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ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – Former Denver receiver Broncos of Denver, Rod Smith, once said that Pat Bowlen was "the one behind everything we did, the one that made us feel like we were there. to be in the championship ".
And for more than three decades at the helm of one of the most successful and successful teams in professional sports, Bowlen has always said that his fundamental principle, sitting every day at his desk, is that "we are no 1 in all "and that was the fuel for all those who worked alongside him.
Bowlen died Thursday night in his home in the Denver area after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer's, just under two months before it was officially dedicated to the Hall of Fame. professional football. He was 75 years old.
He is survived by his wife Annabel; their five children, Patrick III, John, Brittany, Christianna and Annabel Victoria; his first wife, Sally Parker; and their two children, Amie Klemmer and Beth Bowlen Wallace; his brothers Bill Bowlen and John Bowlen; and sister Mary Beth Jagger.
The Bowlen family issued a statement on Friday morning:
"We are saddened to inform everyone that our beloved husband and father, Pat Bowlen, passed peacefully to the next chapter of his life late Thursday night at home, surrounded by his family. will live through the Broncos, the city of Denver and our family wishes to express our sincere gratitude for the support we have received over the last few years.The sky has become a little more orange and blue tonight. competition with a great sense of humor.Have fun as he was, he always wanted us to understand the big picture.We will always remember his kindness and humility.More important than to be an incredible owner, Pat Bowlen was an incredible human being. "
As owner of Broncos for 35 years, Bowlen has made as many trips to the Super Bowl – seven – as losing seasons, and the Broncos have won three of these Super Bowls (XXXII, XXXIII and 50). Since 1984, the Broncos have had the most winning seasons (21) in the NFL and second playoff appearances (18).
Bowlen, nicknamed "Mr. B" by many people who worked for him, was also the first owner of the history of professional football to oversee a team that won 300 games in its first 30 years at the closed off. He is the only owner to reach the Super Bowl with four main coaches: Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan, John Fox and Gary Kubiak.
But the success of the field team was not Bowlen's only signature; it's his mix of humanity, compassion and hope for flawless success that he showed to all the team's employees, both inside and outside the players' locker room .
"You've seen it every day," said John Elway, president of football operations and general manager of the Broncos. "He cared about you as a person, he cared about you as a player and he gave you everything he had to help you succeed, but you always knew you had to worry about it as much as him. "
Bowlen was away from the team's day-to-day operations just before the 2014 season, the third year of quarterback Peyton Manning within the team and one season before the Broncos' final win at the Super Bowl in 2015.
The Broncos had 300 of their 403 consecutive losses in the regular season and playoffs during Bowlen's tenure. The Broncos are a regional passion as their winning percentage of .598 since Bowlen bought the team in 1984 ranks among the top five of all US based sports leagues.
Bowlen and his family paid $ 71 million to the Broncos to acquire a controlling interest in separate transactions ($ 51 million for 60.8 percent in 1984 and $ 20 million for the remaining 39.2 percent in 1985) and franchise is now valued at $ 2.6 billion in Forbes rankings.
Since Bowlen 's withdrawal from daily operations, he has entrusted the team' s control to the Bowlen Family Trust as chairman of the team and chief executive officer, Joe Ellis. one of the three directors, took over daily operations.
The trustees had the task, in the family trust, of choosing the next owner of the team, which Bowlen had hoped would be one of his children. However, in the past year, some family members in the Colorado District Court have challenged this plan as well as the trustees' oversight of Bowlen's estate.
Ellis has always said that he "would follow Pat's plan" and would choose one of Bowlen's children at "the right time", but the decision is still surrounded by a little doubt. Her daughter Brittany is considered Bowlen's main child candidate as she acquires more experience with the team.
"You've always wanted the best for him, you've always wanted to do your best for him," said Terrell Davis, a Hall of Fame member, who has won two Super Bowls with them. Broncos. "He is the biggest owner of all sports – it's a fact."
Pat Bowlen was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. He studied at Oklahoma University and worked in his father's oil and gas company before starting his own real estate business.
Bowlen's competitiveness often appears in the team's weight room during his daily workouts, where Smith said he would "challenge anyone on this Stairmaster". Bowlen, who rarely missed a training session, participated in the Ironman triathlon.
Bowlen's highlight might have been when he proclaimed "This One to John" while he was winning the Lombardi Trophy after Elway and the Broncos had defeated the Green Bay Packers at the Super Bowl. Bowl XXXII. Almost two decades later, after the Broncos had defeated the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl 50, Elway reciprocated, saying, "Well, I'll say it and he would not want me to say it, but this one is for Pat. "
Player after player, Bowlen visits him after an injury, when he arrived in a difficult time, it is a death in the family or an illness.
"But that's why he's been watching you in the good and the bad, and all in the middle," Smith said.
When cornerback Darrent Williams was murdered during a shootout at the beginning of the New Year in 2007, Bowlen covered funeral expenses and chartered a plane so that the entire team could travel to Fort. Worth, Texas, for funerals.
Bowlen's passion for the team and his entourage and even when he made a difficult decision was no more telling than when he sacked Mike Shanahan after the 2008 season. Bowlen and Shanahan appeared together at the conference Bowlen cried and Shanahan said, "Pat and I will be best friends forever."
Bowlen has served on 15 NFL committees, including the powerful Broadcasting Committee and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Dick Ebersol, the former head of NBC Sports, has called Bowlen one of the league's largest owners for Bowlen's support for international games, record-breaking television deals, and the likes of Bowl. also called the "father of Sunday Night Football".
Bowlen, though the Denver Broncos charities, donated more than $ 30 million to local charities, including funding for the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club, making the Broncos the only one of its kind. Professional franchise to fully fund a boys and girls club.
"He was always competitive and caring," Elway said. "I came to Colorado when he was a kid and he was part of my life most of my adult life, and even in difficult decisions he cared about everyone and he always kept those relationships with the people, he took care of those who surrounded him. "
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