Top 10 Colorado Sports Stories Of 2014

DENVER (CBS4) - Broncos, Broncos, Broncos. That's seemingly all you hear about among sports fans these days on the streets of Denver. But there was actually a little bit more to the year in sports in Colorado than the Broncos. Not much more, but a little.

1. Broncos Suffer Heartbreaking Super Bowl Loss

It's hard to put into words the elation that was felt around Denver when the red-hot Broncos with their record-breaking offense and MVP quarterback Peyton Manning punched their ticket for Super Bowl XLVIII by defeating the New England Patriots at home in January in the AFC Championship. It's also hard to put into words the shock every fan of the Orange & Blue felt when that same red-hot team stumbled out of the gates on Feb. 2 and never recovered in a dismal Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

2. Peyton Manning Breaks The All Time Passing Touchdowns Record

Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre's impressive quarterback record with an 8-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas against the San Francisco 49ers in October. He didn't get to clutch the ball for long — it was shipped off soon afterwards for a display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

3. Avalanche Stumble Early In NHL Playoffs

While they have had their struggles this season, last season -- in head coach Patrick Roy's debut year -- the Avalanche finished with the third-most points in the NHL and earned a No. 1 seed in hockey's new playoff format. However, the Avs lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Wild at the end of April.

4. CSU Rams Achieve National Ranking, McElwain Moves On

The CSU Rams are enjoying a wonderful football season. Coach Jim McElwain led the team to a 10-2 record and then announced earlier this month that he was bolting to join the Florida Gators as their new head coach. The Rams now play against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.

5. Pat Bowlen's Struggle With Alzheimer's Disease

Right before the start of Broncos training camp this summer some sad news came out of the team's Dove Valley headquarters as it was announced that owner Pat Bowlen had Alzheimer's disease and stepped down from the team's day-to-day operations.

6. Rockies Clean House After Dismal Season

There was some hope that things might go better for the Colorado Rockies at the start of the 2014 season, but the "June Swoon" once again set in, and the Rockies wound up with one of Major League Baseball's worst records. After the season was over the team announced they were parting ways with senior vice president Bill Geivett and longtime general manager Dan O'Dowd. Jeff Bridich was picked to succeed O'Dowd.

7. World Cup Craziness Hits Denver

Sports fans were spilling out of sports bars in Denver during the World Cup early in the summer. That was mostly due to the fact that the U.S. men's soccer team performed above expectations in Brazil and made it through a grueling group stage and fought Belgium in the Round of 16 all the way to overtime. They lost that July 1 game by a score of 2-1 after a thrilling ride.

8. Amy Van Dyken-Rouen Injures Spine

Amy Van Dyken attended Colorado State University in the 1990s and was a swimming sensation. She won six Olympic gold medals during competition in the 1996 and 2000 games. In June she was injured in an ATV accident near her Arizona home and came to Colorado's Craig Hospital to work on her recovery. The accident left her bound to a wheelchair, and fans were captivated and inspired by her recovery and positive energy. In October CSU honored Van Dyken by naming a street on campus after her.

9. Nuggets Decimated By Injuries

Brian Shaw's first year as a head coach in the NBA didn't go very well, and a lot of that could be blamed on injuries. The team finished with their worst record in 10 years (36-46), failing to make the playoffs. The injury bug is also being felt this season, and the team is currently five games below .500.

10. Broncos Ring Of Fame Inductions

Rick Upchurch, Gene Mingo and Dan Reeves were inducted into the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame in September. Their names are now among the legendary names in Broncos lore which are featured on the fifth level facade of the stadium. The Ring of Fame, created during Bowlen's tenure, honors former players and staffers who have played significant roles in the franchise's history.