{"id":2445327,"date":"2019-06-14T06:18:14","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T12:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=307934"},"modified":"2019-06-14T06:18:14","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T12:18:14","slug":"denver-broncos-owner-pat-bowlen-dies-after-battle-with-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/denver-broncos-owner-pat-bowlen-dies-after-battle-with-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen dies after battle with Alzheimer\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE – In this June 16, 1998, file photo, then President Clinton, left, and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen hold the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a ceremony at the White House where the president honored the Super Bowl XXXII champions. Denver Broncos owner Bowlen dies at age 75, family says in statement released by team. (AP Photo\/Greg Gibson, File)<\/strong>
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ENGLEWOOD (AP) \u2014 Pat Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar television deals, died late Thursday night, 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,<\/a> Bowlen\u2019s family said he died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. They did not specify a cause of death. Bowlen had battled 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, \u201999 and 2016.<\/p>\n

Following their 31-24 victory over Green Bay for the franchise\u2019s first championship, Bowlen famously hollered, \u201cThis one\u2019s for John!\u201d Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway called it the greatest moment of his playing career.<\/p>\n

Elway the executive returned the favor on Feb. 7, 2016, when he jabbed the silver Lombardi Trophy into the sky after Denver\u2019s 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50 and declared, \u201cThis one\u2019s for Pat.\u201d<\/p>\n

That came 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 victorious 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. So, I was glad and really thrilled that I was able to do that and we\u2019ll take that trophy over to Pat next week and let him cherish it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elway delivered the prize to Bowlen\u2019s home back in Denver. And in the Mile High City, 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

Super Bowl 50 was the Broncos\u2019 eighth trip to the big game, seven under Bowlen\u2019s watch, and all of those with Elway\u2019s help \u2014 first as his QB and then as his GM.<\/p>\n

Bowlen\u2019s wife, Annabel, who recently announced that she, too, is battling Alzheimer\u2019s, and their children were on hand to accept the Lombardi Trophy on his behalf in Santa Clara, California.<\/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 their statement Thursday night. \u201cHeaven got a little bit more orange and blue tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his 35 seasons 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

Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said: \u201cMost guys would tell you that played for him or worked for him that he was not only our owner, but he was your friend.\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, including the league\u2019s ground-breaking $18 billion deal in 1998.<\/p>\n

\u201cPat was the driving force in establishing the championship culture of the Broncos. He was also an extraordinary leader at the league level during a key period,\u201d Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. \u201cWith the fans, Pat felt in many ways that his team belonged to them and approached things with that in mind. There will never be another owner like Pat Bowlen.\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.’\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, 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

\u201cPat Bowlen was the heart and soul of the Denver Broncos,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cNot only was Pat a Hall of Fame owner \u2014 he was a Hall of Fame person.\u201d<\/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

\u201cI get it, and I respect that,\u201d Manning said, adding that Bowlen flew back to Denver from his offseason home in Hawaii to welcome him when he signed with the Broncos, and they were friends afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there was a way for him to compete against what he\u2019s going through,\u201d former defensive end Alfred Williams said a couple of summers ago, \u201che\u2019d beat that damn disease every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FILE – In this June 16, 1998, file photo, then President Clinton, left, and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen hold the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a ceremony at the White House where the president honored the Super Bowl XXXII champions. Denver Broncos owner Bowlen dies at age 75, family says in statement released by team. […]<\/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":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2445327","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 17:46:49","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":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2445327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2445327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2445327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2445327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}