Big Mac Attack: Remembering McNichols Sports Arena

There used to be a superfan before there were superfans. Her name was Patrice. She would get tickets from anyone who would help her – players, coaches, staff people. Somehow, someway, she would get a ticket to every game. They would always give her a ticket at the very top row of McNichols, but you could still hear her screaming. Boy, did she have some lungs. After the game, players such as Bill Hanzlik and Alex English would flip a coin to see who had to give her a ride back home or a ride to the bus station.

First thing that comes to mind is Chopper’s office in the locker room. It was literally covered – wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling – with personally autographed photos of an incredible array of celebrities and ordinary people. Celebrities who found a place on “the wall” ranged from Julius Erving to Frank Sinatra to Andre the Giant. Ordinary people included on his wall of fame were his pals from New Jersey and his mom. Heck, I even had a tiny spot. It became its own destination – a “must-see” to be included in behind-the-scenes tours for VIPs.

One other great McNichols memory is from the 1984 NBA All-Star Game. Of course, we had a packed house and a big game, but the best part of the day for me was before the game even started. I will never forget standing in a hallway outside my office with The Temptations (the originals!) as they warmed up to sing the national anthem.

When the Nuggets were on the road, Frank Sinatra used the Nugget locker room as his dressing room. Gregory Peck and his wife were guests of his. After the concert, Frank signed his locker room door. When Chopper got back in town, he had Plexiglas put over it so that it didn’t fade away.

I remember the tiny training room and the giant hot tub put in the shower. I remember ZZ Top saying goodbye and handing the 72-10 bulls one of those losses. I remember the Mutombo finger wag being born and the silky, Doug Moe's tirades and gulping for air as an opponent.

I remember Jim Gillen, Max Benton and myself sharing a tiny office. I had I doll’s desk lodged between their desks!!! Gillen realized he had made a mistake hiring me when my dirty Tupperware began taking over his office!!!

Just the thought of McNichols Arena makes me smile. So many great events, so much history and so many special people combined for memorable experiences of a lifetime. I will always remember fondly that concrete hamburger looking building with the huge stairs going up and say “thank you Big Mac”.

I even loved the building itself. My first day on the job in McNichols we had a tornado warning and we all had to gather in the hallway. A tornado hit very near the arena (an indication of my career?) but we were safe and sound. We had the worst hail storm of the century a few years later, our cars were trashed but everyone was safe.

Just a few quick memories:

I remember Chopper bringing all the ladies roses on Valentine's Day.

I remember my cheese wedge-shaped office under a seating section.

I remember being lazy and calling Mike Schanno on the phone in the next office over to ask him a question. He would let it ring, get up, walk to my door and say, "What?!"

I remember the group sales staff crammed into that inhumane 9-by-9 room with at least 12 cubicle stations.

I remember the all-night party in the box office stuffing three months of individual game tickets into those little binders for the Nuggets shortened season.

Back then, I would produce and studio host the game from our flagship radio station. During the games, media relations director Tommy Sheppard would be on headset with our play-by-play guy Jerry Schemmel. Now mind you, Tommy’s voice didn't go over the air, just into Jerry’s headset, so Schemmel would be the only one to hear his comments. Often times, the engineer would have Tommy’s microphone too loud. If you knew what you were listening for (which we all did) you could hear Tommy’s comments filtering through Schemmel’s headset. Needless to say, we must have broken about 2,000 different FCC violations over a four-year span. I still remember a lot of his comments but cannot print them here. Rest assured, I am honestly laughing out loud as I sit here and type. Tommy was/is a funny funny man.

When fans came to McNichols, there was a cozy feeling that they were part of the team. They got to know you and they got to talk to you. They thought they were part of the show because Doug Moe would turn around and say something to them. They took it as being involved in the game.

I still carry my McNichols office key on my key ring. Just a fun little reminder of what used to be! My storage “closet” for some valuable autograph stuff at McNichols was an old walk-in freezer. I was always worried that I’d get locked in there. I wouldn’t have been alone, however; there was a nice mouse family that lived there as well.

My mom came to visit and she once had a lovely chat in the kitchen with LaPhonso Ellis while he heated his lunch in the microwave. Of course, Chopper also hit on her, but that came with the territory.

Other little things I remember include working out in that tiny little cell of a weight room, Jon Moore singing all the way to his office every morning, ducking my head (yes, even at 5-foot-2) to get into one of my office spaces that was under the seats. Most of all, I miss Loretta Harmon’s game-day popcorn!

