The Crushinator

05/08

I first met Chuck DeVorss in a tailgate lot in Dallas. It was Thanksgiving Day, and he'd travelled from Denver in a caravan of Broncos fans that included a converted transit bus and classic limousine (both orange and blue, of course). But on that day, he wasn't Chuck. He was the Snakeman, a living breathing tribute to Denver's Jake "The Snake" Plummer. With rubber snakes attached to his hardhat and shoulder pads, and his face all painted blue and orange, he worked the lot, posing for pictures and heckling the Cowboys faithful.

A year later, after Plummer's release, DeVorss was one of a small gathering of fans who braved the pre-Christmas blizzard to party in the partially plowed lots outside Mile-High Stadium. He'd reinvented himself as The Broncnator, trading the rubber snakes for model horses on his hat and shoulder pads.

"I guess that's the tough part of creating your persona around a particular player?" I asked. "Yeah," says Chuck. "I learned my lesson."

But these days, Chuck is stopping for snapshots and signing autographs for AFL fans outside the Pepsi Center as yet another incarnation — The Crushinator. He explains, "I was at a Broncos game, as the Snakeman, and there were some of the guys from the Crush there that day. They challenged me to come up with a character for the Crush. A couple days later, I'm flipping through the channels on the TV and Terminator is on, and I thought, that's it!" Chuck remembers the first time he made it on TV was when the Broncos were in the Super Bowl. "There was just something about it, you know. I thought, this is fun! After that, I started painting all the time." Then in 2004 he went to Canton for Elway's induction into the Hall of Fame, "and I met all the crazies." The Hall of Fans inductees have their annual reunion in Canton during the Hall of Fame weekend. "I had this hardhat, and had put the snakes on it. And they were telling me you should do this, and what if you do that..." Now, Chuck's creativity has taken over and he's constantly adding to the costume. "Every time I pass by a store - even the sports shops in the airport - I'm always looking for something new." He even has a favorite local costume shop where he goes to buy his favorite imported make-up. "Snazzaroo," he says without the slightest hint of embarrassment. "It's from England." He remembers, "One day I was in there and she said she had something I had to see. That's where I got the Pippy socks, with the blue and orange stripes. Sometimes when it's really cold, I have to wear thermals under them." But they're always a part of the get-up. "The costume evolves."

Chuck has recently completed his collection of NFL Beanie Bears, one for every team. "I have to cut open their heads to take a little of the stuffing out so I can fit the helmets on. I use the small Riddells, and then I sew them on with this really strong upholstery thread." For each game, the bear for the opposing team is hung from a noose, dangling from the Broncnator’s belt at the perfect kicking height. "I just walk around all day kicking the bear." When the Crush played the Georgia Force in the Arena Bowl, Chuck used Darth Vader dolls. "I had a big sign that said, 'Luke, I’m your real Father! Crush the Force!'"

When he’s not playing dress up, Chuck is a building plan checker. And he performs in local musical theater. And he belongs to a Corvette club. "I'm restoring a '77 Corvette. That's the first year the Broncos went to the Super Bowl. It's gonna be Le Mans blue with orange flames." He hopes to have it done in time for the 2009 season.

So, what's it like having a secret identity? Not so secret. "Everyone knows." He even went through airport security as The Crushinator. "It was after the Crush won the Arena Bowl in Las Vegas. My flight was leaving right after the game and some people offered to drop me off at the airport. I didn't really think about it." After some brief delays at the screening point, he actually boarded the plane wearing Orange Crush cans attached to his shoulders. "Everyone loved it. Of course, we had won. If we'd lost, you can bet I would have found the closest bathroom to change in!"