With Travis Hunter named the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Colorado on Saturday, 2024 marks the first year in history that the most valuable players for the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and the Heisman winner all played for teams in the same state.
Jimmie Kaylor, who covers the NFL, college football and fantasy sports for SportsLine and CBS Sports, said part of the reason the feat has never happened before – and is unlikely to happen again any time soon – is that few states are represented in all three leagues.
“Georgia, for example, they don't have the NHL, they just have 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 were from the same place was in 1989 when Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson both won MVP while on California-based teams.
States holding titles in multiple sports is unusual. It’s happened just 18 times in the last century. Most recently, two cities received the honor in 2020 when LA won both the World Series and the NBA Championship while Tampa won the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup.
Colorado has only achieved more than one major award in professional sports twice prior to this year. The first was more than 20 years ago, when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup and their star player Joe Sakic claimed the spot for the league's MVP in 2001. The second was in 2022 when Nikola Jokic won MVP for the NBA and the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.
“Some of it is (that) professional sports are very cyclical,” Kaylor said. “You’re going to have a nice run for a decade or so, and then you're going to have to reset and recycle.”
Denver has the possibility to see that cyclical pattern return to success for the Broncos this season, with experts now estimating they have a 91 percent chance of making it to the NFL playoffs.
The team won against the Indianapolis Colts at home on Sunday, securing its first winning season since its 2016 Super Bowl win. If the Broncos win against the Los Angeles Chargers this Thursday, Denver’s winning drought could be near its end.
Lyndsey Spano who owns the DNVR Bar along Colfax Avenue says she can feel an energetic buzz during games.
“It's been eight years since we've had a winning season. The fans feel that they have their franchise QB in Bo Nix, but whether it's PSII (Patrick Surtain) or Nik Bonitto, everyone's really getting behind this team and packing the bar every weekend for every game day,” Spano said.
The Colorado Avalanche also have a shot at winning big this year, especially after replacing their goalie this month.
“That's a team that if they get hot, they can go on a run. They have Nathan McKinnon, he leads the NHL in points right now. Cale Makar is the best defenseman in the league. And then you have Mikko Rantanen making a run at leading (the) league in goals,” Kaylor said.
Though the Denver Nuggets are currently less favored to make the playoffs, it’s still early in the season. Even if the team doesn’t return to championship form, their superstar leader is breaking statistical records.
“[Nikola] Jokic is on track to probably be the most dominant athlete in Denver pro sports history. I mean, all due respect to John Elway and all those guys, but I am blown away every time I watch that guy,” Kayor said.
Fans agree, according to Spano, who just helped fans celebrate “Jokmas” on Sunday.
“That's Dec. 15, when Jokic made his full-time debut for The Nuggets in 2016. So that is celebrated heavily amongst the fans and they continue to be mesmerized by him,” she said.
What’s in the water?
So, is there a common thread tied to the state’s recent success? Kaylor believes it's likely a combination of recent championship wins for the Nuggets and Avalanche, positive team-coach dynamics across leagues and team owners who really want to win.
The impact of CU head football coach Deion Sanders was felt across the state — and the country — almost immediately. His arrival and reboot of the Buffs program fueled historic attendance numbers, with the first ever sell out season in program history in 2023 and again this year.
“Deion has put together a very, very talented roster and it finally started to gel,” Kaylor said. “They have two guys who are probably going to be top five draft picks.”
Not only did Travis Hunter win the Heisman this year, but he’s also been selected for the 2024 All-American Team — on both sides of the ball — with three nods from the Associated Press. Hunter captured first-team honors as cornerback and all-purpose athlete, and also earned a second-team honor as wide receiver. The selection marks the first time ever a player has earned first-team honors on both offense and defense.
Spano says Coach Prime and his top players have boosted business with new patrons at DNVR Bar too.
“Prime has a very incredible impact on the fan base, whether it's right here in Denver or across the country,” she said. “It has certainly brought a much more diverse crowd than we've seen in the past for Denver sports in general.”
Sean Peyton, head coach for the Broncos, and quarterback Bo Nix, who recently broke the franchise record for touchdowns by a rookie QB, are also getting fan attention. Kaylor notes it’s easy to see they trust one another, a dynamic missing from Peyton’s relationship with former quarterback Russel Wilson.
Ownership matters
At the ownership level, the Broncos are also making changes this season.
The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, which owns the Broncos Franchise, has been working hard to improve home game presentation alongside on-field performance, something proven to drive ticket sales.
At the Broncos’ Dec. 2 home game against the Cleveland Browns, the franchise put on a half time show complete with a message from Coldplay, light-up suits that allowed dancers to form images on the field and glowing skydivers.
“When you have an ownership group like that and you win some games, it's going to create some buzz,” Kaylor said. “They're fully committed to making that the premier product in the NFL. We were at the Monday night game a couple of weeks ago against the Browns and that halftime show that they put on, I mean, it was Super Bowl caliber stuff there.”
With the Avalanche and the Nuggets both bringing home championships over the last three years, and the Broncos on the upswing, fans have good reason to feel more optimistic about Colorado sports. And that positivity translates to higher game attendance.
Fan impact
Kaylor knows from his time playing football at CSU that positive fans can improve game play and increase the odds of winning.
“The players can feed off the vibe in the stadium or the arena. If you look at the Broncos in particular, I haven't seen that stadium with that much energy since the Peyton Manning era, and it's showing. They're making big plays, they're kind of feeding off the fans, they're having a good time doing it, and it's fun to see,” he said.
Spano says she feels the energy outside the stadium too.
“(Fans) are coming out to the bar and they are enjoying those wins together, but they're consoling each other in the losses as well,” she said. “Denver is really special in that, right? We have a really great group of fans … that have been here from the beginning or they're new to Colorado and they have joined the fandom because it's such an electric year.”
But like all good things, the hot streak being experienced by the state’s professional and college teams will eventually come to an end.
“I would enjoy it now,” Kaylor said. “This has a chance to be a really special two or three years, something like we haven't had in a long time. We have some of the premier athletes in the world right now, and if you can go see 'em live, they're worth the price of admission.”
Major sports awards for Colorado teams or players from 1987 to 2024
- Nuggets Parade brought out generations of families and friends to celebrate – after decades of waiting to witness basketball glory — Denverite
- Party Time! The Colorado Avalanche parade, rally and fun — Denverite
- Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has won the NBA’s MVP award … again
- Colorado Buffs superstar Travis Hunter wins Heisman
