{"id":1311422,"date":"2019-06-14T14:36:01","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T20:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/broncos-owner-pat-bowlen-dies-at-75\/"},"modified":"2019-06-14T14:36:01","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T20:36:01","slug":"broncos-owner-pat-bowlen-dies-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/broncos-owner-pat-bowlen-dies-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos owner Pat Bowlen dies at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In this Jan. 5, 2011, photo, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen talks about Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway who he named Executive V.P. of football operations during a news conference at the team’s headquarters in Englewood, Colo. Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar TV deals, has died. He was 75. (AP Photo\/ Ed Andrieski)<\/strong>
AP | AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. \u2014 On a cool night in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 7, 2016, John Elway thrust the Lombardi Trophy into the air and hollered, \u201cThis one\u2019s for Pat!\u201d<\/p>\n

It came 18 years after Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen had declared, \u201cThis one\u2019s for John!\u201d following the franchise\u2019s first Super Bowl championship, a 31-24 win over Green Bay in San Diego after Elway helicoptered his way into NFL immortality in his fourth shot at a title.<\/p>\n

Elway called it the greatest moment of his Hall of Fame career, and he was determined to return the favor after rejoining his beloved Broncos as Bowlen\u2019s general manager and vice president of football operations in 2011.<\/p>\n

He finally got the chance when the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, 18 months after Alzheimer\u2019s forced Bowlen to step down from his daily duties running the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just glad I had the opportunity,\u201d Elway told The Associated Press in the locker room that night. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to think about it too much because I didn\u2019t want to jinx anything. But I was waiting for the day that I was able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowlen, who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar television deals, died late Thursday, just under two months before his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 75.<\/p>\n

In a statement posted on the Broncos\u2019 website, Bowlen\u2019s family said he died at home surrounded by loved ones. They did not specify a cause of death. Bowlen had Alzheimer\u2019s for several years.<\/p>\n

Bowlen was the first owner in NFL history to oversee a team that won 300 games \u2014 including playoffs \u2014 in three decades. He had as many Super Bowl appearances (seven) as losing seasons, and Denver is 354-240-1 since he bought the club in 1984.<\/p>\n

Under his stewardship, the Broncos won Super Bowls in 1998, \u201899 and 2016.<\/p>\n

Super Bowl 50 was the Broncos\u2019 eighth trip to the big game, the seventh under Bowlen\u2019s watch.<\/p>\n

Bowlen\u2019s wife, Annabel, who recently announced that she, too, has Alzheimer\u2019s, and their children were on hand to accept the Lombardi Trophy on his behalf in Santa Clara.<\/p>\n

Elway delivered the third Lombardi Trophy to Bowlen\u2019s home back in Denver, and more than a million fans packed downtown for a victory parade 17 years after Elway capped his remarkable playing career by leading the Broncos to back-to-back titles.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis soul will live on through the Broncos, the city of Denver and all of our fans,\u201d Bowlen\u2019s family said in its statement. \u201cHeaven got a little bit more orange and blue tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowlen was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on Feb. 18, 1944. He earned business and law degrees at Oklahoma University before working in his father\u2019s oil and gas company and embarking on a successful real estate business in Canada.<\/p>\n

He and his family purchased the Broncos in two transactions in 1984 and \u201885 for $71 million. The franchise is now valued at $2.6 billion, according to the latest Forbes rankings.<\/p>\n

During 35 seasons with him as owner, Bowlen\u2019s teams compiled a .596 winning percentage \u2014 tied for second-best in the NFL during that span. Among professional franchises in the four major North American sports, only the San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Lakers were better, according to the Broncos.<\/p>\n

Bowlen relished working behind the scenes and shied away from the spotlight. In the words of former coach Mike Shanahan, \u201cPat just wanted to be one of the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I think he was so beloved by so many people, including myself,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cAnd you also knew that he would give anything to make your football team better or at least get a chance at the Super Bowl. At that time you would say every ounce that he had \u2014 I should say every penny he had \u2014 he wanted to go into giving the football team a Super Bowl. That was his No. 1 priority. That was it. It was not trying to buy different companies and trying to make more money. His goal was winning a Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowlen served as a sounding board for NFL commissioners Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell. He was crucial to the league\u2019s growth as a member of 15 NFL committees, including co-chairing the NFL Management Council and working on network TV contracts such as the league\u2019s ground-breaking $18 billion deal in 1998.<\/p>\n

\u201cPat personified all that\u2019s right about the NFL and is extremely deserving of this summer\u2019s recognition as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,\u201d Goodell said.<\/p>\n

Hall President & CEO David Baker said: \u201cPat\u2019s leadership helped shaped the NFL into what it is today. He also transformed the Denver Broncos into one of the finest franchises in the league and gave a winning identity to an entire region. He was a man who lived life with passion, conviction and demonstrated the highest level of integrity at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowlen had a deep appreciation for his players , whether or not they were stars, and it\u2019s not unusual to see ex-Broncos watching practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I retired, Mr. B. told me I was welcome anytime at team headquarters,\u201d said Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. \u201cHe said I didn\u2019t need a pass, either: \u2018Your face is your credential.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ownership of the franchise is held in a trust Bowlen set up more than a decade ago in hopes one of his seven children will one day run the team. Until then, Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis, one of three trustees, is doing so in a \u201cWhat would Pat do?\u201d sort of way.<\/p>\n

Although daughter Brittany is hoping to one day take over the team, the succession plan and the trustees\u2019 oversight of Bowlen\u2019s estate has been challenged in state district court in the last year by some members of the Bowlen family.<\/p>\n

Those who worked for Bowlen remember a man who put production ahead of profits; trained tirelessly for triathlons; fostered a winning atmosphere from the lobby to the locker room; and was always quick with a compliment and sure to couch his criticism.<\/p>\n

Bowlen flashed his competitive streak whether on the road conducting league business, on the sideline watching his team or on the StairMaster drenched in sweat.<\/p>\n

It was evident in his dislike for Peyton Manning when the quarterback played for Indianapolis before joining the Broncos in 2012.<\/p>\n

Bowlen is survived by his wife, Annabel, and seven children: Amie, Beth, Patrick, Johnny, Brittany, Annabel and Christianna.<\/p>\n

The Broncos and Bowlen\u2019s family will host a public tribute Tuesday at Broncos Stadium at Mile High and a private funeral will be held June 24 in Denver.<\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this Jan. 5, 2011, photo, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen talks about Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway who he named Executive V.P. of football operations during a news conference at the team’s headquarters in Englewood, Colo. Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1311422","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 02:37:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1311422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1311422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1311422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1311422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}