DENVER — Broncos fans bleed orange and blue, but John Bodnar and Kevin Weimer wear it on their head and face — every game.
Bodnar, who is bald, has had his head painted orange and blue for games since 1996.
“I probably will be buried with this look,” he told Denver7 before Thursday night’s game at Empower Field against the Raiders.
Bodnar moved to Florida five years ago, but he still resides in Broncos Country.
“I’d like to say I make every game, but I make as many as I can,” he said.
Weimer has joined Bodnar for games over the past two decades, painting his face orange and blue.
“Just something we started, I don't know, 20 years ago, and have never deviated from it,” he explained. “And you know, as I get older, I keep questioning myself, ‘Should I still do this?’ But it's just who I am.”
“I met Kevin at a tailgate, and he joined me, and now we're the Denver Broncos Jump Zone boys,” Bodnar explained.
They now hope for touchdowns and Broncos players to celebrate by leaping into their first row seats, like running back RJ Harvey did in a recent game against the Cowboys.
Despite the Broncos’ strong start to the season, he says watching the team isn’t always easy.
“I know my heart works because they keep us on the edge,” he told Denver7. “[John] Elway had a lot of comebacks because he had to, and I think Bo [Nix] is going to be the same kind of guy where... just lead the fourth quarter.”
Bitter Rivals
With the longtime division rivalry against the Raiders renewed on Thursday night, Denver7 asked several fans to pick their most disliked Broncos rival.
“Anybody in the AFC West, but Kansas City right now is my worst team,” Bodnar said.
Weimer disagreed.
“The Raiders,” he said. “It's always been the Raiders.”
Broncos fan Fabian Montoya agreed, telling Denver7 he “can't stand the Raiders.”
Broncos fan Bill Siegel says that animosity dates back to before the Chiefs’ success over the past decade.
“It’s so hard to beat that lifelong ‘Raider hater thing,’ you know? It's just hard for you to overcome that,” he said. “The Chiefs are probably top these days, but there's just something visceral about the Raiders.”
