The stadium’s jumbo video screen flashed to two women standing on a sideline populated mostly by men. Like most everyone else there, the women were wearing Broncos jerseys.
Feeling love from the crowd, Rosalind Williams and Judy Nash met for the first time Sunday and forever will be bonded. They raised their clasped hands and waved to the crowd as they bravely managed smiles.
Invesco Field at Mile High erupted. It began a night of considerable emotion during Denver’s 31-28 last-second victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
“What a night,” Williams said after the game. “They did it, they did it. I’m so proud of those guys. They scared me, but we got it done. I’m so happy.”
Williams and Nash joined Broncos captains John Lynch, Jay Cutler and Jason Elam at midfield for the pregame coin toss. The women were honored by the Broncos as the team remembered Darrent Williams, Rosalind’s son, and Damien Nash, Judy’s husband.
Darrent Williams, a starting cornerback for the Broncos last season, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Denver during the early hours of Jan. 1 after he attended a New Year’s Eve party. Damien Nash, a reserve running back, died Feb. 24 after hosting a charity basketball game in St. Louis, his hometown.
Both players were 24.
“I had to fight back tears,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said of his pregame moment with the two women. Rosalind Williams also visited with Shanahan briefly in the locker room after the game.
Said Lynch, a veteran safety: “I told the defense that we had to go play the way Darrent would expect us to.”
The team flew in Rosalind Williams and Judy Nash along with some of their family members Saturday. They stayed at the Broncos’ team hotel and mingled with players Saturday.
“Really, it was more emotional than I thought it was going to be,” Williams said. “Judy was a great help to me, and I think I was to her. It was so special to see all of the guys.”
Bill Williamson: 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com
