The Denver Broncos are finally back at the top of the AFC, playing this Saturday as the No. 1 side in the NFL playoffs. The team hasn’t won a postseason game since the 2015 season.
In that time, the team has been through a rough stretch with multiple quarterbacks and head coaches, an ownership change, and piles of losses.
The ones who arguably suffered the most are the fans who have been starving for a return to orange-and-blue glory. Ralph Williams, Jr., a “ super fan” who’s popularly known as Ralph The Limo Driver, has stuck with the team through its biggest wins and most devastating losses.
“That's what separates people from being a fan to a super fan,” said Williams, who has been a Broncos fan since moving to Denver as a young man.
Now, he and other superfans — including James “Orange Vader” Chavez — are preparing for one of the biggest moments for the team and its fans in years.
If you ask Chavez, the Broncos are the team to beat.
“They got to get around us. We're the ones that are in the No. 1 seat,” Chavez said. “They got to fear us. They got to fear the Broncos. We ain't fearing nobody!”
Superfans are part of the Broncos experience
In the spirit of previous superfans like Barrel Man and the Mile High Monster, Ralph the Limo Driver and Orange Vader have teamed up at rallies, music videos, and charity events to bring excitement to Broncos Country for decades.
Williams really became a fan when the team went to their first Super Bowl with Craig Morton under center during the 1977 season. They lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. But Williams still cheered them on — just like he did in the team’s five Super Bowl losses and three Super Bowl victories in the years to come.
“People say, ‘Oh, you lost.’ So, what? They’re my team and I would be there cheering,” Williams said. “And to me, you couldn't be called a super fan if you weren't super with your commitment to your team.”
Chavez, who is better known as Orange Vader, can relate. If you walk into his Broncos fan cave in Northglenn, you might as well be walking into a Broncos museum. On the walls are photos of him wearing his trademark orange Darth Vader suit, along with memorabilia and newspaper clippings that put his fandom on display. There are even clothes that belonged to Pat Bowlen, the team’s late former owner. Some are still in the laundry bag, clean of course.
“This is the power of the orange side. Win or lose power on the orange side,” Chavez said. “Feel the force, we're going to get better. Boom, boom, they're going to put the pieces back. It took 10 years, but here we are.”
The Broncos’ biggest chance in years
For the first time since Peyton Manning and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller lifted the Lombardi Trophy, the Broncos have the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage. Chavez is planning rallies for a possible run to the Super Bowl.
“We're talking to some people. We're getting all these interviews ready, getting all the people up. So we're trying to figure out something big we could do for the playoffs,” Chavez said.
There’s no guarantee that the Broncos will make the Super Bowl. But if they do, Williams hopes he can be there.
Williams has driven his limo thousands of miles across the country to six of the eight Super Bowls the Broncos have participated in.
The last Super Bowl where he and his limo made an appearance was Super Bowl XLVIII, when the Seahawks routed the Broncos 43-8 at MetLife Stadium. Orange Vader traveled with him to one, too.
Despite the fanfare and appearances, Williams has never gone inside to watch the big game himself. He has always stayed with the limo outside of the stadium.
“I needed to be there to support my team with the fans seeing the car and I'm cheering and all that,” Williams said. “But I never went to a Super Bowl, never. And, I would love to see what it feels like to be at a Super Bowl.”
Williams used to attend almost all the Broncos’ home games, but health issues have slowed him down recently. He did make the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, a Broncos victory that wrapped up the No. 1 seed.
And if the Broncos return to the Super Bowl this year, he hopes to attend.
“Oh man, come on. That's priceless. Now, the next best thing is to be there in the limo and at the Super Bowl,” Williams said.
Tickets are steep, even for superfans
Chavez is also hoping to get a ticket to this weekend’s divisional game. It will be the team’s first game in this year’s playoffs, since the No. 1 seed allowed them to skip the first round.
In the meantime, he’s working on getting another limo and getting his suits tailored for a possible run to the Super Bowl.
Chavez, who has never missed a Broncos home game since debuting with Orange Vader in 2004, is thinking about his postseason plans, too. He had an opportunity to see the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 a decade ago. He was even given a ticket. But instead, he hosted a Super Bowl event that attracted 5,000 people.
“We were going crazy. It was loud. It was crazy. It turned out perfect,” Chavez said. “So, I spent all my ticket money and did all that. I got half my money back. But the Denver fans had a great time. That was the best Orange Vader party ever.”
He said if he gets a ticket for this season’s Super Bowl, he’s not giving it up. In fact, he said he and his wife plan to go to Santa Clara with or without a ticket, with or without the Broncos.
“We'll just have to go and enjoy the NFL experience or the Super Bowl experience,” Chavez said.
The Broncos host the Buffalo Bills Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2:30 p.m. MT. The game will air on CBS, including over-the-air locally.
If you’re planning to try to go to the game, the cheapest tickets were going for at least $470 on Wednesday afternoon. Orange Vader will lead the Horsemen Tailgate on Saturday before the game.
