 Bowlen in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1944-02-18)February 18, 1944 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 2019(2019-06-13) (aged 75) Englewood, Colorado, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Campion Jesuit (Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin) |
| College | Oklahoma |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Patrick Dennis Bowlen (February 18, 1944 – June 13, 2019) was an American lawyer, executive and the majority owner of theDenver Broncos of theNational Football League (NFL), winning three Super Bowls. He was inducted in thePro Football Hall of Fame for the class of 2019. Bowlen owned other professional sports franchises in the Colorado region. Bowlen served as the Broncos CEO from 1984 until July 2014, when he stepped down as Broncos' CEO due to the onset and progression ofAlzheimer's disease.[1]
Bowlen was born inPrairie du Chien, Wisconsin to American mother Arvella (née Woods) and Canadian father Paul Dennis Bowlen, who became a millionaire in the Canadian oil business, founding Regent Drilling as awildcatter.[2][3] The oil company is now owned by his brother John.[4] Bowlen was Catholic[5] and spent his childhood inAlberta.[6] He then attendedCampion High School, a Catholic Jesuit boarding school[7] in his nativeWisconsin. Bowlen later earned degrees in business (1965) and law (1968) from theUniversity of Oklahoma. During his time at Oklahoma he played for theOklahoma Sooners freshmanfootball team as awide receiver,[8] as well as for theEdmonton Huskies junior football team, where he was part of threeCanadian Junior Football LeagueChampionship teams from 1962 to 1964.[9]
The younger Bowlen became wealthier by becoming a successful lawyer inEdmonton, 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 inEdmonton his construction company, Batoni-Bowlen Enterprises, built theNorthlands Coliseum, which would become home to the WHA/NHL'sEdmonton Oilers for 42 years.
Bowlen was an initiated member of thePi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. Bowlen was initiated by the University of Oklahoma, Beta Omicron chapter in 1963. Bowlen receivedbar admission in 1969 and was a member of theLaw Society of Alberta and theCanadian Bar Association.[citation needed]
Bowlen bought a majority interest in the Denver Broncos of the National Football League in March 1984 from Vancouver industrialistEdgar Kaiser Jr.[2] The purchase price was said to be $70 million, making the Broncos the highest-priced franchise in the league at the time.[10]
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 legendJohn Elway a share in the team.[11] When Bowlen let the existence of the offer slip out to Kaiser while both were at the 1999Bohemian Grove,[12] 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.[13]
On December 30, 2008, Broncos head coach and vice president of football operationsMike 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 choseJosh McDaniels, who at the time was the offensive coordinator of theNew England Patriots. Subsequently, after a losing streak in the 2010 season, McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Broncos.[14] 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 formerCarolina Panthers' coachJohn Fox to be their new head coach. Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox before the hiring, new front-office executiveJohn 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.[15] He toldThe Denver Post columnistWoody 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 withAlzheimer's disease, he officially relinquished control of the team toJoe Ellis.[16]
On November 1, 2015, Bowlen was inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame, earning him a bronze plaque that stands on the south side ofEmpower Field at Mile High.[17]
After Bowlen acquired the team in 1984, the Broncos briefly held the highest winning percentage of any franchise in theNational Football League (334 wins, 212 losses, and 1 tie, for a .612 winning percentage), passing theSan Francisco 49ers after the 2015 season. At the time of Bowlen's death, theNew England Patriots had surpassed that figure.[18]
Besides being owner and CEO of the Broncos, Bowlen was also part-owner of theArena Football League'sColorado Crush. He shared ownership with Denver-based sports mogulStan Kroenke and legendary Broncos quarterbackJohn Elway. The Crush entered the AFL as an expansion franchise in 2003. After going through a 2–14 season in 2003, the team became a perennial playoff contender and one of the league's top franchises. The Crush won the Arena Football League Championship in 2005.
In 2006,Major League Lacrosse decided to expand adding theDenver Outlaws to its league of teams. The Denver Outlaws have been the most winning franchise that Bowlen has ever owned, boasting a regular-season win percentage of 69.0% since their creation. The Outlaws have been to the playoffs every year of their existence except one (2015) and advanced to the championship game eight times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018), winning the championship in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Bowlen was a member of theUniversity of Denver Board of Trustees and contributed to the funding of the Pat Bowlen Athletic Training Center located on the school's campus.[19] He also contributed significantly to the localDenverBoys & Girls Club chapters.[20]
On June 13, 2019, Bowlen died of apulmonary embolism.[8][21] Under terms set prior to Bowlen's death, Joe Ellis led a three-person trust representing his estate. Bowlen's intent was for his seven children to inherit the franchise, though he did not specify which of them would have first right.[22]
His father, Paul, was Canadian. [...] In 1983, the American-born, Canadian tycoon decided he had enough money. After examining ownership opportunities in the NHL and Canadian Football League, Bowlen bought the Broncos from Edgar Kaiser for about $70 million.