'Broncos Fans' Author Would Rank 2012 Season As A Top 100 Moment

DENVER (CBS4)- A sports writer who is a Colorado native takes Denver Broncos fans on a trip down memory lane with "100 Things Broncos Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die."

Brian Howell authored the book before Peyton Manning led his team to the AFC Divisional Playoffs in the 2012 season.

Howell said he would fit this year's retrospective near the middle of the book, "I probably would do a chapter about this season and I would rank it just below Chapter 58 - which is about another disappointing playoff loss in 1996. To fit it in, I would probably just take out the final chapter."

Howell used an interesting technique for ranking the top 100 things -- he went back to the events that made the biggest impact for him growing up as a Broncos fan.

"To rank the 100 items, I started by making a list from memory. I grew up a Broncos fan and wrote down what I felt were the important items to include. Then, I went through the media guide and a couple other books to figure out what I missed. From there, I ranked them all from top to bottom, based on what I felt were the most important items," Howell told CBSDenver.com.

Howell said his list and his rankings "actually changed a lot throughout the process" as he did more research and interviews.

Howell said he has received a lot of positive feedback about the book. It includes many well known Broncos history-making moments including all the Super Bowl appearances, features on the Broncos players in the Hall of Fame and a recap of "Tebowmania." But there are also a lot of lesser-known pieces of Broncos lore, like the stories behind famous nicknames like "The Magician," "The Franchise," and the "Three Amigos."

The author says the format of the book allowed him to include little details Broncos fans will love to learn about. He says it also features some items that will test Broncos fans' knowledge.

"The good thing about the format of the book is that I didn't really have to leave much out. There are a lot of sidebars, which allowed me to include items that didn't get their own chapter," said Howell.

Howell said he had to make some tough decisions about certain players and events.

"I did have a few things I wrestled with, though. Including Tony Dorsett as a chapter (no. 100) was one I debated because he played here only one year, but I included him because he was such a big star in NFL annals. I also debated about Bud McFadin (no. 98), but left him in because I liked his story," said Howell.

"I think Jake Plummer, Brandon Marshall and Rulon Jones were the toughest individuals to leave out of the 100. I also wish I had room for chapters on the first game in 1960 and training camp in Greeley. Luckily I got all that in with the sidebars!"

Howell said there are no plans for a follow-up book but as long as Broncos fans keep cheering on their favorite team there will be more memories to be made.

Howell is the author of several books about the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Broncos and the Denver Nuggets. He lives in Frederick.