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Invesco Field at Mile High Information
Bucky Bronco
In 1975, Roy Rogers granted permission for Bucky Bronco to be cast from the same model used to make a statue of his own horse, Trigger, so long as the new statue was not also named Trigger. The naming of the horse was then put out to the fans and "Bucky Bronco" was chosen.
Made of fiberglass and steel, Bucky stands 27 feet tall and weighs in at 1,600 pounds. On May 15, 2001, Bucky was removed from his 25-year home atop the scoreboard of Mile High Stadium to begin his journey to INVESCO Field at Mile High. During the Eagles concert on August 11, 2001, Bucky was unveiled, reclaiming his position as a Denver icon on the South scoreboard at INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Counties Gateway Plaza
The Counties Gateway Plaza is located on the West side of INVESCO Field at Mile High. In celebration of the six counties who made INVESCO Field at Mile High a reality, six large monuments have been placed on either side of the plaza, which serves as a large pedestrian walkway and gateway to the stadium site. The monuments on the plaza measure 40 feet tall and provide statistical information about the counties they represent.
You will also find bricks from the Brick Paver Campaign on the Counties Gateway Plaza. These 4"x8" or 8"x8" bricks were personalized by Broncos fans and then permanently installed into the plaza area.
Historical Design & Development
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998, voters in the six-county area that comprises Metro Denver approved a plan to construct a new football stadium in Denver. Construction began on the 76,125-seat stadium in mid-1999 and official groundbreaking was held on August 17, 1999.
The Broncos' new home is located in the vicinity of Mile High Stadium, just west of Interstate-25. The cost of the new stadium will be incurred by Broncos Owner and Chief Executive Officer Pat Bowlen and the taxpayers of the six-county area through a penny-per-$10 sales tax on retail goods.
The site upon which Mile High Stadium currently stands will feature grass, trees and landscaped parking lots. The new facility will be highlighted by an emphasis on state-of-the-art technology, while maintaining the traditional aspects of Mile High Stadium that have given the Broncos a decided home field advantage over the years. Those features include the close proximity of the seats to the field, as well as steel treads and risers that can be used to create the same deafening roar that helped define Mile High Stadium.
At the official groundbreaking, Mr. Bowlen spoke of the bright future for the Broncos, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado.
"As we face a new millennium, we are moving forward together in building a world class stadium for our city and our state," Bowlen said. "My pledge is that we will continue to do everything possible to put championship teams on the field year in and year out."
Colorado Governor Bill Owens described the historic relevance of the day's event, saying, "The Broncos represent a proud Colorado tradition. Today marks the beginning of a new era for the Broncos and for Colorado."
The stadium was designed and built by Turner/Empire/Alvarado Construction and HNTB Architects, in association with Fentress Bradburn Architects and Bertram A. Bruton Architects. Numerous Colorado companies and hundreds of professional designers, engineers and construction tradesmen were involved in the construction of the new state-of-the-art facility.
The stadium includes 1.7 million square feet of space (approximately twice that of Mile High) with amenities such as wider concourses, wider seats, more restrooms, elevators, escalators and full-service accommodations for people with disabilities.
Facts & Figures
$364,200,000.00 Stadium
76,125 Seat Stadium
1.7 million square feet of space
530 TV monitors displayed throughout the stadium
85,000 Cubic Yards of Concrete
256 Miles of Post Tensioning Cable
2,100,000 Square Feet of Asphalt Paving
200,000 Pounds of aluminum
12,000 tons of structural steel
3,861,000 field work hours
12,000,000 pounds of reinforcing steel
130,000 bricks
1.6 million masonry blocks
1,500 plumbing fixtures
25,000 light fixtures
INVESCO Funds
Established in Denver in 1932, INVESCO Funds Group has built a global reputation on a core mission: to become the most valued investment management partner to their clients. The heart of INVESCO's business is to provide strong core mutual fund portfolios designed as a solid foundation for their clients' investments. They draw on the resources of affiliates worldwide, so they have seasoned experts in the investment strategies clients want to pursue - both for their core investments and to meet special needs. And, from large institutions and financial advisors to individual investors, INVESCO offers specialized service to help clients take best advantage of their investment expertise. They have earned the respect of their clients and the financial community by building on four cornerstones: knowledge, discipline, service and choice.
INVESCO Funds Group manages investment portfolios for some of the world's largest institutions and almost three million shareholder accounts. As of December 31, 2000, the company had more than t$ 48 billion in assets under management.
INVESCO Funds' goal is to positively impact and strengthen the community in order to make it a better and healthier place to live. The primary focus of their community relations program is financial education for young people. Recent research indicates that when it comes to personal finance topics such as paying taxes, using a credit card or savings towards retirement, high school seniors received a failing grade. Sending young people out into the real world without a fundamental understanding of real life finances has far reaching implications for the health of our society in general.
INVESCO is committed to helping young people achieve financial literacy and well being through The Edge youth financial program. The Edge program will provide 12 annual scholarships to students who make strides in financial literacy and overcome personal obstacles and provide much needed financial planning curriculum for high school classrooms. And by forging strategic partnerships in our community, providing financial educational material and using INVESCO employees as knowledgeable resources, they hope to make financial planning a part of every students' academic development.
Metropolitan Football Stadium District
INVESCO Field at Mile High is owned by the Metropolitan Football Stadium District (MFSD). The MFSD is a corporate body and political subdivision of the State of Colorado established pursuant to the Metropolitan Football Stadium District Act, Article 15, Title 32 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, ("Act"). The District includes all or part of six counties in the Denver Metropolitan area. The District was created for the purpose of planning, acquiring land and construction of a professional football stadium. Operations of the MFSD commenced in August 1996.
The MFSD owns INVESCO Field at Mile High on behalf of the six metropolitan county taxpayers and serves as the building's landlord. Stadium Management Company, LLC, an affiliate of the Denver Broncos, will perform the operations and management of the stadium upon it's completion.
Playing Surface
The playing surface at INVESCO Field at Mile High is a 100% natural grass playing field made up of four different Kentucky Bluegrasses. The grass surface is stabilized by a network of polypropylene fibers that were sewn vertically into the sod every 3/4". This process took three weeks, with crews working 24 hours a day. This technology was developed by DD GrassMaster out of Holland, and has been used at over 100 stadiums worldwide.
Underneath the sod is a sand-root zone laid above an extensive drainage and soil heating system. After heavy rain, in a matter of minutes, surface water can be drained with a strong suction system called Sub-Air. The field will be heated during the winter months by a network of 21 miles of underground hot water tubing.
DENVER (AP) - The Denver Broncos will have one of the most technologically advanced natural-grass playing fields in the NFL.
The field of five-blend Kentucky Bluegrass is ready for use. It has four computerized moisture sensors and 10 temperature sensors, as well as a computerized drainage system that sucks away excess water, even during heavy rains. And it conceals 20 miles of water pipes that will keep it at a pleasant 60 degrees year-round.
The most high-tech part about the field is the grass-colored polypropylene fibers injected into about 17 million holes across it. The process is designed to unite the sod with the ground underneath.
That means three of every 100 strands of grass on the field are fake, said Ross Kurcab, the Broncos' turf manager.
The exposed fibers look like grass and are hard to detect from even a few inches away.
Invesco Field will cost about $400 million when complete. It is the first major league facility in the nation to have the fibers installed, though the technology has been used in dozens of fields abroad.
Kurcab said it's all about player safety. "This grass will provide good, solid footing underneath them," he said.
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