Not unholy at all, argues Ed Marlowe, the Orlando resident behind BroncoGator.com.
Marlowe says about thirty seconds after the Broncos drafted University of Florida standout Tebow at the number 25 position of the NFL draft's first round, he became a Broncos fan. After all, he says, "his nickname in college was Bronco Nagursky, so it was a match made in heaven."
After that, a friend of his drew the BroncoGator design with the idea of it being the logo of a small fan club -- "and it grew from there," Marlowe says.
Not that it's grown to enormous size quite yet. In its three weeks of existence, the site's been mentioned in some major media outlets, including the Denver Post and the Orlando Sentinel, and Marlowe's created a wide range of gear, including hats, T-shirts and even a baby romper. However, he concedes that BroncoGator items haven't been flying out the cyber-door.
"We haven't sold all that many yet," he concedes. "I'd hesitate to put a number on it, but it's growing. Not everyone has heard about it yet, and it's a diverse fusion of elements that may only appeal to Broncos fans who are from Florida or Florida fans who live out West, or big supporters of Tebow. So I don't expect we'll sell a million things. But we'll sell some."
He's hoping to move merch on September 12, when the Broncos meet the Jacksonville Jaguars in what's slated to be Tebow's professional debut -- if he gets on the field, that is.
"It's going to be like the Civil War in Jacksonville, believe me," Marlowe says. "This is going to divide families."
Marlowe hopes to bring them back together via an event in the planning stages that he calls The World's Second-Largest Cocktail Party -- the largest being the annual faceoff between Florida and the University of Georgia. "We're going to have live alligators, probably some gator wrestling, and alcohol-free virgin cocktails in honor of Tim Tebow," he boasts.
If Tebow struggles, folks may want to down something a little stronger...
