USA Today Sports
Pat Bowlen has owned the Broncos for 30 years, and the Broncos are in the Super Bowl for the sixth time under his watch. Sunday is an opportunity for him to get his third Super Bowl as the Broncos owner.
This feat is incredible, isn’t it?
It’s something sports owners envy, especially NFL owners who love to win a championship in the most profitable league of all professional sports.
This Super Bowl has to be sweet for Bowlen after he saw his franchise go through some lean years after John Elway’s retirement in 1999. It’s ironic his former quarterback helped his franchise back to the Super Bowl as an executive.
Bowlen had to wonder if his Super Bowl opportunity passed him by over the years. Mike Shanahan never was the same football coach when Elway retired, and Josh McDaniels never became the great coach the Broncos owner envisioned. It’s been 15 years. That’s a long wait no matter what, especially when an owner has been used to success.
The Broncos owner has nothing to apologize if his team never went to the Super Bowl again. He already accomplished a lot as an owner to put him in the Hall of Fame. Still, the drive of going to the Super Bowl never goes away even if he has been there for six times. The experience makes the drive even stronger.
Give Bowlen this. He is not in it to make a profit. He is not in it because it’s cool to own a NFL franchise. There always has been competitive fire in him whenever he gave interviews and all.
This is an owner that appreciates the Broncos history. This is an owner who will spend to put a winning product on the field. This is an owner that takes winning seriously.
He certainly did not have success by accident.
Bowlen wasn’t perfect, but he also was decisive in correcting his mistakes. He could have kept Shanahan for life after winning two Super Bowls, but once he figured out the Broncos were going through a malaise under the two-time winning Super Bowl coach, he decided it was time for a change. He felt the Broncos had to do something different. He felt the Broncos have to make a change to get back to excellence.
Bowlen could have stayed the course and let McDaniels learn on the job after two struggling years, but he knew the coach wasn’t getting better. He thought the guy was overmatched to the point he wasn’t going to succeed with the Broncos fanbase being against him. He decided to fire him rather than show he made the right choice of keeping him.
The Broncos owner took a chance on Elway. He had a good feeling on the Broncos quarterback based on his success as an AFL owner. He knew the Hall of Fame quarterback put in the time to know how to run a football franchise. It has worked out well based on three playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance under Elway.
This is also why this Super Bowl appearance is special for Bowlen. The fact his friend helped his franchise back on track and getting back to the Super Bowl makes it that much rewarding. The Broncos owner always had an affinity for Elway for what he has meant to him as a player.
Bowlen hasn’t expressed what this Super Bowl appearance meant to him. He hasn’t spoken to the media in a long time. Being that he is 69 years old, he does not feel the need to have the spotlight on him. He has had his day with the media. He feels the spotlight should be on Elway now being that he is the symbol of the Broncos franchise.
There’s no question Bowlen is enjoying this. He should. He knows he is not going to be owning a NFL franchise forever. He will own them for another 10 years, but he knows Super Bowls appearance is hard to come by.
It would be neat if Elway would scream “THIS ONE’S FOR PAT!” if the Broncos win the Super Bowl after the Broncos owner showed faith in his executive in turning this franchise around. It would be fitting after Bowlen screamed “THIS ONE’S FOR JOHN” in 1998 after the Broncos quarterback fell short of winning a championship three times in the Super Bowl.
This Super Bowl appearance should be a tribute to Bowlen’s 30 years as Broncos owner.
He earned this moment.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
