clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

A Broncos Fan To The End

A quick detour from preparations for the Browns game to bring light to a sad story, that enlightens at the same time.

Doug "Buzz" Bates was a life-long Bronco fan that never missed a game.  Take a moment to check out the STORY of the last night of his life, and how it couldn't have been any better for Buzz.  Here is a small excerpt --

On his way to the promised land, Broncos fan Doug Bates got stuck in traffic. Couldn't the blasted bus, creeping toward the glowing lights of that football stadium, move any faster?

With Denver and Baltimore banging helmets on the field, Bates fidgeted on the bus, clutching a radio, broadcasting play-by-play for his brother and every passenger within earshot.

"Oh, I can see my husband doing that, plain as day," said Kathy Bates, who married a confirmed Broncomaniac. "He loved those Broncos more than anybody I know."

As any local football fanatic can attest, the sun sets orange over the Rocky Mountains for a reason. Broncomania is a lifelong affliction. Unless you live here, you don't get it. At age 72, Bates was hopelessly in love with his NFL team, and never sought a cure.

Douglas J. Bates of Centennial bled orange 'til the end. Friends called him Buzz.