Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
The M&M Connection would be at the top of the alphabet of any analytical review of Colorado sports history.
Quarterback Craig Morton and receiver Haven Moses became household names as the M&M Connection when the 1977 Broncos ruled every inch within the boundaries of the state lines. It was a team with other catchy monikers such as the Orange Crush that signified a defensive unit that terrorized the opposition.
In a magical season with Red Miller at the helm, those Broncos erased memories of a franchise that had suffered through years of not knowing up from down, and the embarrassment of a beginning with vertically striped socks.
Morton, Moses and the Orange Crush took Denver to the Super Bowl for the first time. The path to the Superdome in New Orleans to face the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 15, 1978, went through Mile High Stadium and included a 34-21 playoff victory over Pittsburgh and a 20-17 win over the hated Oakland Raiders for the AFC championship. The Broncos didn’t win the Super Bowl, losing to Dallas 27-10, but never again was Denver viewed as a sports cow town.
“The feeling we experienced never will be duplicated,” said Morton, who has returned to his collegiate roots at the University of California. “It was the first time, and how the city and everyone responded will never happen again. Denver became a big-league city, and we were part of it.”
It was new ground for everyone.
“We didn’t realize the impact of what was taking place,” said Moses, who still resides in Denver. “I remember how the experience of being on a championship team shaped everyone’s life. It was exciting for the fans and for us to be part of something that was happening for the first time ever. We were part of something special, and it’s nice that people remember us for something that was special.”
Moses remembered Denver as a city of about half a million people in that first Super Bowl year.
“We’d come out of the locker room and spend time with the fans at their tailgate parties,” Moses said. “I think a couple of times I stayed until midnight just going from one Winnebago to another. It was amazing. We finally gave our fans the chance to see something like that in their own stadium. They didn’t have to watch it on TV.”
Morton and Moses were teammates for the first time that year, and the chemistry was an immediate success.
In his first season in a Broncos uniform, Morton passed for 1,929 yards and 14 touchdowns. Moses caught 27 passes, second on the team behind Riley Odoms’ 37, but Moses led in touchdowns with four. Moses caught two touchdown passes in the AFC championship game against the Raiders, and Morton connected with Odoms for a touchdown in the victory over Pittsburgh.
The M&M Connection was veteran players who knew what they were doing.
“It didn’t take long for us to mesh,” Moses said. “(Morton) knew where I was going to be. He trusted all of our receivers to recognize the defensive coverage. He had the arm to get the ball to us.”
“We complemented each other so well,” Morton said. “Our offense didn’t make many mistakes. Haven knew where I was going to throw the ball. It was as if our minds were together.”
After his playing days, Moses – who will be 60 in July – joined the marketing department of the Coors Brewing Company. He left in 1995 and since has been involved in charitable work with the Archdiocese of Denver.
Four years ago, Moses suffered a stroke and is working his way back to what he plans to be a full recovery.
“I wasn’t going to let it beat me,” Moses said. “I was tested. I never was injured in 14 years of football. But I learned that life is precious and fragile.”
Morton, 63 in February, remained in Denver for a time after he left the Broncos after the 1982 season. He coached the Denver Gold in the now-defunct United States Football League and opened a restaurant with his name in Cherry Creek. His days with the Broncos were marred by knee problems, and he has artificial knees in both legs.
“I did some investing in real estate in Denver, but it was the wrong time,” Morton said.
His travels took him to Oregon and Arizona before he joined the athletic department at Cal as a fundraiser three years ago. At the end of his voice mail telephone message on his office phone, Morton says, “Go Bears.”
But when he thinks back to 1977, it’s “Go Broncos.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
