Former Broncos quarterback Steve Tensi passes away

Steve Tensi, who quarterbacked the Denver Broncos through much of the team’s time under coach Lou Saban, passed away March 15 in Boone, N.C., aged 81.

A product of Florida State, Steve Tensi came to the Broncos in 1967 via a blockbuster trade in advance of Lou Saban’s first year as head coach. Denver surrendered two first-round picks to the San Diego Chargers for Tensi. In his first season, he struggled, posting a 54.8 passer rating while completing 40.3 percent of his 325 passes for 1,915 yards, 16 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

“I played very inconsistent, and it was pretty rough on me,” Tensi said of his Broncos career during a 2013 interview with The Denver Post.

Tensi split time as the starter with Marlin Briscoe in 1968 before re-assuming the reins for most of the 1969 season. That was his best campaign as a Bronco – -and the only one in five Denver seasons that saw him post a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio.

But in 1970, shoulder and back problems caught up to Steve Tensi, limiting his work to just 5 of 14 games during the team’s first NFL campaign after 10 years in the upstart American Football League. He retired after that season.

“I had back surgery in Denver that offseason, but the injury affected my shoulder, and I just couldn’t throw with strength anymore. I told Lou to find someone else. I was retiring,” Tensi told The Denver Post in 2013.

After his playing career, Tensi relocated to Miami. But he eventually moved to Boone, where he spent most of his post-football years nestled high in the Appalachian Mountains in northwestern North Carolina. His college proficiency earned him selection to Florida State’s athletic hall of fame in 1981.

Tensi is survived by his wife, Barbara Jean, along with three siblings, four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.