With Travis Hunter named the University of Colorado’s Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday, 2024 marks the first year in history where the most valuable players in the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and the Heisman winner have all played for teams from the same state.

Jimmie Kaylor, who covers the NFL, college football and fantasy sports for SportsLine and CBS Sports, said part of the reason this feat has never happened before — and is unlikely to ever happen again. happening again anytime soon – is that few states are represented in all three. leagues.

“Georgia, for example, doesn’t have the NHL, it just has the NBA and college football. Oregon doesn’t have (an) NFL team. So it’s really special, it’s a great time to be a sports fan (in Colorado),” he said.

The only other time the NHL and NBA MVPs came from the same location was in 1989, when Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson both won MVPs while on teams based in California.

States holding titles in multiple sports is unusual. This has only happened 18 times in the last century. Most recently, two cities received this honor in 2020 when Los Angeles won both the World Series and the NBA championship, while Tampa won the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup.

Colorado has only won a major award in professional sports twice before this year. The first happened more than 20 years ago, when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup and its star player Joe Sakic won the league MVP in 2001. The second happened in 2022, when Nikola Jokic won the NBA and Colorado Avalanche MVP. won the Stanley Cup.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

“Part of it is that professional sports are very cyclical,” Kaylor said. “You’re going to have a great run for about ten years, and then you’re going to have to reset and retrain.”

Denver has the opportunity to see this cyclical pattern return to success for the Broncos this season, with experts now estimate they have a 91 percent chance of qualifying for the NFL playoffs.

P.A.

The team won against the Indianapolis Colts at home on Sunday, securing their first winning season since winning the 2016 Super Bowl. If the Broncos win against the Los Angeles Chargers this Thursday, Denver’s winning drought could touch its end.

Lyndsey Spano, owner of the DNVR bar along Colfax Avenue, says she can feel an energetic buzz during games.

“It’s been eight years since we had a winning season. The fans feel like they have their franchise QB in Bo Nix, but whether it’s PSII (Patrick Surtain) or Nik Bonitto, everyone really supports this team and fills the bar every weekend for every game day,” said Spano.

The Colorado Avalanche also have a chance to win big this year, especially after replacing their goaltender this month.

“It’s a team that, if it’s hot, can run. They have Nathan McKinnon, he currently leads the NHL in points. Cale Makar is the best defender in the league. And then you have Mikko Rantanen trying to lead (the) league in goals,” Kaylor said.

Although the Denver Nuggets are currently less favored to make the playoffs, it is still early in the season. Even if the team does not return to championship form, its superstar leader is break statistical records.

P.A.

“(Nikola) Jokic is on his way to becoming probably the most dominant athlete in Denver professional sports history. I mean, all due respect to John Elway and all those guys, but I’m blown away every time I watch this guy,” Kayor said.

Fans agree, according to Spano, who just helped fans celebrate “Jokmas” on Sunday.

“It’s December 15, when Jokic made his full-time debut for The Nuggets in 2016. So it’s widely celebrated among fans and they continue to be fascinated by him,” she said.

What’s in the water?

So, is there a common thread to the state’s recent successes? Kaylor thinks it’s likely a combination of recent championship wins by the Nuggets and Avalanche, positive team-coach dynamics in the leagues and team owners who really want to win.

THE CU head football coach Deion Sanders’ impact was felt almost immediately across the state – and across the country. His arrival and restart of the Buffs program has fueled historic attendance numbers, with the first-ever sold-out season in program history in 2023 and again this year.

“Deion has put together a very, very talented team and it’s finally starting to take shape,” Kaylor said. “They have two guys who will probably be top five picks in the draft.”

Not only did Travis Hunter win the Heisman this year, but he was also selected for the 2024 All-American team – on both sides of the ball – with three nods from the Associated Press. Hunter earned first-team honors as a cornerback and all-around athlete, and also earned second-team honors as a wide receiver. This selection marks the first time a player has earned first-team honors on both offense and defense.

(Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust via AP)

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Spano says Coach Prime and his top players have also boosted business with new customers at DNVR Bar.

“Prime has a very incredible impact on the fan base, whether it’s here in Denver or across the country,” she said. “It certainly drew a much more diverse crowd than we’ve seen in the past for Denver sports in general.”

Broncos head coach Sean Peyton and quarterback Bo Nix, who recently broke the franchise record for touchdowns by a rookie QB, also attract fans’ attention. Kaylor notes that it’s easy to see that they trust each other, a dynamic that’s missing from Peyton’s relationship with former quarterback Russell Wilson.

Ownership Matters

At the ownership level, the Broncos are also making changes this season.

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, owners of the Broncos franchise, has worked hard to improve home game presentation as well as on-field performance, something proven to boost ticket sales.

During the Broncos’ Dec. 2 home game against the Cleveland Browns, the franchise presented a halftime show featuring a message from Coldplay, light suits that allowed dancers to form images on the field, and glowing skydivers .

“When you have an ownership group like that and you’re winning games, it’s going to create some buzz,” Kaylor said. “They are fully committed to making it the flagship product of the NFL. We were at the Monday night game against the Browns a few weeks ago and that halftime show that they put on, I mean, it was Super Bowl caliber there.

With the Avalanche and Nuggets both winning championships in the last three years, and the Broncos on the rise, fans have good reason to feel more optimistic about Colorado sports. And this positivity translates into greater attendance at matches.

Fan impact

Kaylor has known since playing football at CSU that positive fans can improve the game and increase the chances of winning.

“Players can feed off the atmosphere of the stadium or arena. If you look at the Broncos specifically, I haven’t seen this stadium with this much energy since the Peyton Manning era, and it shows. They make big plays, they kind of feed off the fans, they have a good time doing it, and it’s fun to see,” he said.

Spano says she feels the energy outside the stadium, too.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

“(Fans) come to the bar and enjoy these wins together, but they also take solace in the losses,” she said. “Denver is really special in that, isn’t it?” We have a really good group of fans… who have been here since the beginning or who are new to Colorado and have joined the fandom because it’s such an electric year.

But like all good things, the streak of success experienced by the state’s professional and collegiate teams will eventually end.

“I would enjoy it now,” Kaylor said. “This has the chance to be a really special two or three years, something we haven’t had in a long time. We have some of the best athletes in the world right now, and if you can see them live, they’re worth the price of admission.

Major sports awards for Colorado teams or players from 1987 to 2024