The five most hated Denver Broncos in Chiefs Kingdom

1. John Elway

There’s really no other player on this list who could finish first. John Elway isn’t only one of the most hated Denver Broncos in Chiefs Kingdom, he’s arguably the most hated NFL player from any team for this fan base.

This was in part because he helmed the Broncos to numerous Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories in the 1990s, standing in the way of multiple Chiefs contenders in one of the more dominant decades of the franchise’s history.

The other reason, and likely the more pertinent one, is that Elway developed a reputation of complaining to the referees. The most famous of these complaints happened almost 30 years to the day from the game happening on Sunday.

On December 9th, 1990 the Denver Broncos traveled to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs. While the Chiefs had seen significant improvement that season in their second year under Marty Schottenheimer, the Broncos had regressed considerably despite winning the first matchup the teams had in Week 2.

At one point during the game, with Elway’s back to the raging red and gold sea, the fans’ chorus of cheers nearly shook the foundations of Arrowhead Stadium. In one of the more unbecoming moments in NFL history for any player, Elway complained to the referees who then proceeded to threaten the crowd with a penalty on the home team if they did not quiet down.

This moment alone, without the wounds sustained from actually playing him, makes John Elway far and away the most hated Denver Bronco of all time. Lucky for Chiefs fans of this generation, they now get the enjoyment of seeing their favorite team throttle Elway’s Broncos twice each season.