Pat Bowlen

Full Name: Patrick Dennis Bowlen

Birthdate: Feb. 18, 1944

Birthplace: Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin                    

Died: June 13, 2019

High School: Campion Jesuit Catholic High School

Pat Bowlen Enshrinement Speech 2008

Presenter: Steve Antonopoulos

 

Pat Bowlen:

We’re ready baby, we’re ready. It’s gonna be a hell of a ball game today.

 

Narrator:

In 1984, a 40-year-old businessman named Pat Bowlen purchased the Denver Broncos. An organization he would build into one of the premiere franchises in football.

 

Steve Antonopoulos:

Mr. Bowlen was about football, football first, business second. He provided the stability our organization needed at that time.

 

Pat Bowlen:

Alright Sammy baby, alright.

 

Annabel Bowlen:

I didn’t understand the magnitude of what being an NFL owner Meant. And then I realized it when a kid in my class told me, that my dad was his hero and he wanted to grow up and be like him one day.

 

Narrator:

In the 1980s, John Elway led Bowlen’s Broncos to three Super Bowls in a four-year span.

 

Pat Bowlen:

Come on Johnny.

 

Narrator:

Only to come up agonizingly short each time.

 

Beth Bowlen Wallace:

The third Super Bowl was incredibly devastating for my dad,

 

Voice:

The Denver Broncos have lost their fourth Super Bowl.

 

Beth Bowlen Wallace:

But it’s probably the most profound lesson I’ve learned from my dad through my lifetime. Is that the losses and the challenges and the failures in life made him into the owner that he is.

 

Narrator:

But those heart brakes set the stage for Super Bowl XXXII, one of the most dramatic break throughs in NFL history.

 

Amie Klemmer:

I think the most memorable game for me would be the first super bowl win.

Brittany Bowlen:

I remember sitting in the stands, I was so short I couldn’t see the field. I knocked my brother and said put me on your shoulders.

 

Amie Klemmer:

I’ll never forget the play when John literally leaped into the end zone and got helicoptered as he was diving for the touchdown.

 

Pat Bowlen:

Come on Boys

 

Super Bowl Announcer:

In 38 years without a championship in football has come down to one play.

 

Patrick Bowlen:

No one expected us to win that game.

 

Super Bowl Announcer:

Blitz is on, Favre hit as he throws, pass is going to be incomplete. Denver holds, Denver is going to win it. Denver is going to win it. Are you kidding me, they have won Super Bowl XXXII.

 

Brittany Bowlen:

But I remember getting to the field and my dad is hosting the Lombardi trophy.

 

Pat Bowlen:

This one is for John.

 

Beth Bowlen Wallace:

And I just remember running around the field looking for him. And when I found him, and he saw me we both just had tears in our eyes and hugged. It’s an experience of a lifetime.

 

Steve Antonopoulos:

He came to the athletic training room and one of the things that he said is that Greek we gotta keep doing this, we gotta keep this up.

 

Narrator:

Denver followed that championship by rolling to a repeat title in Elway’s farewell campaign.

 

Johnny Bowlen

That was incredible for him, to see how happy he was, and how happy my mom was, is something I will never forget.

 

Voice

And Denver will become World Champions once again.

Annabel Bowlen

And I do remember the parade in Denver, and it was amazing.

 

Narrator:

Bowlen garnered respect across the franchise, the community and the league. And his contribution to the development of Sunday Night Football changed the landscape of both football and television. But in 2014 he would be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease relinquishing control of day to day team operations.

 

John Elway:

It will never be the same, it’s gonna be very hard to not see him walk through those front doors every day.

 

Christianna Bowlen:

He was so strong for me when he first got Alzheimer’s. My father in his entire life has showed so much courage. Courage to fight a disease that is never ending.

 

Narrator:

But his Alzheimer’s fight inspired his team on the way to Super Bowl 50.

 

Johnny Bowlen:

In my eyes we had to win another one while dad could remember it.

 

John Elway:

This one’s for Pat.

 

Johnny Bowlen:

I can remember coming into the locker room just crying with a lot of the staff that I’ve grown up with.

 

Christianna Bowlen:

To hand the Lombardi trophy to my dad was the most amazing experience because it was the first thing we were giving him excitement about in a while.

 

Narrator:

In Bowlen’s 35 years as owner, the Broncos won a league best 71 percent of their home games, seven AFC titles and three Super Bowls.

 

Brittany Bowlen

I was asking him about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what does mean dad, why is it such a big deal? And he said, “Brittany the Hall of Fame is only where legends go.” Means you were the greatest of all-time and he was a legend.

 

Annabel Bowlen

He has definitely set the bar for NFL owners.

Narrator:

He passed away at the age of 75, leaving behind a much-admired championship culture and a legacy that will endure for generations.

 

Christianna Bowlen:

My dad always wanted to be a winner and he definitely accomplished that.

 

Annabel Bowlen:

We all as a family want to keep the momentum and makes sure that we are doing exactly what he would’ve wanted.

 

Patrick Bowlen:

Dad I just wanted to say I am extremely proud of you. It’s finally your time.

 

Amie Klemmer:

I am very proud to be apart of this for your dad. This one is for you. You did it.

 

Steve Antonopoulos:

Mr. B this one’s for you. I am honored and privileged to present my friend, Pat Bowlen for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.