Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen dies at 75
ENGLEWOOD — 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.
In a statement posted on the Broncos’ website, Bowlen’s family said he died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. They did not specify a cause of death. Bowlen had battled Alzheimer’s for several years.
– See a full archive of Pat Bowlen coverage.
Bowlen was the first owner in NFL history to oversee a team that won 300 games — including playoffs — 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.
Under his stewardship, the Broncos won Super Bowls in 1998, ’99 and 2016.
Following their 31-24 victory over Green Bay for the franchise’s first championship, Bowlen famously hollered, “This one’s for John!” Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway called it the greatest moment of his playing career.
Elway the executive returned the favor on Feb. 7, 2016, when he jabbed the silver Lombardi Trophy into the sky after Denver’s 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50 and declared, “This one’s for Pat.”
That came 18 months after Alzheimer’s forced Bowlen to step down from his daily duties running the team.
“I’m just glad I had the opportunity,” Elway told The Associated Press in the victorious locker room that night. “I didn’t want to think about it too much because I didn’t 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’ll take that trophy over to Pat next week and let him cherish it.”
Elway delivered the prize to Bowlen’s 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.
Super Bowl 50 was the Broncos’ eighth trip to the big game, seven under Bowlen’s watch, and all of those with Elway’s help — first as his QB and then as his GM.
Bowlen’s wife, Annabel, who recently announced that she, too, is battling Alzheimer’s, and their children were on hand to accept the Lombardi Trophy on his behalf in Santa Clara, California.
“His soul will live on through the Broncos, the city of Denver and all of our fans,” Bowlen’s family said in their statement Thursday night. “Heaven got a little bit more orange and blue tonight.”
During his 35 seasons as owner, Bowlen’s teams compiled a .596 winning percentage — 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.
Bowlen relished working behind the scenes and shied away from the spotlight. In the words of former coach Mike Shanahan, “Pat just wanted to be one of the guys.”
“That’s why I think he was so beloved by so many people, including myself,” Shanahan said. “And 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 — I should say every penny he had — 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.”
Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said: “Most guys would tell you that played for him or worked for him that he was not only our owner, but he was your friend.”
Bowlen served as a sounding board for NFL Commissioners Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell. He was crucial to the league’s growth as a member of 15 NFL committees, including co-chairing the NFL Management Council and working on network TV contracts, including the league’s ground-breaking $18 billion deal in 1998.
“Pat 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,” Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. “With 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.”
Bowlen had a deep appreciation for his players, whether or not they were stars, and it’s not unusual to see ex-Broncos watching practice.
“When I retired, Mr. B. told me I was welcome anytime at team headquarters,” said Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. “He said I didn’t need a pass, either: ‘Your face is your credential.'”
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 “What would Pat do?” sort of way.
Although daughter Brittany is hoping to one day take over the team, the succession plan and the trustees’ oversight of Bowlen’s estate has been challenged in state district court in the last year by some members of the Bowlen family.
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.
“Pat Bowlen was the heart and soul of the Denver Broncos,” Ellis said. “Not only was Pat a Hall of Fame owner — he was a Hall of Fame person.”
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.
It was evident in his dislike for Peyton Manning when the quarterback played for Indianapolis before joining the Broncos in 2012.
“I get it, and I respect that,” 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.
“If there was a way for him to compete against what he’s going through,” former defensive end Alfred Williams said a couple of summers ago, “he’d beat that damn disease every time.”
Bowlen is survived by his wife, Annabel, and seven children: Amie, Beth, Patrick, Johnny, Brittany, Annabel and Christianna.
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen stands on the sidelines late in the fourth quarter of Denver’s first home game against the New York Jets.–PHOTO BY MARK REIS 9/1/96
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen watches as the Broncos warm up before game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Denver on Dec. 2, 2012.
President Clinton, left, and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen hold the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a ceremony June 16, 1998, at the White House where the president honored the Super Bowl XXXII champions. Bowlen died Thursday at 75.
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen looks on prior to the start of a 2010 game between the St. Louis Rams and the Denver Broncos in Denver. Since his death in 2019, ownership of the franchise he built into a Super Bowl contender has been in question.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions, died last week at age 75.
{div class=”photo__credit”}Terrell Davis stands with Pat Bowlen and John Elway after winning the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets at Mile High
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen watches from the sideline as his team loses to the 49ers on Dec. 15, 1997. Jay Janner/The Gazette 12/15/97
Owner Pat Bowlen smile smugly while puffing on cigar in the locker room after his team won the world championship. photo by Jay Janner
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who now has Alzheimer’s, announces he has fired coach Wade Phillips, during a news conference at the team’s headquarters on Dec. 29, 1994.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame during halftime on Nov. 1, 2015, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen shows a helmet with the team’s new logo on it during a news conference at team’s headquarters in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1997, where the Broncos introduced their new logo and uniforms. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Former Denver Broncos offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman, left, stands next to his bronze bust with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and former Broncos quarterback, Hall of Famer John Elway, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 2, 2008 in Canton, Ohio.
Annabelle Bowlen, left, wife of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, holds up the Lombardi Trophy while her mother, Joan Spencer, looks on at a rally following a parade through downtown Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016 in Denver. Fans crowded into Denver’s downtown to salute the Broncos for the team’s victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen during pregame drills Sunday, September 18, 2005 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Mark Reis photo
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen on the sidelines before Denver’s 52-20 win over the Eagles Sunday, September 29, 2013 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
FILE – This is a Sept. 29, 2013 file photo showing Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen looking on during an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Denver. Former Denver Broncos’ John Elway wants nothing more than to return the favor to team owner Pat Bowlen and hand him a Lombardi Trophy. Eighteen years ago, Bowlen declared, “This one’s for John!” following Denver’s first Super Bowl victory. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
Team owner Pat Bowlen during the Denver Broncos and the St. Louis Rams game at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006. Denver lost 18-10. The Gazette, Bryan Oller
Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, right, gather for a photo during an NFL football news conference at the team’s headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, in Englewood, Colo., where Elway was named the team’s executive vice president of football operations. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski)
John Elway hoists the trophy after the Broncos 26-16 win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday, January 19, 2014 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. At right is Broncos owner Pat Bowlen. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen fights back tears as he talks about retiring quarterback John Elway during a news conference announcing the retirement on Sunday May 2, 1999, in Englewood, Colorado. Jay Janner/The Gazette
Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, right, holds on to the Lombardi Trophy as he prepares to step out of the Colorado Rockies dugout to take part in a pre-game ceremony to honor the Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos on Wednesday, June 3, 1998, in Denver’s Coors Field. The Rockies staged the celebration before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
John Elway, Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations, pauses while talking to the media during a news conference announcing that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is giving up control of the team because of Alzheimer’s disease, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at the teams headquarters in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen watches his players warm up before the game against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Nov. 1, 1998. Jay Janner/The Gazette 11/1/98
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Invesco Field At Mile High. Mark Reis photo
John Fox, right, the new head football coach of the NFL team Denver Broncos, poses for a photo with owner Pat Bowlen , center, and John Elway, Executive V.P. of football operations, at the teams headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski)
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame during halftime Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
John Elway hugs owner Pat Bowlen after the Broncos beat the Jets to win the AFC Championship. Jay Janner/The Gazette 1/17/99
Mike Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen leave the field arm-in-arm following the Broncos’ 27-0 shutout of the LA Raiders Monday night. Reis photo
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen watches the team warm up before their win over the Browns Sunday, September 20, 2009 at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Gazette, Mark Reis
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen watches his team warm up for the Jets on 10/3/1999. Jay Janner/The Gazette