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Bronc's Cheer
SEPT. 26 >> SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT DENVER BRONCOS >> 2:05 P.M. MDT
[ 1 ] DENVER CHOPHOUSE Throws a party for any Denver team that wins a national title. At '99 Super Bowl bash 10 bottles of Dom got sprayed on players. [ 2 ] INVERNESS GOLF CLUB (Englewood) Perk alert: Every Broncos coach gets a membership to this mountain-view-laden PGA-caliber course, 10 minutes from the training facility. [ 3 ] DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Unofficial home of the Mile High Club. [ 4 ] DEL FRISCO'S STEAKHOUSE On Thursdays defensive captain Al Wilson holds a meeting for the defense here; on Fridays coach Mike Shanahan visits his private locker of preembargo Cubans; on eve of game days team owner Pat Bowlen huddles at table 64, a ritual since the '97 Super Bowl season. [ 5 ] ARAPAHOE BOWL Led by Wilson (who can bowl 250), defense has won three straight over offense in annual training camp bowl-off. [ 6 ] PURPLE MARTINI The site of Clinton Portis's goodbye party in April. [ 7 ] CLAY STREET Home of the WWII Quonset hut that served as the first Broncos headquarters in '60. [ 8 ] MAGNESS RACING VENTURES Ranch where the Broncos' mascot, a white stallion named Thunder, grazes. [ 9 ] JOHN ELWAY CAR DEALERSHIPS In '97 Elway sold his financial interest in all six of these to AutoNation, a company then controlled by Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga for $82.5 million in stock. [ 10 ] OUTLOOK MUSIC CO. Where defensive end Trevor Pryce manages a stable of pop and hip-hop acts. [ 11 ] HOTEL TEATRO Some visiting teams stay at this hip boutique hotel where Bruce Springsteen is a frequent guest. [ 12 ] COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY (Fort Collins) During an intrasquad scrimmage in '62 the Broncos held a public burning of their hated vertically striped socks. --Map Reporter: Adam Duerson
WHEEERE'S JOHNNY?
• 1,300 miles west Stanford, Calif.: Where John Elway played four years of college football (second in the 1982 Heisman race) and two years of baseball, hitting .361 in '81.
• 602 miles east Kansas City, Mo.: Baseball's Royals drafted the future acid-reflux spokesman in 1979. At a workout, Royals All-Star George Brett griped, "I hope this [expletive] plays football, because if he doesn't I'm out of a job."
• 1,674 miles east Baltimore: Home of the Colts when they selected Elway with the top pick in the '83 NFL draft. Using his two-sport status as leverage, Elway facilitated a trade to a team he deemed "a contender": Denver.
• 1,798 miles east New Rochelle, N.Y. Birthplace of Gilligan's Island's Bob Denver
• 1,782 miles east Manhattan. Krystal Shanahan, Mike's 22-year-old daughter, is roommates with first daughter Jenna Bush (left), a pal from their days at the University of Texas
• 523 miles SW Roswell, N.Mex. Birthplace of Rocky Mountain High singer John Denver
Visitors' View
What the Chargers like about their day trip to Denver
"There is nothing more magnificent, in my mind, than the fall in the Rocky Mountains. It's spectacular. You know you are in God's presence."
--Marty Schottenheimer, coach
"For me, a Southern California guy, it's so rare I see mountains covered with snow. It's a beautiful thing, a natural thing. It's the thing I appreciate on those long bus drives to the hotel and the stadium."
--Zeke Moreno, linebacker
"It's those fans. They love their team. They crazy-love their team."
--DeQuincy Scott, defensive end
INVESCO FIELD
• COST TO BUILD: $400 million
• FIRST EVENT: Eagles concert, Aug. 11, 2001
• REFUNDS DUE TO POOR SOUND AT THAT SHOW: 5,000
• TENURE OF BRONCOS AT OLD HOME, MILE HIGH STADIUM: 41 seasons, then longest in the AFC
• CURRENT STATUS OF MILE HIGH: Invesco Field parking lot
CORRECTIONS
For those of you still driving around Green Bay, looking for Brett Favre's Steakhouse, or City Stadium, our apologies. Due to fact-checking errors, last week's SI Players map incorrectly placed several points of interest in the Packers' hometown, and we also misspelled the suburb of Ashwaubenon.
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MAP AND ICONS BY HEADCASE DESIGN
  DOWNTOWN DENVER
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ALLEN KEE/WIREIMAGE.COM (ELWAY)
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EVAN PESKIN (FOOTBALL PLAYER)
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TIM DEFRISCO (DEALERSHIP)
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HY PESKIN (SOCKS)
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BETTMANN/CORBIS (GILLIGAN)
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CORBIS (MOUNTAINS)
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QUEEN/WIREIMAGE.COM (SPRINGSTEEN)
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JASON REED/REUTERS/CORBIS (JENNA BUSH)
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TIM DEFRISCO (INVESCO)
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CORBIS (BOWLER)
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TIM DEFRISCO (DEL FRISCO'S)
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ROB ROWAN/PROGRESSIVE IMAGE/CORBIS (MIME)
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AMY SANCETTA/AP (RED FAN)
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ROGER RESSMEYER/CORBIS (JOHN DENVER)
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BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES (THUNDER)
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TIM DEFRISCO (CHOPHOUSE)
FIVE B/W ILLUSTRATIONS
