Broncos' first Super Bowl QB, Ring of Fame member Craig Morton, passes away at 83

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Craig Morton, one of the more memorable quarterbacks in the history of the Denver Broncos, and the quarterback who led the team to its first Super Bowl appearance, has died at age 83, the team announced.

Born in Flint, Michigan, in February 1943, Morton was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1965 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. His playing career spanned 18 seasons between Dallas, the New York Giants, and Denver, where he finished up.

He came to Denver in 1977 and that season, the Broncos made their first trip to the Super Bowl, where they faced Morton's old team, the Cowboys. He completed just four of 15 passes in that game and threw four interceptions as the Cowboys rolled to a 27-10 victory.

Craig Morton.
Man, he tamed the Raiders in ‘76.
Played in the Super Bowl on a busted up knee.
He was the front end of the M&M Connection — Morton to Moses.
May he rest in peace. https://t.co/AST62DYRVT

— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) May 11, 2026

He was the team's starting quarterback until the end of the strike-shortened 1982 season, though he was replaced in the lineup by Steve DeBerg in many games that season. The following year, the Broncos traded for John Elway after he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Colts and Morton then retired. Elway took Morton's No. 7 jersey.

In 1988, Morton was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.

Craig Morton is remembered for his contributions to the Broncos

Morton started in 64 games at quarterback for the Broncos (the team won 41 of those) and he passed for 11,895 yards and 74 touchdowns during his time with the team. Following that devastating loss in Super Bowl XII, he took the Broncos to the playoffs in each of the next two seasons, but the team lost in the first playoff game in each of them.

He still ranks third in team history in both passing yardage and touchdown passes, trailing only Elway and Peyton Manning in each category. Those three players, along with Charley Johnson and Frank Tripucka, are the only quarterbacks in team history to be inducted into the Ring of Fame.

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Morton passed away on Saturday in Mill Valley, California, surrounded by friends and family.