Hello, I hear they, the fans, are voting on a 50 year team. Well I cannot believe 50 years has...

Hello,

I hear they, the fans, are voting on a 50 year team. Well I cannot believe 50 years has passed! I am proud I had the chance to be there at the first game. Nobody believed we could win, but we did. The Bronco fans still keep in touch, if not them, their kids or grand kids. Best fans in football!

~Goose Gonsoulin, #23, 1960-66.

I received this email from Goose himself. One of the greatest Broncos of all-time and a member of the AFL Hall of Fame.

4 months ago Tim Lynch 22 comments 5 recs |

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Wow, that is so freakin' cool!

"Call me a cannibal!"

by Tempestuous Binary on Jun 24, 2009 1:06 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow, what a treat.

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

Vince Lombardi

by Denver_Native on Jun 24, 2009 1:07 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

totally awesome

thanks for sharing this Zappa

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.

by BShrout on Jun 24, 2009 1:11 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

WOW!

The Goose himself! Zappa, you gotta feel good about that!

by Jezru on Jun 24, 2009 1:12 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Outstanding!

Hillis/Moreno in '09

by Emmett Smith on Jun 24, 2009 1:14 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Impressive!

Did you initiate contact or was it the other way around?

It's "just" football

by Donkhead on Jun 24, 2009 1:17 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Goose initiated contact a very long time ago and I didn't believe it was him and deleted the email... doh!

firstfan is the one who convinced me he was the real deal and he is the one who struck up a conversation with Goose via email. I am very glad that he did that or I may have never heard from Goose again!

Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.

by Tim Lynch on Jun 24, 2009 1:18 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good on ya!

All three of you!

It's "just" football

by Donkhead on Jun 24, 2009 1:51 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does this mean you are now a supporter of SETI?

just kiddin’ Great to hear from a former Bronco

by OrangeTorpedo on Jun 24, 2009 4:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

50 yrs in the blink of our collective eye,

Thanks Goose, for the memories
Go Broncos

Real Power, comes with the realization that One cannot change the Moment;
only ones perception of it: Atitude! JQM

by UB3 on Jun 24, 2009 2:05 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

for a little more on Goose:

http://www.milehighreport.com/2008/5/26/509731/mhr-s-forgotten-broncos-au

Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.

by Tim Lynch on Jun 24, 2009 1:29 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Quite a coup, Zappa!

Thanks for sharing! Wow, is it great to see young and old Broncos alike beginning to form relationships with MHR. A great reflection on the tone we’re striking here.

"They need a hero to tell them that the impossible can become possible..... WHEN... YOU'RE... AWESOMMMME!" -- Rhino the Hamster

by broncosmontana on Jun 24, 2009 2:27 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice Zappa and Firstfan!

Those that cant coach, compete!
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
All I want is 53 Rod Smiths. Is that asking too much????
"Peyton Hillis didn’t rip the sleeves off his jersey, they flew off out of fear."
Calijoefornia.

by boydy2669 on Jun 24, 2009 3:24 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

He is on My All-Team Roster

Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin is on my 53 man All Bronco roster… He was an all-star for Denver when the team was pretty weak.

I think I have every football card on Gonsoulin (and the other early Broncos). It is great news that he is excited about our picking the team. I sure cheered for him. Hope he can make the Legacy game. I intend to fly in from Baltimore.

by Baltimore Bronco on Jun 24, 2009 3:38 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Totally Cool Zappa!

"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra

by KaptainKirk on Jun 24, 2009 4:19 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Riding with Goose

Back in 1963 I was at a prep school in Connecticut. The GM of the Broncos, Calvin Kunz, invited me to attend a Broncos game vs the NY Titans in the Polo Grounds. I rode on the team bus to the game and sat next to Goose. He was a great guy.

I rode home with Cal Kunz, and he was really pissed at a Broncos cornerback who had been beaten for two TDs. He said to me, “I’m going to get rid of that guy.” It took a bit of time, but he did. The CB? Willie Brown

by halfcreek on Jun 24, 2009 4:28 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Wonderful Story

Well, I always wondered about how silly the Broncs were to have gotten rid of Willie Brown. People forget that corners are like hockey goalies in that lots has to go wrong for someone to get isolated in a situation like that….

What a great memory, halfcreek. I envy your having it! Those old Broncs were guys who played for the joy of it, they certainly did not make much money out of it.

Now, as for getting rid of talented players….. nah, I won’t go there today.

by Baltimore Bronco on Jun 25, 2009 4:11 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

It was something, sitting on the Broncos bench in the old Polo Grounds. Game ended in a 35-35 tie if memory serves me right.

I hope that the league takes care of all the old players who played for the joy of it. Not a whole lot of whining and threatening management from that crew.
Cheers,

by halfcreek on Jun 25, 2009 10:11 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Old Owner and Old Players

One thing that you might find interesting, halfcreek, Calvin Kunz was not the GM of the Broncos, he was a part owner and he nearly sold the Broncos to Atlanta in 1965 when other owners were urging the poorly supported Broncos to move to a more receptive city. The Phipps brothers then came in and bought out Kunz and kept the team in Denver.

As for former players, no, actually, they have been treated like dirt by both the league and the former players. Mike Ditka, along with a group of other former players, has made it his mission to get better treatment for the older players. Some are now quite infirm and broke. Say what you like about the late Gene Upshaw, he did not look out for former players, he represented current players. The new head of the NFLPA has said that he will work for some pension concessions for the old players, but we will see. Its a shame, they are the ones who made it possible for the current guys and no one included them when the financial package exploded to where it is today.

by Baltimore Bronco on Jun 25, 2009 10:44 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damn Willie Brown...if he had just held on of those TD's we would have won that game!

Even so, it was about 15 years before my birth so I guess I can’t get too upset about it. :) Great story man! I envy you on that one!

Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.

by Tim Lynch on Jun 25, 2009 10:44 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cheers and here's to 50 more!

Peyton Hillis is also referred to in early Greek mythology by his other names such as Zeus or Poseidon.

by Joe Medina on Jun 24, 2009 5:15 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Zappa, establishing contact with someone who made Broncos history is just great!

I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.

by Arctic Bronco on Jun 26, 2009 5:15 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs