Dove Valley training center gets upgrade
Broncos have spent $45 million since 2014 to renovate and expand their facilities
Chip Conway has walked the halls of Broncos’ football facilities for more than two decades now, dating back to 1994, and he recalls the days when players soaked in metal tubs and studied game film from beta tapes. So excuse his big smile Thursday as the team’s senior vice president of operations led a media tour of the next phase of major renovations at UCHealth Training Center in Dove Valley.
“It’s important to give our players the best facilities possible,” Conway said. “… I’m biased on that, but to me, this is the best you’ll ever see.”
The Broncos have invested more than $45 million to renovate and expand their existing headquarters since 2014, including the construction of the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse, with their latest endeavor making up about $9.5 million of that total, Conway said. The seven monthlong project began almost immediately after the end of last season with as many as 150 workers on site at any given time through the process — finishing up just in time for the start of training camp Saturday.
A breakdown of the major upgrades:
• 5,400 total square feet of additional team meeting and posi-
tional meeting space with updated wall graphics.
• The installation of 260 extra-large and stadiumstyle seats.
• Audio and visual technology that allows one master computer the ability to control every screen in the facility.
• A training room expansion totaling 2,500 square feet that includes: a player recovery room with five zero-gravity chairs, two cryotherapy machines (cold therapy), a float pod (sensory deprivation in a saline/water mix), and a tripled expansion of its previous hydrotherapy tubs.
The project design was inspired by the football facilities on the Broncos’ visiting schedule over the past several years, Conway said, but most notably those of the Jets and 49ers when Denver prepared to play in Super Bowl 48 and after joint training camp practices in San Francisco.
“We still have a little bit of painting and touch up to do in there — it was kind of down the wire,” Conway said. “But it looks good, I’m proud of it and I know my team is proud of it. I’m anxious for the players to get in there tomorrow.”
Broncos sign rookie WR.
A day after two receivers decided not to report to training camp, the Broncos filled one of the vacancies by signing rookie Mark Chapman. The Broncos have one roster spot open.
Chapman (6-foot, 180 pounds) started 32-of-45 games during his career at Central Michigan. He caught 147 passes for 2,040 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Chapman, 23, was the first overall pick in this year’s CFL draft by Hamilton, but he did not sign with the team.