McCarter's composure in the moment is what stood out to Baynes.

"Gordon was very meticulous about things, our pregame meetings were long, and he was going to go by the letter of the law," Baynes said. "He wasn't the best microphone guy we had, and he didn't talk a lot on it, so when I heard the announcement, I was really kind of impressed with his explanation."

Clear as it was, it didn't work.

"I swear, it got even louder," Maas recalled. "They went crazy. Like, 'This is us, this is the ruckus that we're causing. You can hear us, and we're a part of this game.' It's when the fan base took on a life of its own."

Elway looked at McCarter again, but he wasn't getting any help this time.

"I remember John looking at him like, 'Are you going to help me here?'" Maas said. "He just pointed his finger forward and said, 'Go ahead and play.' All it did was energize the fans even more."

The rule was implemented in 1989 as indoor stadiums became more prevalent around the league, but this was unique as it was all happening outside.

"I had never seen a warning issued to an outdoor stadium, and it never happened to me again," Baynes said. "It happened a few times in some indoor stadiums, but that was the only time in my career I know for sure that I had an outdoor stadium warned for the noise.

"And it just added fuel to the fire."