The quiet architect who built one of sports’ most successful franchises finally got a place of honor in his own house.
Pat Bowlen, longtime owner of the Broncos, was on Sunday night during a heartfelt halftime ceremony during the Green Bay Packers-Broncos game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. His plaque was unveiled on the facade at the 50-yard line on the west side of the stadium.
“I’ve always said, if I buy a home, the first picture that is going on the wall is mine,” Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe said. “So it’s past time for Mr. Bowlen. He initiated the Ring of Fame in 1984, and he’s just going in now?
“It just shows you the type of person he is. Mr. B never wanted the attention. He wanted his players and coaches to get the attention. He relished staying in the background. But you know what? I’d hope the football writers will put him in the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame where he belongs.”
An ongoing battle with , 71, from attending the ceremony. That didn’t prevent fans from showering him with a thunderous ovation.
Nearly 60 former players, many from the that brought Denver its first Super Bowl title, were on hand Sunday night.
“To have this many people here tonight tells you what they thought of him,” said Mike Shanahan, the former coach who was hired by Bowlen in 1995 and led the team to its two Super Bowl titles. “You don’t have that many players come back for a dedication unless the owner really meant something special to everyone on the football team.”
One of the first things Bowlen did when he bought the Broncos was to create the Ring of Fame. Sunday night, he became its 28th member.
After a video honoring Bowlen was shown, the Broncos’ four Hall of Fame members — Floyd Little, John Elway, Gary Zimmerman and Sharpe — presented Bowlen’s wife, Annabel, with Bowlen’s induction ring.
“Thank you, Broncos country!” Annabel said. “I am so humbled to accept this honor for my husband, Pat, as we celebrate everything he means to the Denver Broncos and the NFL.”
Bowlen’s teams had more Super Bowl appearances (six) than losing seasons (five) during his 32-year tenure as owner. During that span, the Broncos’ .614 winning percentage was the best in the NFL. Since 1984, the Broncos have the third-best winning percentage among major American professional sports teams, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers (.630) and the San Antonio Spurs (.627).
“Pat’s expectations as an owner were that he would have the best team, the best organization and that his stadium would be the best,” said linebacker Tom Jackson, a longtime ESPN analyst who was inducted into the Ring of Fame in 1992. “Mr. Bowlen spared nothing, including investing himself, to make this football team the best it could be.”
Yet what set Bowlen apart from other owners, his players say, was his personal touch.
“After I was done playing, I saw Mr. Bowlen at a party, and we were both drinking a bit. Not much, but a little bit,” Ring of Fame safety Steve Atwater recalled with a laugh. “Mr. Bowlen came up to me and told me how much he appreciated me and how much I meant to the organization.
“It’s funny that he said that to me, because that’s exactly how I felt about him. And I told him so. He’s an extremely generous man, and we love him to death.”
It wasn’t just the players and coaches who were touched by Bowlen’s common touch. Just ask Tim Mossbrucker, 19, of Littleton, who sat in a front row in the south stands Sunday night.
Mossbrucker’s father, Timothy Michael Mossbrucker, a sergeant with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed in the line of duty April 28, 1995. About 10 years ago, the younger Mossbrucker was attending a memorial service for fallen Colorado police officers. That’s when he met Bowlen, who was attending the ceremony along with former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey.
“He was so gracious,” Mossbrucker said. “He just loves to win. That’s what made him a great owner. But he’s also selfless. It was an honor to meet him that day.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or @psaundersdp
