'Sacco' steers Broncos' course

By Luke Graham

Jim Saccomano of the Broncos in the press box at Mile High Stadium in Denver in 2000. Photo by Rich Clarkson.

As John Elway concluded his career with a second consecutive Super Bowl win in 1999, the man there to greet him when he stepped off the podium was Jim Saccomano (MA '77), vice president of public relations for the Denver Broncos. Saccomano said he knew that Elway and his teammates would be out celebrating their victory that night, possibly all night, and he needed to tell Elway of an obligation the all-pro quarterback had the next day.

" 'John,' I said. 'I've been waiting 16 years to tell you that you have a press conference at 8 a.m. tomorrow,'" he said, referring to Elway's obligation to meet with the national media and pick out a new car for winning the Super Bowl MVP award.

Saccomano said he and Elway enjoyed one of the longest working relationships between an NFL star and a team PR pro in league history. "He always knew I had his back," Saccomano said.

Elway showed him the ultimate respect five years later. While giving his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech, and while thanking his teammates, the owner, his father and family, Elway also recognized the long-time Broncos communications chief.

"And thanks to our PR man, Jim Saccomano," Elway said. "Sacco, somehow you always managed to lock my lips before I sank the ship."

Saccomano, 56, has been in public relations for 31 years. He graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a broadcasting degree and became a sports reporter and talk show host. After a year of broadcasting, Saccomano decided it was time for a change. "I concluded that I far preferred sports administration," he said.

Saccomano went to the SJMC for his master's degree and started work for the old Denver Bears baseball team as director of public relations. After a "couple of years working like crazy," he said he was "fortunate" to be hired by the Broncos.

Now in his 28th year with the Broncos, Saccomano's job consists of being the Broncos' primary spokesman and supervisor of all media activities. He said he usually speaks with the players and coaches and shows them an NFL video on how to deal with the media to prepare them for the upcoming season.

Saccomano said he does not find it hard to deal with professional athletes and finds it especially easy with an organization like the Broncos. He said head coach Mike Shanahan does not draft or trade for players who are "bad characters," and that makes his job much easier.

While with the Broncos, Saccomano and his staff have won numerous public relations awards. In 1990, the staff was the first recipient of the Pro Football Writers of America Pete Rozelle Award, awarded to the NFL's most outstanding public relations staff.

In addition to his duties involving the six Super Bowls in which the Broncos have played, Saccomano has worked in 14 Super Bowls and has been co-captain of the NFL's Super Bowl PR staff seven times. He has also been named the PR director for the AFC at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu three times.

Saccomano said he owes a lot of his success to Broncos fans, who keep coming to the games win or lose. Saccomano said 2005 is the 36th consecutive year the Broncos have sold out all their home games. That loyalty makes his job much easier when dealing with the local media, he said.

"Here, I have often said, it's almost like a college town," he said. "The fans here are very passionate."

Saccomano also credits the media for his success. He said he knows that Denver has an abundance of media outlets and can always count on coverage for the team.

"Every day, the press will be here," he said. "They're coming, and they're not going until they've got something."

Saccomano said the volume of the coverage is exceptional but that the sports media is now in an era of both sports critics and reporters. He said back in the early days, the only job a reporter had was to report on the game. The advent of critics and columnists has made his job a little tougher, he said.

"You can't worry about criticism," he said. "Some comes from a style the writers have. I just worry about how much we get. You win, and that gets taken care of."

Generally, the only problem Saccomano said he has with reporters is when they get something wrong. He said that factual errors sometimes indicate some irresponsibility on part of the media, and he is sure to call them and let them know.

Jim Armstrong, a columnist and Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post, said he has worked with Saccomano for 21 years. He said "Sacco" is one of the most personable people he knows. "The whole world calls him by a nickname," Armstrong said. "I would say that's a pretty big sign of affection."

Armstrong said he believes Saccomano is one of the best PR men in football, and it shows by his longevity. Saccomano has survived changes in general managers, coaches and owners, he noted. Usually when front office personnel are changed, the new people bring in their own people to run things, he said.

"To survive that long shows what kind of job Sacco does," Armstrong said. "He is enthusiastic, and he hasn't lost it. He still has a passion for the job."

While with the Broncos, Saccomano has been able to travel the world and work Pro Bowls and Super Bowls, but his favorite part of his job is the friendships with the players.

"When you work for a team, you're part of that team," he said.

Saccomano said that while he loves working for the Broncos, the worst part of his job is the strenuous work schedule during the season in which he has to "get there early, stay late and work like crazy in between."

"For six months out of the year I don't have a day off," he said. "Any day that ends in 'y' you will find me working."

When he is not working during the off-season, he said he loves to travel, read, go to the theater and watch his beloved New York Yankees play baseball.

Saccomano and his wife, Jo Ann, have two children. They live in Denver.