Longtime Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen passed away Thursday at age 75 following a protracted struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Peyton Manning shared that Bowlen’s drive to win convinced him to register with Denver after his period Indianapolis ended. Manning expressed his gratitude to the late owner in a statement issued Saturday.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the entire Bowlen family,” Manning said. “I met Mr. Bowlen for the first time once I played the Indianapolis Colts and I was over in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl if he was there in his eponymous home. I saw him several times throughout the years and had brief, short conversations with him that I really enjoyed.
“Coming to perform for Denver, even though his health was falling, I did like a couple of conversations with Mr. Bowlen. I was here a lot in the offseason. The moment I signed with the Broncos, I was basically living in the facility — studying movie, rehabbing and exercising. I was usually one of the last to leave the facility during that time. I say,’I thought I had been the last to leave,’ but Mr. Bowlen was there. He would normally be in the practice room on the elliptical, and I would go in there and have discussions with him. He had been asking me when we found a place to live yet, and I remember once I informed him we found a place to live, he said he used to live right near there, and we spoke a little about that. Just short, brief conversations, and I enjoyed that time with him.
“It was an honour to perform Mr. Bowlen’s organization, as I’ve said numerous times. I always had great respect for the Denver Broncos during my time playing with the Colts competing against his or her organization. So much of the credit goes to Pat Bowlen and his wish to be the best and to triumph. That had a lot to do with me signing up with the Denver Broncos — which I knew Mr. Bowlen was all about winning and I knew the people he had hired could carry on that heritage and heritage. It was a great choice to come play here — we live here now. I’m grateful for Mr. Bowlen and the legacy He’s created with the Broncos, in the NFL and surely in this Denver community. Many will miss him. It was an honor to understand Mr. Bowlen and also a real joy to have played for his group — the Denver Broncos.”
Bowlen will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame together with the 2019 course this August in Canton, Ohio.
Read more here: http://www.fortoli.cn/?p=22335