Denver Bronco Ties to Hollywood
By Craig Hurst
Weekend number one without NFL football has come and gone, and hopefully, most of us survived without incident. I happen to be a fan of the PGA and Phil Mickelson, so I was thoroughly entertained as Phil won his fortieth tournament, which shielded the fact that there was no pro football to occupy my Sunday. For those Bronco fans who have no desire to watch grown men hit a little white ball, or aren’t interested in the upcoming NFL Combine or NFL Draft, I think I may have an alternative that will help you get through the offseason… assuming you enjoy watching movies.
I reviewed my DVD movie collection and have identified a handful of movies that have a tie to the Denver Broncos in a small way. Below is a brief description of those movies. Hopefully, this will help you fill some of those Sundays when the pro football season seems so far away. I have listed the movies in order from what I enjoyed the most to the least – hope this helps! Look for some articles in the near future that will highlight football movies, albeit they will have no connection to the Denver Broncos whatsoever, they may help with the offseason blues.
Enjoy the movies!
** The Express
If you want to watch a movie that is encouraging and has a positive message, be sure to add this movie to your list of “must watch movies.” The Express is based on the real life story of Ernest (Ernie) Davis, who played football at Syracuse University from 1959-1961. Ernie followed in the shoes of Jim Brown, whose starting position became available when Brown was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Jim Brown was instrumental in getting Ernie Davis to play football for the Orangemen. Following a successful college career, Davis became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis, before leaving Syracuse for pro football, helped Coach Ben Schwartzwalder recruit Floyd Little. Little became the first three-time, All-American at Syracuse and was the first ever first round draft pick to sign with the American Football League’s Denver Broncos. Floyd Little played nine seasons with the Broncos and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
** Any Given Sunday
Enjoy pro football from the perspective of players, coaches, trainers, and owners as you spend a season with the fictional Miami Sharks. The movie was directed by Oliver Stone, who I recall actually attended some home Bronco games while researching pro football before filming began. The NFL prevented Stone from using real NFL team names and stadiums for the film. The movie is rated R due to language and adult themes, so you may want to watch this movie after the kiddos are in bed.
** The Longest Yard
Sit back and enjoy the remake of this 1974 movie as Adam Sandler gets the start as QB1, when the prisoners face the guards in a game of tackle football. Bronco fans get a chance to see Bill Romonowski in his film debut as he plays a prison guard/linebacker. Romo must have felt right at home, sporting his old #53.
** Jerry Maguire
As the title indicates, this movie is entirely about one man; that would be sports agent Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise. Points should be given to the writers for making the Broncos one of the teams interested in Frank Cushman, a top college quarterback on the verge of becoming a millionaire as a professional quarterback. The movie presents an interesting perspective of the sports agent-player relationship, that as casual fans, we never get to see.
** Everybody’s All-American
Gavin Grey, played by Dennis Quaid, is an All-American athlete and struggles to find his niche in society after a mediocre pro football career comes to an end. Gavin’s stint as a pro football player includes a brief stop in the Mile High City as a member of the Denver Broncos.
** Bingo
OK, I do not own this movie but definitely want to include this movie on the list, because if you have young ones in the house, as well as Bronco fans, this is a must watch. The primary storyline of this movie is about a dog, Bingo, who runs away and the ensuing journey to make it back home. Bingo belongs to Chuckie Devlin, whose father Hal Devlin, is a kicker for the Denver Broncos. If you have an opportunity to watch this movie, have fun picking out the classic Bronco memorabilia throughout the Havlins’ house. Unfortunately, Hal is traded to Green Bay early in the movie, so the viewing of Bronco stuff is short lived.
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