Tamme, Broncos teammates visit victims
of theater shooting at Aurora, Colo., hospital

Jacob Tamme, 84, and Broncos teammates visit Aurora hospital staffers.
(Photo from Denver Broncos Twitter)

A former UK football standout was one of several Denver Broncos players who took time to visit victims of the Aurora movie theater shootings Sunday.

Danville native and former Wildcat Jacob Tamme, a tight end for the Broncos, was one of seven Denver plays to visit an Aurora hospital, where they talked with shooting victims, doctors and nurses.

“That visit was simply incredible,” Tamme said on his Twitter account. “Had no idea what to expect walking in those doors, but the staff, victims and families were so impressive. The loss of life is so tragic, but the spirit, resolve and gratitude in that hospital was just awesome.”

Tamme took to Twitter to recount the stories of several of the survivors he met, including a man who said a 17-year-old girl helped save him by using her belt as a tourniquet on his wounded leg while others fled the theater, a man who took a bullet for his friend’s wife and a man who had stopped in Aurora for an overnight stay during a cross-country bicycle trip which he plans to finish the trip next year to raise money for charity. Tamme also noted the work of the doctors and nurses who shined in the crisis situation.

“Bottom line, this is still a tragic story due to the awful loss of life, but it was great to see those folks who showed such courage,” Tamme said. “For a couple hours in that hospital, no one spoke about a madman, but instead they told stories that give you faith in humanty.”

You can read all of Tamme’s tweets from the afternoon and follow him on Twitter here.