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DiStefano draws a large crowd upon receiving NFL's Brocato scouting award

Scott DiStefano has been a Broncos scout so long, he began in 1982 — the year before Elway. "A lot of people ask if I ever scouted Knute Rockne."

INDIANAPOLIS — An hour after he received the prestigious C.O. Brocato Memorial Award for his 43 years of distinguished service as a Broncos scout here Wednesday evening, Scott DiStefano walked all by himself through the hallways of the Indiana Convention Center.

He was wearing his scouting gear of a Broncos ballcap, blue pullover half-zip with the 2012 NFL Combine logo (Who doesn’t have a 12-year-old shirt?) and a sleeveless black vest.

It was so appropriate for a man who has lived such a lonely existence on the road. DiStefano is the group leader for the offensive linemen prospects attending the NFL Combine and he had to go lead his group.

“A lot of people ask me if I ever scouted Knute Rockne,’’ DiStefano said after he became emotional upon receiving the scouting award. “That kind of thing. The organization has always been top notch. From the moment I walked in.”

Another Broncos scout, Sae Woon Jo, was honored as the AFC’s best at running Pro Days.

A couple scouts from other teams stopped DiStefano along his hallways walk to congratulate him again and praise him for his acceptance speech. DiStefano has been around so long, he started the year before John Elway became a Bronco. As a quarterback in 1983.

DiStefano thanked some of his old coaches.  Red Miller, Dan Reeves. Joe Collier. Mike Shanahan. Gary Kubiak. He brought up the Orange Crush and congratulated Randy Gradishar on finally getting into the Hall of Fame.

“First thing I said was let’s set the record straight. I’m not retiring,’’ DiStefano said. “This is not a retirement gathering.”

He told a couple stories about Brocato.

“I knew him. Good friend,’’ DiStefano said. “He helped me out in that he told me to never let the grass grow under your feet. Keep moving. Gracious man, very intelligent, could talk about anything. If there was a guy to name the award for NFL scouting, this was the guy. Everybody’s friend. Opinionated. He was Italian, I’m Italian.’’

To show what kind of guy DiStefano is, every member of the Broncos’ scouting and personnel department, led by general manager George Paton, attended the award ceremony in a small, packed conference room at the convention center.

“I tell you what, I’m with an elite bunch of scouts and I’m still learning from all those guys, DiStefano said. “Never stop learning.’’

He thanked Broncos owners – he’s worked for three, Edgar Kaiser Jr., Pat Bowlen and now Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner.

“However you want to look at it, I’ve been lucky and fortunate. I happened to walk into a good organization with such high standards when I first got here,’’ DiStefano said.

His job setting up the offensive linemen for their formal interviews Wednesday, DiStefano walked the other way in the long, deep hallways of the convention center. It was a little after 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“I’m going to bed,’’ DiStefano said. “I got to be up at 5:30 tomorrow morning.”

Combine on-field workouts begin here Thursday. A scout’s work is never done. It’s always on to the next young player.

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