Dr. Kara Christian – “I bleed orange and blue.”

This profile of Bronco QB Club Member Dr. Kara Christian originally appeared in Broncos GameDay Magazine.

To some, she is known as Dr. Kara Christian – a retired college professor.

To many more she is recognized better for her alter ego, Bronco Lady – without question one of the most passionate fans in Broncos history.

“I was born a Bronco – I bleed orange and blue,” Christian said.

A former exercise physiology professor, Christian – a Denver native – spent the better part of the past two decades teaching collegiate classes between stops at Long Island University in New York (seven years), Wesley College in Delaware (eight years) and Fort Hays State University in Kansas (two years).

Despite being hundreds of miles away from her favorite team, the long-distance relationship did not hinder her ability to follow the Broncos.  Even in the days before satellite packages, text messages and around-the-clock Internet updates, Christian made sure she was able to watch every game – thanks to a large assist from some kind friends back in Colorado.

“I would pay friends to video tape games and send them to me by express mail,” Christian said.  “And I’d tell my students tat if they told me the score I would flunk them.”

Of course, Christian was joking with her students.  But she admitted that there always seemed to be some circomstance that made her discover the final score before being able to sit down and watch the game for herself.

Eventually, Christian was able to watch her favorite team live on Sundays thanks to the NFL’s DirecTV package.  Still, something was missing from the equation.  She had always flown home to watch important games throughout the years, whether it be the opening of INVESCO Field at Mile High or an AFC Championship game.  But Christian did not want a sampling platter – she wanted a main course of games.

Thus, the Colorado native moved back to Denver in 2005 to cheer on her favorite team in person.

On a waiting list for Broncos season tickets for 10 years, Christian was granted seats in 1996.  Working from afar at the time, she deferred those seats for years to her friends and family.  That routine, however, came to an end by the start of the 2005 season.

Now Christian writes textbook curriculum from her Denver home and spends much of her spare time gearing up for Broncos games.

On a typical game day, Christian, a member of the team’s Quarterback Club, arrives at INVESCO Field at Mile High six hours early and welcomes players and coaches alike into the stadium, wishing them good luck for the contest.

“In my mind, I am a player,” she said.  “My teammates have to know I’m there.”

Decked in orange and blue, Christian has a very distinctive uniform for game days.  Most notably, she dons an orange wig, which through the years has been through its share of incidents.

“The guy that used to sit behind me at the old Mile High caught it on fire one time,” she recalled with a laugh.  “This wig has been through everything.  You can’t find another one like it.”

Station alongside a group of longtime friends at each game in section 104, row 40, seat 4, Bronco Lady doesn’t hod anything back come game days.

“I do anything I can to help us win,” Christian said.

While Christian recalls the Broncos first Super Bowl win as the most exciting she has ever been a part of , another game – the Broncos’ Monday Night Football matchup with the AFC West rival Kansas City on Monday Sept 26, 2005 – holds special significance for her.

The day before that game, Christian’s father passed away.  Before the game, she relayed the message to former Broncos defensive end Courtney Brown.  Brown assured her he would let the team know, and the Broncos proceeded to dominate the Chiefs, 30-10.

“They went out and played one of the best games they have every played,” Christian said.  “To this day, I will think they played that game for my father and me.”

A Broncos supporter since birth and an avid autograph seeker, she owns a white John Elway jersey with signatures from nearly 200 Broncos.  It is a collector’s item, no doubt, and one she has written in her will to be donated to the Denver Broncos Charities.

After all the joy the Broncos have given her, she sees no reason not to pay things forward.

“Being a native, I am really proud to be a Broncos fan,” Christian said.  “The team stands for two things.  One – never give up – and two – help other people who are not as fortunate as you have been.”

Zach Eisendrath