Rocky Mountains a perfect backdrop for UF supporters

<p>CENTENNIAL, Colo. — In the dry air of Colorado not far from the Rocky Mountains, the Gator Nation has permeated the Tavern at Denver Tech Center. This delightful sports bar and grill has outdoor seating in the perfect summer weather, but these Gators have congregated inside for a round of chomping and cold beers.</p><p> They have taken over this floor in the restaurant, a collection of orange and blue outfits that aren't being worn to honor the home team Denver Broncos.</p><p> “We take over a lot of places,” says Nick Bokone, the president of the Rocky Mountain Gator Club.</p><p> A large banner hangs on the wall announcing their presence with authority. On this night, they are gathered for a meet and greet with a certain Gainesville Sun columnist who is in town because Tim Tebow is now a part of their community.</p><p> They want every piece of information on their Gators, every story, every opinion on personnel and personalities.</p><p> But to say they are starved for information wouldn't be accurate. They scour the web for every tidbit of their beloved Gators and gather at Jackson's Sports Grille every football Saturday. Jackson's is across from Coors Field, and they have been known to take it over as well.</p><p> The club numbers 300 strong but for the 2008 national title game they quit counting at 600 Gator fans.</p><p> “I would have perished if not for the Rocky Mountain Gator Club,” says Debbie Velazquez. “These people are like family to me.”</p><p> Velazquez and her boyfriend moved out here three years ago on a whim and have settled in nicely in the Mile High City. As great as the views are and as wonderful as the weather is, it's nights like this one that keep her connected to Florida athletics.</p><p> Velazquez is wearing a brand-new RMGC hat that the club plans to sell to its members. Even if Tebow had been drafted by another team, this club would be growing. Because he's here, these Gators are ecstatic.</p><p> “It's karma,” says Steve Crider.</p><p> When Crider, a Gainesville native, first came to Denver, John Elway was in his first year as the Denver quarterback. One day in 1984, Crider and three others gathered at Jackson's to watch Florida win its first-ever SEC title — a title that was later stripped — with a win over Kentucky.</p><p> The Rocky Mountain Gator Club was formed.</p><p> There are three surviving original members, but the club has grown as more and more UF graduates have migrated west. Most of the members went to Florida, including Gainesville-native Karen Henderson. She used to play club soccer at UF and her family still lives in Gainesville.</p><p> “We used to play in the field next to the football stadium,” she says. “It's great to be around all these people who are connected to Gainesville.”</p><p> For the members of this club, the arrival of Tebow was almost too good to be true. Denver has a history of having Gators on the team going back to the days of Ricky Nattiel and Tony Lilly the late 1980s, continuing through the Cooper Carlisle years with the Broncos and now this — four Gators on the other orange and blue team.</p><p> For Loree Hoag, a 1987 UF graduate, it was a surreal experience. Hoag, who has a cat named “Tebow”, was flying during the NFL Draft but the plane has satellite TV capabilities.</p><p> “My credit card wouldn't work,” she says. “I kept swiping it and swiping it. This lady sitting next to me reached over and swiped her credit card and it worked so I got to see it. I wanted to give her some money but she thought I was so cute in all my Gator gear.</p><p> “So I got to see Denver draft him. Unbelievable. And when we landed, my cell phone blew up with text messages from everybody I know.”</p><p> You think you can't wait for the start of the season. For the members of this club, it's more than a chance to watch their Gators play. It's a chance to be around their own kind a long way from home.</p><p><i>Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. You can listen to The Pat Dooley Show weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 104.9 FM. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.</i></p>