The home of the Denver Broncos moved a bit closer to its new identity Tuesday as crews played a game of beat the weather to beat the clock on putting up the stadium’s marquee before the season opener.
Work is expected to be completed today on the sign that proclaims the turf Sports Authority Field at Mile High, a company spokeswoman said.
An official unveiling is tentatively planned Thursday. The Broncos open the regular season at home next week against Oakland on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
The Rocky Mountain Showdown between the University of Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams is Sept. 17.
The field, at Interstate 25 and West Colfax Avenue, has been home to the Broncos since 2001, when it replaced Mile High Stadium.
Invesco, the Atlanta-based investment management company, had a 20-year naming-rights agreement but agreed to step aside for Sports Authority. The Englewood-based chain of 470 sporting-goods stores assumes the last decade of the deal, with an option to renew for another 15.
The company will pay an average of $6 million a year to have its name on the stadium.
Half the money will go to the Broncos and the rest to the Metropolitan Stadium Football District, the public board that operates the 76,000-seat stadium, which hosts about 300 events a year.
The district has said it would use the money to upgrade the stadium. Taxpayers from six counties provided $400.8 million to help build the stadium.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, the year in which the Denver Broncos
began playing in their current stadium was given as 2000. They have played in the stadium now known as
Sports Authority Field at Mile High since 2001.
