Team History
When the USFL first organized, league officials identified Denver as a critical market. However, they had a difficult time finding an owner. Ultimately, the league’s first operations chief, John Ralston, got in touch with local real estate magnate Ron Blanding, an old friend from his days as head coach of the National Football League‘s Denver Broncos. After some pleading, Blanding agreed to sign on.
The Gold attempted to utilize some of the goodwill established by the more established Broncos by involving former Broncos players and coaches in the Gold organization for the Gold’s inaugural 1983 season. Miller stocked his Gold roster with a number of former Broncos players. He also tapped his former starting quarterback with the Broncos, Craig Morton, as his offensive coordinator. Morton became head coach after Blanding fired Miller in the middle of the 1983 season. Despite one of the toughest defenses in the league, a weak offense kept the Gold out of the playoffs in 1983. Blanding, however, was more satisfied with the fact that he actually turned a profit. He was also happy that the Gold led the league in attendance, with almost 42,000 fans per game. In part because of this, the league chose Denver to be the host of the inaugural USFL Championship Game.
Coaching Staff and Front Office
Owner: Ron Blanding, Doug Spedding
| Head Coach: Craig Morton |
| Greg Brown | Defensive Assistant |
| Gary Cabe | Running Backs |
| Jim Cadile | Offensive Line |
| Phil Cancik | Special Teams |
| Jimmy Carr | Assistant Head Coach |
| Bill Dutton | Defensive Line |
| Don Frease | Wide Receivers/Tight Ends |
| Babe Parilli | Offensive Coordinator |
| Lonnie Warwick | Linebackers |