Denver Dynamite

Arena Football League (1987 & 1989-1991)

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Denver Dynamite
Helmet T-Shirt

Trivia question #1: Who were the very first champions of Arena Football? That would be the Denver Dynamite, who won Arena Bowl I in the summer of 1987. 

Trivia Question #2: What is the only city to claim Arena Bowl championships with two different teams? Answer: Also Denver! The Colorado Crush triumped in Arena Bowl XIX in 2005.

This design is also available as a Crewneck Sweatshirt and in women’s cuts today at Old School Shirts!

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Background

The Denver Dynamite own a (very) minor place in pro football history as the answer to a trivia question: What city claimed the first championship of Arena Football?  The Dynamite won Arena Bowl I on August 1, 1987, concluding a brief 6-game regular season with a 45-16 demolition of the Pittsburgh Gladiators before 13,000 fans at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

Arena Football expanded from four to six teams in 1988 and sought local limited partners for each franchise for the first time. However, Denver Nuggets (NBA) owner Sidney Shlenker, whose front office operated the Dynamite in 1987, declined a $1.5 million option to purchase the franchise. With no investor in Denver, the league’s defending champion was mothballed and left off the 1988 schedule.

The following year, Arena Football nearly shut down after a revolt by the local limited partners against league founder Jim Foster. Foster survived the coup, but the league was only able to stage a brief 4-game regular season contested by 5 clubs. Needing teams to fill out the 1989 schedule, the Dynamite uniforms were hauled out of storage. The team was re-formed as a league-operated club.  But the 1989 Dynamite made only one appearance at McNichols Arena.  The rest of the team’s games were played on the road or as league showcases in neutral cities.

Denver … But Not Denver

In fact, from 1987 through 1989, the Dynamite had virtually nothing to do with the city of Denver.  During those three years, the Arena League staged only four games in the Mile High City.  And three of those games came during a three-week stretch in July of 1987.  You might have heard of the team, but damned if you could ever find a game to go.

In April 1990, Foster finally found a Denver-area investor named Gary J. Graham who agreed to pay $125,000 for the rights to the Denver territory.  Under Graham’s management, the Dynamite became a true local team. The Dynamite played full schedules at McNichols Arena in the summers of 1990 and 1991.  However, the team soon ran into financial problems including missed payrolls and creditor lawsuits. The Dynamite went out of  business for good in late 1991.

Aftermath

Marty Mornhinweg, who later became Head Coach of the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 2001-2002, played quarterback for the Dynamite in 1987, appearing in just one game before suffering an injury.

Arena Football returned to Denver in 2003 with the arrival of the Colorado Crush, owned by Mile High heavyweights Pat Bowlen, Stan Kroenke and John Elway.  The Crush were a popular fixture on the local sports scene, playing from 2003 until 2008, when the original Arena Football League closed its doors and declared bankruptcy.

Denver Dynamite Shop

Our Favorite Stuff

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Arena Football League
1987-2002 Logo T-Shirt

This logo tee from Old School Shirts reps the original Arena Football League logo, used for the league’s first 16 seasons as the circuit grew from four to sixteen franchises. The design includes uprights to imply one of the most unique innovations of the  indoor game –  the taut netting surrounding narrowed uprights that ricocheted kickoffs and missed field goals back into live play. Curiously, the netting wasn’t incorporated into the graphic which seems like a missed opportunity.

This design is also available as a Hooded or Crewneck Sweatshirt from Old School Shirts today!

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Denver Dynamite Video

Arena Bowl I. The Dynamite rout the Pittsburgh Gladiators 45-16 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena on August 1, 1987.

In Memoriam

Former Dynamite Head Coach Tim Marcum (’87) passed away on December 5, 2013 at age 69.

Downloads

1989 Denver Dynamite Roster & Franchise Overview

July 1990 Dynamite Player Profiles Media Packet

6-26-1990 Denver Dynamite Roster

Links

Arena Football League Media Guides

Arena Football League Programs

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