DENVER-
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen arrived fashionably late, hoping to sneak in without too much fanfare.
He just picked the wrong moment. Bowlen, one of six inductees into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, showed up right after former Broncos quarterback John Elway.
The cameras quickly panned from Elway to Bowlen as Bowlen descended the escalator. But the ever humble Bowlen didn’t have much to say on his behalf.
“It’s a huge honor,” Bowlen said of the induction. “To get into the Colorado Hall of Fame is the ultimate, basically.”
Also inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday night were Rockies star Andres Galarraga, former NBA player Scott Wedman, tennis player Carol Baily, basketball and football referee Ben Dreith and skier Hank Kashiwa.
Elway couldn’t lavish enough praise on Bowlen, who’s been owner of the Broncos since 1984. Elway played all but one season under Bowlen, winning Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998.
“It’s nice to see him get some recognition for all the great things he’s done,” said Elway, who showed up to support Bowlen. “He provides a player with everything you want to win championships. I feel so fortunate to have played for him.”
And now Elway’s learning something else from Bowlen—how to be a successful owner. Elway and Bowlen are co-owners of the Colorado Crush, an Arena Football League team. The pair led the Crush to an AFL championship in 2005.
“He’s done a heck of a job,” Elway said. “I feel so fortunate to have played for him and be a partner with him.”
Galarraga, part of the Blake Street Bombers, came in for the ceremony with his family from West Palm Beach, Fla.
“There’s no words to say how happy (I am),” Galarraga said.
Galarraga resurrected his career in his five-year stint with Colorado. The “Big Cat” led the National League in batting in 1993, the Rockies’ first season in Denver. He also led the majors in home runs (47) and RBIs (150) in 1996. He helped Colorado to its first and only postseason appearance in 1995.
“Great times here,” Galarraga said. “Playing here for five years, (they were) the best years of my career in baseball.”
But he’s puzzled by one thing—the humidor, which keeps the baseballs nice and damp at Coors Field. It’s turning a hitter’s paradise into a place where pitchers now have a chance.
“I can’t believe it,” Galarraga said with a grin. “I can’t.”
Wedman was the sixth overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft out of the University of Colorado. He won two championships (1984 and ’86) with the Boston Celtics.
“The thing I remember most about Boston was that everything from top to bottom in that organization was to support the tradition and to support winning,” Wedman said. “It was kind of an unspoken code there that you did whatever it took to make the team better and to win a championship.”
Baily appeared in the Australian and U.S. Opens and was once ranked 51st in the world in singles in 1980. Dreith officiated two Super Bowls and eight NFL championship games. Kashiwa won the U.S. national ski championships in 1969 and also competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics for the U.S.
After arriving late to the banquet, Bowlen was whisked away to do a quick radio interview. Bowlen listened in as Denver cornerback Domonique Foxworth wrapped up his interview, talking about what the owner meant to him.
Bowlen patted Foxworth on the back after Foxworth finished up.
“He’s the class of the NFL,” Foxworth said. “I think this organization is the class of the NFL. He sets the example and we all follow it.”
