The Barrel Man: Tim McKernan 1940-2009

36 thoughts on “The Barrel Man: Tim McKernan 1940-2009”

1. Drew,

   What a great tribute to the Broncos’ #1 Fan. Thank you for honoring in ink!

   Mike

2. I love this tribute, Drew.

   Thank you for doing this.

   It fits him very well.

   Rest in Peace, Barrel Man…

   You’ve left a lot of Broncos fans with some very big shoes to fill.

   No one will ever compare.

3. I was checking out the NFL.com site and saw the announcement. It’s been 26 years since I’ve been to a Broncos game, but I always was glad to see the Barrel Man out there. I was at that famous Monday Night game when Denver hosted Green Bay in a blizzard. After the game was over, I called a friend in Honolulu (the games were on tape delay back then) and told her to turn on the TV. She was amazed at the snow and that 50,000+ would be out there in it, but she couldn’t believe the Barrel Man.

   Rest in peace, Tim. You will be missed.

4. Rest In Peace Tim We Broncos fans salute you.

5. Drew,

   What a wonderful tribute to Tim. When I heard of his passing, I just knew that we would be seeing a tribute cartoon from you. Thanks so much for the ink – you did him proud.

   Connie Sue

6. Indeed, RIP Barrel Man.

   Drew, way to pay tribute to him. That is a great cartoon.

7. Do you think there will be little barrel patches put onto Bronco uniforms? There should be. RIP Tim.

8. Thanks Drew, this actually made me cry.

9. Very nice tribute to Barrel Man, Drew. We met Barrel Man a few years ago in Dallas..The Thanksgiviing Day Game Broncos vs. Cowboys. He was such a cool dude! We got to tour the Bus and were invited to tailgate with him! It was my first NFL game and meeting him was the icing on the cake! He will always be known as an uber fan of the Broncos! Hope the Broncos do something nice for him!

   RIP Barrel Man…may God give your family and friends peace throughout this time of difficulty.

10. Good morning Drew –

    What a wonderful cartoon. Grew up watching him at the games and loving every minute of it. He could rile up a crowd and give people a laugh.

    He will be missed.

    IG

11. Thanks for the wonderful toon, Drew. We will all miss The Barrel Man very much. I really believe that he should be put in the ring of fame at Mile High. Now that would be the ultimate truibute for the ultimate fan. RIP Barrel Man and I will forver think of you when the skies are orange and blue.

12. Dear Drew, Thank you so much for this beautiful tribute to my sweet dad. Our family has been so overwhelmed the last two days by the outpouring of love and support for the Barrelman, but your drawing and words took the cake. It captured our sentiment more than anything else we’ve seen. We all stood around the computer screen today and cried when we read it. God Bless you and all the wonderful Bronco fans. The Barrelman’s legend will live on in the Colorado sunsets forever 🙂

13. What a wonderful tribute to Tim. As always Drew, you capture the sentiment. Keep those orange sunsets coming, Barrel Man! You always did our Broncos proud.

14. What a wonderful tribute!! He will not be forgotten by all those Bronco fans!

15. As always, you’ve managed to capture just the right feeling!

    Tim was recently at a Nuggets game and Vicki was lucky enough to get a picture with him as he left the court. Priceless.

    Thanks,

    Vicki’s Husband

16. I’m not a Broncos fan, but damn if I wasn’t a fan of the greatest superfan this side of the Mississippi.

    Good tribute to a great fan and a great man.

17. Drew, you have successfully given us an amazing gift here. Tim was already going to live forever in our hearts and minds and you have giving us a beautiful way to do so every evening. Thank you Drew and Thank you Tim, These Colorado Sunsets just got better.

18. Good-bye Barrel-Man. We may have ever met but I will always remember seeing you on tv and at the games getting the crowd behind the Broncos. My condolences out to the McKernan family.

19. I could remember when I was just a child in the early 80’s watching Tim The “Barrel Man” in Mile High Stadium and on t.v. getting the crowd riled up playing a important part in the 12th man. So many games so many memories. Tim’s spirit lives on though the many fans, friends and family.

    Everytime we cheer at the stadium or at home; Tim is leading the cheers from above.

    My Bronco hat comes off to salute you Tim, one of the greatest fans ever!

    Respectfully,

    Matthew

20. Toons like this are why I will always be a big fan of yours, Drew

    Thanks for having a finger on the pulse of Broncos Country

21. This is fantastic cartoon, Drew… There is no one who compares to Tim, the Barrel Man – he was a true original, probably the best fan in the NFL! Love and blessings to the McKernan family, as the Barrel Man gave us Broncos fans a lot of love.

22. Drew, this is an awesome tribute to one of our most loyal fans.

    His dedication to our team made me appreciate my position even more.

    The man was a legend in his own right and the NFL lost a great

    ambassador to the game. The true definition of tough, was “THE BARREL MAN”.

23. He IS a Broncos legend and deserves to be in the Ring of Fame. It’s a shame that when it happens it will be posthumously. And that’s coming from a Raiders fan.

24. Man it has ben a tough year for the Broncos. RIP, Barrel Man

25. This is one of the best tributes for one of the best humans you have ever done. I also agree he should be on the Ring of Fame. Hopefully the Broncos will give him that honor. I’m sure it would mean a great deal to his family. My condolences go out to all of them. RIP Barrel Man. I’m sure we will have the most beautiful orange sunsets in the world from now on.

26. Drew, thank you very much for your tribute to my brother. Tim loved his wife, his family, and his Broncos. Hopefully we all can find passion in something in our lives as much as my brother did. We will all miss him dearly.

27. Great work, Drew. Very fitting for a Hall of Fame Fan. Rest In Peace, Tim. You will be missed.

28. The Broncos should get barrels and put them on thier helmets!!!! Then at next home game put him in the ring of fame!!!!! RIP BARREL MAN!!!!

29. Great Cartoon, Drew!!

    I´m from Germany and i´ve seen the Barrell Man many time on TV, it´s hard to belive that he´s gone.

    My condolences out to the McKernan family.

30. GMFO,

    had some snow this morning, sorry about the delay.

    what a great cartoon, Drew. I remember seeing him on TV way back. always wondered what he had on under the barrel, maybe it was like a kilt and then your imagination goes wild.

    the comments on the site are the eulogy of man that was loved and will be missed.

    There will never be another barrel man, anywhere.

    Strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

    Gene

31. This is a great homage to Tim. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a game back in the 90’s. I was as excited to talk to him as I was to meet Elway. He was the ultimate supporter of the team and I will never forget him.

32. Thank Drew.

    I hadn’t been able to visit your site until this morning and I hadn’t yet heard about Tim’s passing.

    Thank you for this. I’m glad I learned of the greatest fan’s passing in this manner instead of some impersonal print on a website.

    Every game I got to see on TV, I’d always look for him and as soon as I spotted him, I’d be a kid again.

    I hope the Broncos organization honors him in the manner he truly deserves.

    Go Broncos!

33. I am saddened to hear of Tim – The Barrel Man’s passing.

    As a season ticket holder since 1960 we will miss him.

    But, we can always know he will be watching over our Broncos every time we see a Bronco Orange sunset.

    Our Prayers and thoughts are with Tim’s family.

    Portland Mike

34. Drew-only you could capture the essence of what the barrel man was to this city and our team. Every time I will see one of those special blue and orange sunsets I will know that Tim will be there with his brush with a huge smile on his face.

35. I’ll always remember watching the games as a kid and looking for the Barrelman the entire time. You’ll be missed Tim!

36. loved going to the games when i was kid and seeing the barrelman, pat bowlen should put him in the ring of fame!!! R.I.P