"This one's for Pat"
By Michael Salavati
As promised, I wanted to follow up my Pat #Bowlen tribute this special weekend with a condensed list of accomplishments demonstrating his greatness not only to the Denver #Broncos organization and fans, but also to the +NFL. As mentioned in my previous post, Mr. Bowlen, the owner of our beloved #Broncos for 31 Years & counting is battling Alzheimer’s disease and as a result will not be able to attend this Sunday night’s halftime festivities in his honor. If you are not aware, he is being inducted into the #Broncos Ring of Fame. His wife will represent him in lieu of his absence.
Here is a list of some of the accomplishments that make Mr. #Bowlen a truly special owner in all of sports:
1. In 31 years of owning the Denver #Broncos , he has overseen 6 Super Bowl appearances. No other single +NFL owner has more #SuperBowl appearances.
2. As mentioned above, Mr. Bowlen has an unprecedented 6 SB appearances by his teams. But what makes that even more extraordinary is the fact that he has 1 more SB appearance than losing seasons in that span! Only 5 losing season in 3 decades compared to 6 SBs is yet another +NFL standalone accomplishment.
3. His teams have qualified for the Playoffs 17 times.
4. Ever since he bought the Denver #Broncos in 1984, His winning percentage is an incredible .609
- His 301 wins to 193 losses in that span is an +NFL best. No other owner of a team in the 300 plus club has a better win percentage than Pat Bowlen.
5. Just to let that sink in, he has produced a ball club with a winning record 84% of the time in his tenure.
6. All of the above stats would be enough to see why he has been so special. However his true greatness and what makes him so unique is the combination of what he has meant to the #Broncos and his immense contributions and what he has meant to the +NFL and its current status as the undisputed king of all American sports.
7. Aided by his vision and fresh perspective, the +NFL added FOX to its TV line-up and forever changed the TV revenue intake into the stratosphere. The +NFL TV revenue in 1989 was $473 Million. In 2015, that number stands at an astounding $5 Billion per year!
8. He also had a huge hand in the boom of new +NFL stadium venues including the #Broncos own new stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High, unveiled in 2001. This too represents a large increase to the overall revenue for the league.
9. He also is credited with a hands-on role in building a relationship of trust and respect between +NFL owners and the Players union back at a time when that relationship was cold & broken.
10. Last but not least he also played a big role in the attempt of globalization of the +NFL. Those of us who have been fans of the #Broncos for a long time all remember the multiple pre-season games played by the #Broncos abroad. None more memorable than the one in Tokyo which gave birth to the legend of RB Terrell Davis. Do you remember that hit he put on a special teams play that put him on the map?
These are some of the reasons why this man is being honored this Sunday, November 1st 2015 during the half time of the #SNF matchup between the Denver #Broncos and the Green Bay #Packers . During which the 1997 Super Bowl winning team will also be honored. Many of the players and coaches of that team, including Mike Shanahan, will be present. It should be a great and emotional evening. Let’s go #Broncos .
- Michael Salavati
#GBvsDEN
#BroncosCountry
#DenverBroncosAficionado
