Mile High hopefuls: Meet some of RTD's biggest Broncos superfans ahead of the AFC Conference championship
The date is Jan. 24, 2016. The deafening roar of tens of thousands of Denver Broncos fans engulfs Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium as the New England Patriots line up for a two-point conversion with 12 seconds left in the game to tie the 2016 AFC Conference Championship and send the game to overtime. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady takes the snap and throws the ball to wide receiver Julian Edelman, only for it to be deflected by cornerback Aqib Talib, falling into the hands of defensive back Bradley Roby for an interception and punching the Broncos’ ticket to Super Bowl 50, where the team beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and won the 2016 NFL championship. Fast forward to this Sunday, just a day after the 10th anniversary of that game, and history looks to repeat itself once again at the same field against the same team.
As the metro prepares to welcome the Patriots back to the Mile High City with a shower of boos and jeers, meet three RTD employees who have spent their entire lives cheering on the Denver Broncos.
Roe Emery III, Digital Customer Relations Liaison
Roe Emery III, pictured on the right, was born with orange and blue in his blood with direct ties to the organization. A familiar face in RTD’s Customer Care Division, Emery is a digital customer relations liaison, one of six responsible for handling the agency’s social customer care response, as well as management of the agency’s service alerts system. For anyone who has visited his desk in the Customer Care wing of the 711 building, he does not hide his passion for the Broncos.
“I was born into being a Broncos fan,” Emery said. “My grandfather, as well as some other business partners, helped bring the Broncos to Denver. He was one of the founding owners.”
Emery essentially grew up at Mile High Stadium, going to his first game while he was just entering the second grade. Sometimes, he and his dad would visit the locker rooms post-game to watch the players celebrate victories. By the time he was a teenager, Emery had attended close to 100 games.
During his youth, Emery got to witness the greatness of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and Denver Broncos legend John Elway in his prime, including his leading the team to its first-ever Super Bowl win on Jan. 25, 1998, when they beat the Green Bay Packers 31-24.
“After the game, I remember seeing the neighbors in the street celebrating the win,” he said. “We even got the day off when the championship parade happened. It was a special memory.”
In 2015, when the Broncos last won the Super Bowl, Emery rates his memory of it as one of his most cherished.
“In 2015, I got to enjoy another Super Bowl victory with my dad,” he said. “That one was extra special because my boy was 4 years old and I got to celebrate with him in the street afterward.”
Being a lifelong fan of the Broncos, Emery has learned the meaning of perseverance through the rough patches, such as the last decade.
“The 1980s were rough being a Broncos fan,” he said. “It’s also been rough since Super Bowl 50 and Peyton Manning’s retirement, but it really taught me to stick with the team you love because good things will happen eventually.”
Looking to Sunday, Emery predicts the Broncos will advance to the Super Bowl, even without Bo Nix leading the charge due to his season-ending injury suffered during the divisional round matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Judy Wheeler, Analyst, Bus Maintenance
If there were a human embodiment of what it means to be a Broncos superfan, Judy Wheeler, an analyst for RTD’s Bus Maintenance Department, would be a prime candidate.
Wheeler, pictured on the right in the above photo with her husband, first became a Broncos fan as a teenager being introduced to the sport.
“I went to my high school games and wanted to learn more about football so that I would know what I was cheering for,” Wheeler said. “I asked my dad to teach me the ins and outs of the game, and he had me start watching Broncos games with him. I was quickly hooked.”
Ever since then, Wheeler has, quite literally, worn her fandom on her sleeve.
“I wear Broncos attire every Friday to work, and have done so for more than 30 years at this point,” she said.
Not only does Wheeler’s dedication to the Broncos extend to the workplace, even during the offseason, but she might as well be an honorary resident of Mile High Stadium for how many games she has attended.
“I’d say that I’ve been to around 500 or so Broncos games in my life,” she said.
Attending that many Broncos home games means Wheeler has seen the team at their absolute best and worst. Yet, even in the darkest of times, she has never faltered from her commitment to supporting the team.
“True Broncos fans support the team no matter what,” she said. “Believe me, I have been to many disappointing games, but never swayed to any other team.”
Over her long history of being a diehard Broncos fan, one memory stands out above all others.
“My favorite memory was when we won our first Super Bowl in 1998,” she said. “We were having a party, and I remember sitting next to my nephew, who was my Broncos buddy, watching the game. When the game was over, we both cried because we were so happy.”
As Sunday approaches and the anticipation of the AFC Championship game looms, Broncos fans across the world, much like Wheeler, hope to share those tears of joy once more when the Broncos look to advance to the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.
Chris Bennett, Lead LRT Controller and Supervisor
Lead LRT Controller and Supervisor Chris Bennett, pictured left in the photo above, is no stranger to having to navigate challenges in her role at RTD. When disruptions hit the light rail system, she jumps in to help support whoever needs it, making sure the agency’s employees, customers, and assets are able to get to safety. It requires a certain level of resiliency that not many share, a skill that has been necessary for Broncos fans to acquire over the past decade. As both a supervisor for light rail control and a Broncos superfan, Bennett is about as resilient as humans come.
Bennett grew up in the endless grasslands and prairies of Kansas. For many Kansans, supporting the Kansas City Chiefs is the natural way to go. However, Bennett was raised on the orange and blue, standing defiant to those who supported the Chiefs.
“I have been a fan since I knew what a football was as a kid,” Bennett said. “My dad was a Broncos fan, even growing up in Kansas. I just followed in his footsteps.”
From her upbringing in Kansas to settling down in Denver, Bennett never faltered in her Broncos fandom, even when the team was at rock bottom and making questionable roster moves for certain quarterbacks who put the team into financial purgatory.
“I’m not a fair-weather fan,” she said. “I’ve supported them through the good times and the bad.”
That unwavering support through the rocky times has allowed her to get the most enjoyment out of the highest of highs the team has reached.
Recalling her memories as a Broncos fan, Bennett has one memory that stands above all else, bringing her history of supporting the team full circle.
“My favorite Broncos memory was when I got to take my dad to his first Broncos game,” she said. “It was a great bonding experience for us.”
Bennett, like her fellow Broncos faithful, will be watching closely as the team looks to advance to the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots on Sunday, fully decked out in orange and blue from head to toe.
The NFL 2026 AFC Championship game kicks off at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday. Those unable to attend the game in person can watch it live on CBS4 and Paramount Plus.