The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and the American Association again from 1969 to 1992. They played their home games at Mile High Stadium. The Zephyrs won the American Association championship on seven occasions: 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1991. They also won the 1991 Triple-A Classic. History Origins Denver, Colorado, had been the home of numerous minor league baseball teams dating back to 1885 with an unnamed team of the Colorado State League. Off and on from 1901 to 1954, the city was represented by the Denver Bears of the Western League. In 1955, the Class A Bears were replaced by a Triple-A team of the American Association. This came about when the Kansas City Blues were forced to relocate after the American League's Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to become the Kansas City Athletics. Denver Bears (1955–1983) Although naming a team for its uniform color had been popular in the 19th century, it was not fashionable in the 20th. As Denver had no connection to the original Blues, and in recognition of the new location in the Rockies, the team became known as Bears. The new Denver team played at what became known later as Mile High Stadium, but was originally known as Bears Stadium, after the team. This ballpark was one of the largest venues in history to host minor league baseball on a routine basis, and had the additional draw of being in one of the largest minor league markets at the time. For many years, the biggest crowds were on Independence Day fireworks nights, and the American Association scheduled the Bears for a home game every year. Crowds of 45,000 and more watched the fireworks games, easily the biggest crowds most of the minor leagues had ever drawn. The Triple-A Bears were affiliated with the New York Yankees at the outset, with Ralph Houk managing many players who would reach the majors and play in the World Series. The team had some early success, winning the American Association championship in 1957. League MVPs in this period included Marv Throneberry in 1956 and Steve Boros in 1960. Although the team had been a member of the