Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
If you read my stories, then you know I am a Denver Broncos fan. I’ve been one since I first became interested in football. It was 1998 and my wife was a big Broncos fan. She lived in Colorado for a long time before she met me and has been a Broncos fan since she grew up in Colorado Springs. Prior to that, I could care less about football. But she got me interested in it and next thing I knew, they were headed for Super Bowl XXXII.
Bret Favre was returning after winning Super Bowl XXXI the year before. That game got me hooked as it was thrilling to see Elway at his best. He wasn’t about to lose another Super Bowl, and you could see he was not about to lose that one. He took the Broncos back for Super Bowl XXXIII and got two in a row, this time against the Falcons. Elway got MVP for that game, and the NFL was buzzing about a 3 peat. But that was enough for him, and he retired.
Prior to those back to back Super Bowl wins, the Broncos had been to the Super Bowl 4 other times, all losses. SB XII they lost to the Cowboys, SB XXI and XXII were back to back losses to the Giants and the Redskins. Two years later, they got another chance, SB XXIV, and were humiliated by the 49ers who overpowered them by 45 points. Lucky for them, the Bills came along in SB XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII and lost 4 in a row. That took the attention off the Broncos. In 4 more years, they were on top.
So, all that drama and history got me hooked and I have been a Broncos fan since. After Elway retired, we struggled to get a QB to get us back to the top. We had high hopes when we picked up Peyton Manning. We got back to play SB XLVIII but lost to Seattle. Funny thing about that game. I had a nephew that was a big Seattle fan. He had just passed away the year before that game, and I was grieving that I wouldn’t get to watch it with him.
On the very first play of that game, the ball was snapped and went way over Mannings head. Now that rarely happens in a football game, and I immediately recognized that my nephew was present and responsible for that snap. I could almost hear him say “take THAT Uncle Jon”. The game never got any better after that first play, and the Broncos lost to the Seahawks by 35 points. I was not disappointed with that game as I knew my nephew Gregg was having fun making my Broncos look silly. Laugh, or shake your head if you like, but I believe that Gregg was talking to me that day, and It warmed my heart.
We got our comeback chance two years later when we beat the Panthers in Super Bowl L (50). Then Manning retired and we were back looking for another star quarterback. With 8 Super Bowl appearances, we are tied for the most Super Bowl losses with the NE Patriots. We both have 5 losses. We did it in 7 games, the Patriots did it in 10 games, then we both redeemed ourselves by getting one more win.
Things are looking up for the Broncos this year. Our new quarterback, Bo Nix, is looking promising this year. We are now 5 wins and 2 losses for the season, but it hasn’t been easy. Each game has been close, the ones we won and the ones we lost. Tonight, our Broncos won again, 33 to 32. Going into the 4th quarter, we had zero points. We managed to get 33 points by the end of the game when it mattered most. I might have to start drinking if they play like this the whole season. We were disappointed when we moved from California where they rarely played Denver games, to Oklahoma which is much closer to Colorado.
Alas, we mostly get to watch the Cowboys or the Chiefs on TV. Maybe it’s better this way since our Broncos games are nailbiters. It would be fun to see them make it to the big game, if not this year, maybe next year. I can still like the Chiefs, It’s the stinkin’ Raiders that I will be smack talking about.
We love Las Vegas and we used to frequent it in our younger days, but that’s not enough to get us to be fans of the Raiders. That’s not going to happen. Win or Lose, the Broncos are our team.
