THORNTON, Colo. — On a Friday night in Thornton, the chants sounded more like a tailgate than a vigil. Dozens of people, many in orange jerseys, stood along East 120th Avenue, candles flickering near the spot where police say Gabriel “Gabe” Vigil crashed his motorcycle two days before Christmas. 

They came to grieve, but also to celebrate a man they say brought energy to every Broncos game he attended.

“Everybody behind us is everyone who he’s ever touched,” his wife, Cyndi Vigil, said as she stood in front of a sea of family, friends and fans. “Everybody knew my husband. Bronco warrior, Bronco Gabe.”

Vigil, 47, crashed around 2 a.m. on Dec. 23 while traveling eastbound on his motorcycle, according to a news release from the Thornton Police Department. Investigators believe he lost control of the bike and later died at the hospital. 

Police said he was not wearing a helmet and that speed is being investigated as a contributing factor. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact the department’s tip line.

For most of his life, Vigil was a fixture in the stands at Empower Field. 

“I’ve been spiking up his hair for 25-plus years,” Cyndi said. “He was a super fan — we went to every home game.” 

Vigil has four kids. One of their sons recalled how his father could electrify a section on his own. 

“When my father would come around, the energy in the stadium…would just charge up,” he said.

At games, Vigil led signature crowd chants — the kind that echoed again at the vigil. 

“He would get everybody in line to get the chants going — IN… COM… PLETE,” his family shouted together during the interview, smiling through grief.

On Friday, mourners returned that energy for him. They lit candles and fireworks, played music and chanted.

“Even if you were having a bad day, he would come in with that smile, and he’d change it right around,” Cyndi said. 

Others spoke about his willingness to help anyone who asked. 

“You needed his help? I’ll be right there,” several family members said in unison, repeating a phrase they heard from him often.

As the Broncos surge toward a Super Bowl bid with one of the best records in the league, his family said Vigil had one wish for this season — one he repeated often. 

“That the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl,” Cyndi said. As she spoke, those around her erupted into a chant: “Super Bowl! All the way! All the way!”

“So if the Broncos make it?” she continued, pausing only for her family to chant together: “We will be there!”

The next home tailgate, scheduled for Jan. 4 against the Chargers, will take place without the man who helped make Lot C feel like home for so many. 

But Cyndi said they plan to carry on his traditions — and maybe even his signature hairstyle. 

“If I have to spike up my hair, I will spike up my hair,” she said.