A roar from the sun-splashed crowd went up around noon when the
first fire truck, carrying Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Von
Miller and quarterback Peyton Manning, kicked off the parade through
downtown Denver.
The Broncos captured their third NFL championship on Sunday with a
stunning 24-10 victory over the favored Panthers behind a stifling
defense, led by linebacker Miller, who stymied Carolina's vaunted
high-powered offense
Molly Nichols, an 11-year-old fifth-grader from the Denver suburb of
Parker, secured a front-row spot along the parade route with her
parents and aunt after getting an excused absence from school.
"My favorite player is Von Miller, so it was really great to see
him," she said.
Also at the head of the parade was Annabel Bowlen, wife of team
owner Pat Bowlen, who was absent from the festivities as he battles
Alzheimer's disease.
A city spokeswoman said officials could not provide an estimate of
the crowd size, but planned for a throng of "hundreds of thousands."
She noted that the number could swell to nearly 1 million, well over
the city's population of almost 664,000, as fans poured in from the
suburbs.
Denver has had a love affair with the Broncos since their inception
in 1960, even though the team failed to post a winning season in its
first 13 years of existence.
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The sentimental crowd favorite was Manning, who at age 39 became the
oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and who many observers
believe will retire on top of the football world.
Addressing the crowd at the end of the parade, Manning credited his
teammates for allowing him to garner his second championship, the
only quarterback to win that honor with two different franchises.
"We've got a great culture in our locker room," he said.
The loudest cheers were saved for Miller, who forced two fumbles by
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton that led to two Denver touchdowns.
Miller gestured to his teammates, who flanked him on stage hoisting
the Super Bowl trophy.
"All these guys helped to get me here," he said, adding that the
team is posed to make a run for a second title next season.
"Back-to-back, right?"
(Editing by Scott Malone and Dan Grebler)
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