The Ten Biggest Colorado Sports Stories of 2022

This was a big year in Colorado sports all around, with teams at the high school, college and professional levels making headlines. From the Colorado Avalanche’s championship season to the total implosion of the Broncos, it was an interesting year to be a Colorado sports fan...unless you were hoping to cheer for the Rockies, that is. That team was so bad and so boring, it didn’t even make our list of the biggest Colorado sports stories of the year.

Here’s what did:

Spend Money (on the Broncos). Live Better (if You’re the Waltons).
On August 9, a group led by 77-year-old Robson Walton (son of Walmart co-founder Sam Walton) that includes Robson's daughter Carrie and her husband, George Penner, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton conquered the competition to purchase the Broncos for $4.65 billion. Now someone connected to the Waltons is also connected to every major sports franchise in Denver — and the developable acres between Ball Arena and Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

Lord Stanley Comes to Town
The Colorado Avalanche won the third Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2022 behind a killer performance from Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cale Makar. Denver residents flocked to the streets the night after the team clinched a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning and for the championship parade four days later. Colorado proved it’s still up for a party even after the pandemic, celebrating the state’s first major sports championship since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 over six years ago.

Lucky Number 13
In May, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic became the thirteenth player in National Basketball Association history to win the Most Valuable Player award for two consecutive years. In classic Jokic fashion, he discussed his award for the first time from a horse stable in Serbia, telling TNT, “Now I don’t think about [the awards], but probably when I’m old, fat and grumpy, I’m gonna remember, and I’m gonna tell my kids.” Jokic is the last person to receive the former iteration of the award and the first person to receive the newly rebranded Michael Jordan MVP trophy.

Denver Officially Becomes Hockeytown, USA
There was just something in the ice in 2022. Before the Avalanche won its championship, the University of Denver men’s hockey team won its ninth national championship in April, becoming just the second school to win nine NCAA championships in hockey. And in March, Denver East kicked off the championship train by winning the Division II title at the USA Hockey high school championships. The team also won the state Class 5A championship.

Prime Time for the Buffaloes
After a flunk of a football season that saw the University of Colorado fire head coach Karl Dorrell and tally just one win, the university made a splash, bringing in legendary National Football League and Major League Baseball player Deion Sanders as its next head coach. Before taking the gig at CU, Sanders coached at Jackson State University for three seasons and won back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. Since his December hiring, Sanders has lured many top prospects to the school, including his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Colorado Ties for Most Olympic Athletes on Team USA
Mikaela Shiffrin headlined the group of fourteen athletes Colorado sent to the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The state also sent nine athletes to the Paralympics. Though Shiffrin’s performance on the slopes didn’t net her any medals, she used the experience to shine a light on mental health for athletes.

Nathaniel Can’t-Hackett and Russell Washed-Son Flop
Excitement about the Broncos was high going into the 2022 NFL season, with new ownership, a new head coach in Nathaniel Hackett and a blockbuster trade that secured Russell Wilson as the new franchise quarterback. That excitement quickly fizzled when the Broncos couldn’t seem to score despite Hackett’s supposed offensive prowess, with calls to fire the coach starting in earnest after just three regular-season games. Denver will always be a Broncos city, but some fans are left wondering how much more they can take.

Mining for Championships
The Colorado School of Mines football team made its first trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game this fall. Although the team lost to Ferris State in the championship, fans of the school enjoyed the ride and can’t wait for next season. Plus, Blaster, the team’s live burro mascot, got famous on TikTok.

Our Cup Runneth Empty
During the 2022 World Cup semi-final, Denver was the top market for the English-language telecast, proving it’s a city that loves soccer, but earlier in the year it lost out on a bid to host games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will feature host cities and stadiums across North America. Some suggested that a lack of public funding resulting from TABOR could be behind FIFA’s decision to pass on the Mile High City.

Ace High! Becky Hammon Wins WNBA Championship
When Becky Hammon played for the Colorado State Rams women’s basketball team from 1996 to 1999, she was a three-time All American. In 2022, she led the Las Vegas Aces to win the franchise’s first Women’s National Basketball Association title. She is the first WNBA coach to win a championship in her first year as head coach. Hammon also won Coach of the Year.