This list of sports in the U.S. State of Colorado includes professional teams, college sports, and individual sports from the Denver Metropolitan Area and other cities.
Professional sports teams
Colorado is the least populous state with a franchise in each of the major professional sports leagues. The state is able to support the teams because it contains a large metropolitan area with a higher population than any other city within 550 miles (885 km). Therefore, many of the residents in the surrounding states support the teams in Denver, as shown by the reach of the Broncos' radio network.[1]
| Club
|
Home
|
First game
|
Sport
|
League
|
| Denver Broncos
|
Denver
|
September 9, 1960
|
Football
|
National Football League
|
| Denver Nuggets
|
Denver
|
September 27, 1967
|
Basketball
|
National Basketball Association
|
| Colorado Rockies
|
Denver
|
April 5, 1993
|
Baseball
|
Major League Baseball
|
| Colorado Avalanche
|
Denver
|
October 6, 1995
|
Ice hockey
|
National Hockey League
|
| Colorado Rapids
|
Commerce City
|
April 13, 1996
|
Soccer
|
Major League Soccer
|
| Denver NWSL team
|
Denver
|
2026
|
Soccer
|
National Women's Soccer League
|
| Denver Outlaws
|
Denver
|
2024
|
field lacrosse
|
Premier Lacrosse League
|
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
|
Colorado Springs
|
March 28, 2015
|
Soccer
|
USL Championship
|
| Denver Bulldogs
|
Denver
|
Summer 1998
|
Australian rules football
|
USAFL
|
| Colorado Mammoth
|
Denver
|
January 3, 2003
|
Lacrosse
|
National Lacrosse League
|
| Colorado Eagles
|
Loveland
|
October 17, 2003
|
Ice hockey
|
American Hockey League
|
| Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
|
Denver
|
July 2005
|
Roller derby
|
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
|
| Denver Roller Derby
|
Denver
|
December 2007
|
Roller derby
|
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
|
| Boulder County Bombers
|
Boulder
|
November 2011
|
Roller derby
|
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
|
| Denver Barbarians
|
Denver
|
Spring 1967
|
Rugby union
|
Rugby Super League
|
| American Raptors
|
Glendale
|
Spring 2007
|
Rugby union
|
Super Rugby Americas
|
| Grand Junction Jackalopes
|
Grand Junction
|
June 18, 2012
|
Baseball
|
Pioneer League (Independent, MLB Partner League)
|
| Northern Colorado Owlz
|
Windsor
|
June 2022
|
Baseball
|
Pioneer League (Independent, MLB Partner League)
|
| Rocky Mountain Vibes
|
Colorado Springs
|
June 2019
|
Baseball
|
Pioneer League (Independent, MLB Partner League)
|
| Club
|
Sport
|
League
|
| Aurora Cavalry
|
Basketball
|
International Basketball League
|
| Colorado 14ers (won championship in their final season of 2008–09; moved to Frisco, Texas, went on hiatus in 2009–10, and resumed play in 2010–11 as the Texas Legends)
|
Basketball
|
NBA Development League[a]
|
| Colorado Chill (folded along with the NWBL)
|
Basketball
|
National Women's Basketball League
|
| Colorado Crossover
|
Basketball
|
International Basketball League
|
| Colorado Crush (suspended operations with the AFL in 2009, and did not return after league's hiatus ended)
|
Arena football
|
Arena Football League
|
| Colorado Rapids U23's
|
Soccer
|
USL Premier Development League
|
| Colorado Raptors (Reformed as American Raptors, playing in Super Rugby Americas)
|
Rugby union
|
Major League Rugby
|
| Colorado Rockies (NHL) (moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, and became the New Jersey Devils)
|
Ice hockey
|
National Hockey League
|
| Colorado Xplosion (won the Western Conference Championship in inaugural season)
|
Women's Basketball
|
American Basketball League (1996–1998)
|
| Colorado Springs Blizzard
|
Soccer
|
USL Premier Development League
|
| Colorado Springs Sky Sox (relocated to San Antonio after the 2018 season as the San Antonio Missions)
|
Baseball
|
Pacific Coast League (Triple-A, Minor League Baseball)
|
| Denver Grizzlies (moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters)
|
Ice hockey
|
International Hockey League (1945–2001)
|
| Denver Spurs (moved to Ottawa, Ontario and became the Ottawa Civics for the rest of the team's existence)
|
Ice hockey
|
World Hockey Association/Central Hockey League/Western Hockey League
|
| Denver Cutthroats
|
Ice hockey
|
Central Hockey League
|
| Denver Dynamite (Inaugural AFL member; folded after four seasons)
|
Arena football
|
Arena Football League
|
| Denver Gold (United States Football League member, 1983–1985)
|
Football
|
United States Football League
|
| Denver Bears/Denver Zephyrs (moved to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Zephyrs; now playing as the New Orleans Baby Cakes in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana)
|
Baseball
|
American Association/Pacific Coast League
|
| Denver Outlaws
|
Lacrosse
|
Major League Lacrosse
|
| Denver Racquets 1974 Champions (moved to Phoenix 1975)
|
Tennis
|
World Team Tennis
|
| Denver Stampede
|
Rugby union
|
PRO Rugby
|
| Rocky Mountain Rage
|
Ice hockey
|
Central Hockey League
|
| Colorado Springs Snow Sox
|
Baseball
|
Pecos League
|
| Colorado Rumble FC (Denver)
|
Indoor soccer
|
Major Arena Soccer League 2
|
- ^ Now known as the NBA G League.
College athletics
Colorado is home to five NCAA Division I schools, plus a number of additional schools competing at lower levels. One school that competes at the lowest NCAA level, Division III, operates two Division I teams.
- ^ The Academy lies to the north of the Colorado Springs city limits; it is respectively designated by the US Census Bureau and US Postal Service as "Air Force Academy, Colorado" and "USAF Academy, Colorado".
- ^ Many Falcons teams compete outside the MW in sports that conference does not sponsor. Notably, the men's ice hockey team plays in Atlantic Hockey America, the men's lacrosse team in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and the wrestling team in the Big 12 Conference.
- ^ Colorado College is a member of the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in most sports, but fields Division I teams in men's ice hockey and women's soccer. It is one of a small number of Division III schools allowed to award athletic scholarships in its Division I sports.
- ^ Four high-profile DU teams compete as members of other conferences in sports that are not sponsored by the Summit League. The men's ice hockey team plays in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, the men's and women's lacrosse teams play in the Big East Conference, and the women's gymnastics team competes in the Big 12 Conference.
- ^ The baseball and men's golf teams compete in the Summit League, and the wrestling team competes in the Big 12 Conference.
Other sports
The Unser family includes Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Unser, Robby Unser and Louis Unser, and have won the Indianapolis 500 among other motorsports events.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a major motorsports event held at the Pikes Peak roads. Notable drivers include Mario Andretti, Michèle Mouton, Walter Röhrl, Ari Vatanen, Nobuhiro Tajima, Stig Blomqvist, Sébastien Loeb and Romain Dumas in addition to the Unsers.
Meanwhile, the Pikes Peak International Raceway has hosted motorsport events including IndyCar Series, NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Truck Series, AMA Superbike Championship and USAC Silver Crown Series.
The Cherry Hills Country Club has hosted professional golf tournaments such as the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women's Open and PGA Championship.
See also
References
External links
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38°59′50″N 105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)