Pat Bowlen

 ( 1944 Births ) 

The younger Bowlen became wealthier by becoming a successful lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta. Bowlen also worked as an executive for his father's company and as a real estate developer and had major investments in the mining industry. During his business career in Edmonton his construction company, Batoni-Bowlen Enterprises, built the Northlands Coliseum, which would become home to the WHA/NHL's Edmonton Oilers for 42 years.

Bowlen was an initiated member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. Bowlen was initiated by the University of Oklahoma, Beta Omicron chapter in 1963. Bowlen received bar admission in 1969 and was a member of the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association.

From 1999 to 2008, Bowlen and the Broncos were involved in several legal battles against former owner Edgar Kaiser Jr. In 1998, Bowlen agreed to sell retired football legend John Elway a share in the team. When Bowlen let the existence of the offer slip out to Kaiser while both were at the 1999 Bohemian Grove, Kaiser sued, claiming a breach of contract. Kaiser asserted that he had the right of first refusal if any deal was made involving franchise ownership. In 2004, a jury ruled in favor of Kaiser and a federal judge decreed that Kaiser was entitled to purchase back 10% of the Broncos using the identical purchase terms offered to Elway. Bowlen appealed the original verdict that ruled in favor of Kaiser and won in 2008, as the appellate court ruled that the structure of the Bowlen-Elway deal did not violate the original right of first refusal agreement.

On December 30, 2008, Broncos head coach and vice president of football operations Mike Shanahan was fired by Bowlen after a 14-year tenure as the head coach. Bowlen stated he wanted his team to go in a different direction. Bowlen searched for a new head coach over a two-week period and eventually chose Josh McDaniels, who at the time was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Subsequently, after a losing streak in the 2010 season, McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Broncos. On February 12, 2009, Bowlen appointed Brian Xanders as the team's sole general manager and fired Jim and Jeff Goodman.

Within two weeks of the end of the 2010–11 regular season, Bowlen and the Broncos had hired former Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox to be their new head coach. Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox before the hiring, new front-office executive John Elway was mostly responsible for the hiring. By late 2009, rumors had begun to emerge that Bowlen had stepped out of the spotlight because of short-term memory loss. He told The Denver Post columnist Woody Paige that his memory wasn't what it used to be and that he couldn't recall details of the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s. Starting in 2010, Bowlen no longer played a major role in the Broncos' decision making, and Executive VP John Elway and President Joe Ellis assumed control. On July 23, 2014, due to complications with Alzheimer's disease, he officially relinquished control of the team to Joe Ellis.

On November 1, 2015, Bowlen was inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame, earning him a bronze plaque that stands on the south side of Empower Field at Mile High.

After Bowlen acquired the team in 1984, the Broncos briefly held the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the National Football League (334 wins, 212 losses, and 1 tie, for a .612 winning percentage), passing the San Francisco 49ers after the 2015 season. At the time of Bowlen's death, the New England Patriots had surpassed that figure.

• Inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (class of 2019)
• Three-time Super Bowl champion (as owner of the Denver Broncos)
• ArenaBowl XIX champion (as part owner of the Colorado Crush)
• Three-time Steinfeld Cup champion (as owner of the Denver Outlaws)
• Broncos Ring of Fame (class of 2015)
• Colorado Business Hall of Fame (class of 2015)