Beating Detroit in the 1996 Western Conference finals Game 6 was something special. Also, the fact there was no press box made it very interesting, to say the least, with the local, national and international media. We had to kill more than 550 seats in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals to accommodate the media.

I remember walking toward the building before the Game 3 playoff win vs. Utah in 1994 and seeing the gigantic banner that said, “We Have A Dream.” I still get chills just thinking about it. I remember a true warrior named Dikembe Mutombo bringing back respectability to the franchise. What a great old building!

One of my lasting memories of McNichols was the presentation that Tim Leiweke and his staff put together for the naming rights for the Pepsi Center. It involved the entire staff in one shape or another. The idea was to show all the possibilities that an arena could be beyond just hoops and hockey.

It was unbelievable and a heck of a production, no sealing the deal for the Nuggets to get the Pepsi Center naming rights done. Tim has on to much greater heights as a mogul in the entertainment industry, but you saw his vision so clearly that day.

The arena was carved into little areas – it was dark and each area was lit as an announcer set the tone for what was being seen There was boxing, figure skating (sales executive Allison Levy actually did the skating as she is an accomplished skater), a band performed, clowns and other circus acts were there, a whole lot of stuff.

I believe it started with a helicopter ride with Tim and the Pepsi folks to see the space where the Pepsi Center currently sits. Then, he brought them into a dark McNichols and the show began. Most of the people involved were all on staff and everyone had a piece of it – even if they were extras “fans in the stands” types. It was awesome stuff, way ahead of its time. It was so impressive that he allowed the staff to have stakes in it.

I always remember beating the Sonics on Christmas Day 1994. Rodney Rogers went nuts (22 points). First rematch with them since the Nuggs beat the Sonics in the playoffs the previous season.

Beating the Bulls the year they won 72 games was certainly an all-timer as well.

I still am amazed at the quality of people, the level of expertise that was assembled in every area of the building. We had Leiweke and Shawn Hunter, Gary Hunter. A lot of the current AEG folks worked first for the Nuggets. On the basketball side, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike Brown, Chris Grant …

I remember how strong the ABA roots ran for the Nuggets as well as the Spurs, Nets and Pacers. It meant a lot to everyone when the ABA was discussed. Once, we actually played a pre-season game with a red, white and blue ball against the Spurs, I believe. The NBA finally started to recognize the ABA for its merits and this was an anniversary season of some sort. The dang balls they sent looked great until they got moist – then the paint came off and was all over the court, hands, uniforms, you name it. That was hilarious and sad at the same time.

I started working in the reception area of McNichols Sports Arena in February of 1996. I was 19 and I sat in a little window adjacent to the security desk. My job was to be the first person people checked in with as they came in or one of the first people they spoke to on the phone. I saw and heard it all.

I met a number of great people in that arena. Names such as LaPhonso Ellis, Peter Forsberg and Chopper Travaglini are among the few. Working there, I saw my first NHL and NBA game and it was just the beginning. From the love of sports to my potential as an individual, McNichols Sports Arena has lasting memories. Not only did I meet the man behind Pepsi Center’s street name “Chopper”, but I also met the core to a great working environment, the staff that came to work every day.

I am honored to be among the few that started at McNichols and who are currently still working at Pepsi Center or around the industry. It’s a privilege and, ultimately, my favorite memory.

In his first year with the Nuggets, Mo Martin purchased a beautiful BMW. He loved that car, he worshiped that car. He worshiped it so much that we got a crane driver to hoist it on top of the arena when he and the team were practicing inside. We called all of the news crews in town. The entire staff waited (in hiding) in the side parking lot and watched his reaction when he thought the car was stolen. Then, everyone pointed to the top of the arena.

Another favorite moment took place shortly after we hired supermascot Rocky. Charlotte Grahame and I were in charge of him (if that is possible). Rocky always practiced his skits in front of us to make sure everything was ok, etc. One time he rented a guillotine for his skit. He was going to ask someone out of the crowd to come onto the court and put their head in it.

So, Rocky, Charlotte and I went out to practice the skit. Charlotte volunteered to put her head in the guillotine just as the fan would later that night. Charlotte got on her hands and knees at center court, Rocky dropped the guillotine …………. and then couldn’t figure out how to open the guillotine. He had forgotten to ask that minor detail when he rented it. We had to walk Charlotte back to the engineering department wearing the guillotine to get someone to break the thing and get her head out.

Ahhh McNichols….