come, on July 30, 1988.

Canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the event has since returned for the annual gathering, but has since moved to Colorado State University's stadium in Fort Collins.

On August 12 and 13, Mile High Stadium hosted two events with Pope John Paul II, the Papal Welcoming Ceremony and the Way of the Cross.

[24] The weekend of June 16 and 17, 1995, saw Mile High Stadium transform into a revival tent when it played host to the Promise Keepers, a male-only Evangelical Christian ministry co-founded in 1990 by Bill McCartney, former head coach for the University of Colorado, Boulder football organization (CU Buffs for short).

Membership in the Promise Keepers had skyrocketed year-over-year, such that their previous venue Folsom Field (seating capacity 53,613), located on the University of Colorado, Boulder campus, had outgrown their needs.

The Broncos at Mile High Stadium in 1996
A Colorado Rockies baseball game at Mile High in 1994
Mile High Stadium in 1995