Bucky, the landmark white fiberglass horse statue that adorns Empower Field at Mile High Stadium’s scoreboard in Denver, has returned stronger, sturdier and shinier after an extensive repair process.
Area sign company takes the reins
The statue was taken down for renovation for the first time in 22 years as the Denver Broncos’ scoreboard was also slated for an expansion in size of 70%. Bucky was lowered by crane and harness onto a special structure designed by BSC Signs (Broomfield, CO).
Constantly modified to accommodate different steps of the restoration processes, the structure was built to receive Bucky from a vertical position and then could be tilted down into a horizontal position for transport by truck. It also allotted space for temporary removable walls that concealed Bucky during transport and protected him from the weather. The transportation and storage structure was fabricated of 6-in. and 4-in. steel square tube, measuring 26 ft. long, 10 ft. wide, 11 ft. tall and weighing in at 3,500 lbs.
Once they had received the statue, BSC Signs and subcontractors conducted many structural integrity tests. The tests revealed too many cracks and repairs needed for localized fiberglass repairs, says BSC Signs CEO and owner Joe Landin. Bucky thus saw a new 3/16-in. layer of fiberglass added to his existing coating at local E&J Fiberglass, as well as structural foam in the lower half of his hind legs and tail areas that extend up about 5 ft.
Due to the size of the statue and his steel structure, BSC needed to fabricate a temporary custom extension to their large paint booth. The booth was fabricated from 2 x 4’s and 6-mil. plastic sheeting, allowing more light to enter the space, with a custom entry door and booth filters for proper airflow. The resulting booth measured 40 ft. long, 16 ft. wide, and 16 ft. tall, creating a safe and clean environment for professional finishes on Bucky, says Landin.
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Statue now stronger — and larger
“He has the fiberglass coat, fiberglass resin coat, fiberglass gel coat, primer gel coat,” Landin says. “He has an adhesion-promoting primer that goes on top of that. He has two coats of sealer coat by AkzoNobel. And then he has two coats of base top coat, white, AkzoNobel as well. And then he has four coats of clear coat on him. And then he’s been buffed and shined.”
With all the new layers and coatings, Bucky returned to Empower Field at Mile High approximately 800 lbs. heavier than before. The scoreboard now stands 31 ft. taller, elevating the horse statue to 161 ft. above the field. Landin estimates that he will last at least another 30 or 40 years.
Origin story
Bucky originally weighed 1,600 lbs. and stood at 27 ft. tall. He was created in 1974 by Jim and Mildred Rorie of Fiberglass Menagerie (Alpine, CA), cast from the same fiberglass mold from which the Rories had made a tribute figure for Trigger, the palomino horse costar of Western star Roy Rogers. Rogers approved of reusing of the mold for the Mile High Stadium project so long as the horse would not be called Trigger.
In September of 1975 KLZ Radio held a contest to name the horse, which was won by the name Bucko. It evolved into Bucky and has stuck around ever since. Today, Bucky the Bronco graces the stadium once more as a unique element of the franchise and a landmark of the city.
For more information from the Denver Broncos’ write up, click here.
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