Broncos Ring of Fame kicker Jim Turner passes away

On a night in which one Denver sports franchise has a chance to make history, a great member of one of the city's team's past has sadly passed away.

Jim Turner, who was a kicker for the Broncos from nine seasons from 1971-1979, has sadly passed away at the age of 82. He was elected into the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1988.

Turner was born in California and played college football at Utah State. He began his playing career in the old AFL and was taken in the 19th round of the 1964 draft by Washington before joining the New York Jets. Years later, he would play in one of the most famous games in pro football history.

That would be Super Bowl III where the Jets faced the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts. Turner kicked three field goals in that game, best remembered for Joe Namath's "guarantee", and was the difference in the 16-7 upset win for the Jets.

In 1971, he came to the Broncos following the AFL-NFL merger and played for the team for nine seasons. When he retired following the 1979 season, he held a couple of special records.

For one, he was the Broncos' all-time leading scorer with 742 points. To this day, only two players — Jason Elam and Brandon McManus — have ever topped that number. Also, his 304 career field goals made were at the top of the list in league history. In addition, only George Blanda had scored more points in history than Turner at that time.

Turner would also be the kicker in the Broncos' first Super Bowl, a loss in Super Bowl XII to the Dallas Cowboys in which he kicked a 47-yard field goal and an extra point.

Following his career, Turner went into broadcasting.

Turner will always be remembered for his time in Denver and his name will stay on the Ring of Fame for fans to see forever.