John Baggett remembers The Drive, The Fumble, John Elway’s first Super Bowl title and the Broncos’ second. He grew up in Wheatland, Wyoming, and has been a Broncos fan since the early 1980s.
Following the team would become an integral part of his job over 42 years as a radio broadcaster, talk show host, salesman and producer across Denver and Wyoming for several radio stations, including 850 KOA, the Denver Broncos radio network.
One would think Baggett would be brimming with excitement to root for the Broncos this Sunday as they make their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade against the Buffalo Bills.
Instead, his fan loyalty is torn like much of Wyoming.
That’s because the Bills are quarterbacked by a man who might as well have been given a key to the state — former University of Wyoming Cowboys star quarterback Josh Allen.
To say loyalties are divided would be too simple a way to describe the confusion, guilt, anxiety and hesitation many football fans in Wyoming are working through.
“I would say that overall, there's still more Broncos fans in Wyoming than Bills fans,” Baggett told Cowboy State Daily. “But there are more Josh Allen fans than there are Broncos fans.”
Lines are already being drawn.
A link to a Cowboy State Daily’s story about the potential for a Broncos-Bills playoff showdown has been inundated with more than 650 likes and nearly 260 comments on Facebook, most of which are heavily slanted in Allen’s favor.
“Josh has 550,000 parents who claim him as their first-born and we all live in the 307,” wrote Sally Ann Shurmur, who’s also a Cowboy State Daily columnist. “He will always be ours and Buffalo is lucky to have gained us as fans.”
“I firmly Billieve,” wrote Ember Oakley of Riverton, “that Wyoming is now the highest per cap fan base for the Buffalo Bills! It’s such a great fit, too! I love what has developed as we continued to watch Josh Allen grow and thrive.”
“Josh Allen going to the Bills just gave me another good team to root for!” Jerry Allen of Casper wrote. “I would love to see him go all the way. If they meet the Broncos in the playoffs, well, that is a win-win because I like both teams, and one of them will come out a winner.”
Now that hypothetical what-if scenario is going to happen, with Denver (10-7) hitting the road to play Buffalo (13-4) on Sunday for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
About That Draft
Baggett also tried to publicly sort out his rooting interests.
“What we (me) have here is a dilemma: Broncos vs Bills Playoffs: The rise of Josh Allen and the Bills at the same time as the sometimes pathetic play of the Broncos,” he posted to Facebook. “The last 9 seasons made it easy to climb on the Bills bandwagon. Before labeling me a fair weather fan give me a day or two to figure this out.”
How did Baggett and other Wyomingites once fiercely loyal to the Orange and Blue get so torn over the Bills, a team about 1,500 miles away?
Baggett pointed to several factors.
• Since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016, the Broncos have been abysmal, missing the playoffs year after year and going through at least 13 starting quarterbacks.
• During this down period, quarterback Josh Allen rose through the college ranks to become arguably the University of Wyoming’s greatest football star, giving Wyomingites bored over the Broncos a compelling reason to watch football on the weekends.
• When the quarterback-desperate Broncos had a chance to draft Allen in 2018, they inextricably passed, breaking the hearts of countless Cowboy fans. “I’m still bitter,” noted Baggett.
• Fans attention turned to the Buffalo Bills, the team that did draft Allen, who soon became a national star and the reason the Bills are perennial playoff contenders.
“Our love for Josh followed him there, and now we've just kind of jumped on the Bills bandwagon, and we cheer for Josh and the Bills, too,” Baggett said.
Still Not Over The Kneeling
But there’s one lesser-known reason for the sea change.
In 2016, the NFL was embroiled in controversy over players kneeling for the national anthem before games led by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The players were protesting alleged police abuse and mistreatment that had coincided with the deaths of several unarmed Black men during that time period. Many fans, however, saw the players actions as unpatriotic and an insult to America’s Armed Forces.
In Wyoming, a red state that gave president-elect Donald Trump the highest percentage of votes than any other state, the controversy turned off scores of fans, who Baggett said boycotted or lost interest in the NFL.
“I do know people, myself included, that were offended by that era of kneeling for the national anthem,” he said. “So, I think it chased away a few people.”
Filling that vacuum was Allen, who at the time was playing for the University of Wyoming, leading the Cowboys to bowl games, wowing spectators with rocket throws and wild scrambles — and standing for the national anthem.
When he went to the NFL, prodigal pro football fans followed him.
“Josh Allen, he kind of brought a lot of people back,” Baggett said. “He has that kind of attraction.”
Baggett, who has retired from radio, lives in Sheridan and now works in real estate at the local Century 21 agency, where he said he sees Wyomingites in Allen’s No. 17 Buffalo Bills jerseys the way he used to see people wearing John Elway’s No. 7.
Former Denver radio host, and Wyoming native, John Baggett stands in front of the Denver Broncos' three Vince Lombardi trophies. (Courtesy John Baggett) 
Former Denver radio host, and Wyoming native, John Baggett at a microphone. (Courtesy John Baggett) 
Former Denver radio host, and Wyoming native, John Baggett stands at the podium of a Denver Broncos press room. (Courtesy John Baggett)
Broncos Not Abandoned
But as popular as Allen may be, Baggett said he believes Orange and Blue still runs deep in Wyoming, and he sees signs of a Broncos Country revival taking place.
No surprise, he said, that reawakening is tied to a young quarterback who is retaking hearts and minds.
The Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has emerged as a star in his own right, and he has the Broncos contending again. He shares some similarities with Allen. Both have a flair for the dramatic. Both love to scramble and use their feet. Both seem like perfect teammates.
“He comes across a lot like Josh Allen as a very likable person,” Baggett said. “There's not an air of arrogance about him. At least we haven't seen it, and he just exudes enthusiasm.”
As Baggett wrote on Facebook, “Bo is the salve Broncos fans have been waiting for. He’s got game, energy, try. Who does that remind you of?”
Come Sunday, with Bo Nix in the mix and Josh Allen in his heart, Baggett will sit in front of the television and root for the winner.
“Well, I think I've gotten a good scolding from quite a few family and friends, so I am going to cheer for the Broncos to win and then not be disappointed if they lose and Josh Allen and the Bills move on,” he said. “That's what I've decided.”
Justin George can be reached at justin@cowboystatedaily.com.
