Name: Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann
MHR Staffer since: March 2014
Bio: A Fort Collins, Colo., native currently living in Charleston, S.C., I have been a Broncos fan my entire life.
When I was 7, I changed schools in the middle of the year, two weeks before the Broncos faced the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII. I won an Orange CrushTM soda on my first day because I answered that Lyle Alzado was the defensive end bearing the No. 77. Although I was already a huge fan, my sudden popularity for being a "cool girl" is thanks to Broncos football, and I will be forever grateful.
My first Broncos autographs came from Red Miller and Rick Upchurch when my grandpa - a Cowboys fan - took me to training camp at CSU in 1978. My next autograph came 20 years later when I practically accosted Shannon Sharpe to sign three Super Bowl footballs for my siblings and me. I was 27 and just as excited as at 7.
I remember "The Fumble" and "The Drive" like they were yesterday. When John Mobley knocked down Brett Favre's pass in Super Bowl XXXIII, I knew God existed. And like every true fan, I can recall the pain of every major Broncos' loss - some important, some not, but all soul-crushing.
When not pontificating about the Broncos, I am a journalism professor with a reporter's heart and an editor's red pen. I love to teach college kids how to write and let them tell me what's still cool.
My favorite things to do are anything outdoors with my husband and two awesome boys, but tops on the list are skiing, cycling, wakeboarding and playing flag football.
Favorite Post - Since I'm a rookie to MHR and blogging about the Broncos, I don't have a lot to choose from, but my "Dear Mr. Manning" blog is on the list - not because it was a great piece but because it reminded me how important it is to write on things you are passionate about (plus, it got me through the depression of the "Game That Must Not Be Named" and ultimately a gig with this cool outfit).
My favorite MHR post has yet to be published, but it highlights why Broncos fans are the best. And I really believe that. I don't know any Broncos fan who isn't a diehard supporter for life. (for the record, Seahawks fans got nothin' on us!)
I love to write about issues, controversies, and the game from a broader perspective. I'm not going to break down defensive schemes or predict who's going No. 3 in the draft. I'll let my awesome new colleagues do that. I will occasionally be nostalgic and don't mind being corrected, debated with, called out or criticized.
But I may correct your grammar. ;)