Former Denver Broncos Star Quarterback Dead at 83

A former Denver Broncos star quarterback died this weekend at the age of 83.

On Monday, May 11, the Broncos issued a statement revealing the passing of Craig Morton, who died on May 9, according to his family. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Morton was drafted out of California by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 5 overall in 1965.

He started his career as the backup to Don Meredith before eventually taking over as a starter during the 1969 season.

Morton started Super Bowl V and threw the first-ever touchdown pass for Dallas in a Super Bowl, which was a 16-13 loss to the Colts. He eventually lost the starting job to future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach and was later traded to the New York Giants.

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After struggling with the Giants, Morton resurrected his career in Denver, where he played from 1977-82.

He led Denver to its first playoff appearance and a berth in Super Bowl XII after guiding the team to a 12-2 record that season, with playoff wins against two legendary NFL organizations – the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Raiders.

For his performance during that 1977 season, Morton was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named the Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP for the 1977 season.

He finished his career with the most passing yards (11,895), passing touchdowns (74), pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907) in franchise history.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM.