DENVER – Five years after his retirement, Tom Nalen's penchant for anonymity finally is breaking down.
Nalen, the five-time Pro Bowl center for the Denver Broncos who shied away from reporters and seldom spoke publicly during a 15-year career that ended in 2009, has been thrust front and center as the latest inductee into the Broncos' Ring of Fame.
And like it or not, he was celebrated as one of 24 honorees with sculpted bronze pillars in the Broncos' Ring of Fame plaza at Sports Authority Field that was unveiled in ceremonies Friday night. The pantheon of Broncos greats supplements the ring around the stadium bearing their names, putting faces and individual stories on embossed 8-foot pillars within sight of fans walking into the stadium. The plaza will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and remain lighted at night.
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