DENVER — Fans crowded into Lot C outside Empower Field at Mile High before 8 a.m. Sunday to kick off the Denver Broncos' home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Catherine Highland hasn't missed a game in 25 years.
"When I moved to Colorado 31 years ago, it was like, 'Oh, my God! This is where I belong.' And then I was lucky enough about 10 years later to get season tickets. So I have never missed one game," she said.
So, it was no surprise that Denver7 saw her tailgate set up more than six hours before kickoff, making fresh food for fellow fans.
"There's three of us. It's 'Rescue Rob,' who has the fire truck, and 'Bronco Ken,' who has the truck and trailer. And then I have the Ford Bronco. And I do all of the Southern cooking," she said.
Highland said she looks forward to more than a Broncos win. She enjoys the community and the food, and she's more than excited for Bo Nix.
"I've been doing this for a long time, and I really do like him," she said. "I really felt like, when he was in the draft, I was like, 'There's something about that kid.'"
Fans, young and old, filled up the tailgating lots, and Denver7 found one man on a serious fan mission.
"What I am trying to do is win fan of the year for the Denver Broncos," said Elias Balderrama.
His love of the team goes so deep, it's literally imprinted on him—a blue and orange Bronco tattooed on his left arm.
"I've been a Broncos fan since I was a little kid. My uncle took me to Greeley when the Broncos used to be at training camp there in Greeley itself. So since I was about five or six years old, being able to understand the game itself, and then since then, I've loved the Broncos," Balderrama said.
Kickoff is at 2:25 p.m.
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