Early this morning, the Denver Post reported that Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has resigned from his position to fight Alzheimer's disease. In his 30 years of ownership the Broncos have been to six Super Bowls and won two of them.
Bowlen purchased the Broncos in 1984 from Edgar Kaiser, Jr. and saved the team from bankruptcy. Under his ownership the Broncos have won over 300 games in 30 years, as he's considered one of the most successful owners in NFL history thus far through his tenure. However, on Wednesday he relinquished control of the Broncos and handed over duties to team president Joe Ellis, who began his career with Denver in 1983.
In 2009, Bowlen told the Denver Post that he was experiencing short-term memory loss, but it wasn't until yesterday that he acknowledged he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease - a form of dementia that affects over five million Americans. Although Ellis will handle ownership duties until further notice, Bowlen has no interest to sell the team and plans to insert one of his seven children as the owner when they're prepared to handle the responsibility.
"Going forward, Pat Bowlen's indelible contributions to the Broncos, the NFL and this community will continue to define his three decades of ownership and serve as the standard he has set for his franchise," the NFL said in a statement to The Denver Post, via this ESPN article. "His work on various league committees has helped the NFL achieve unprecedented prosperity, and his philanthropic generosity has had a positive impact on so many throughout the Rocky Mountain Region."
The Broncos reached their sixth Super Bowl last season, but were pummeled by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In the offseason the team has made a number of moves to bolster the roster, including the signings of defensive end DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J. Ward, and cornerback Aqib Talib in free agency. They're expected to remain atop the AFC with Peyton Manning under center along with a number of returning veterans.
But the absence of Bowlen will likely affect the team in some way, hopefully for the better, as he's been an influential figure for the past 30 years. The team faced a similar issue last year when head coach John Fox suffered a heart episode and needed an operation that forced him to miss over a month of action, and the team still managed to reach the Super Bowl. Mr. Bowlen will certainly be on the minds of the Denver Broncos players this year.
"The Broncos are very saddened that Mr. Bowlen is no longer able to be part of the team's daily operations due to his condition. We continue to offer our full support, compassion and respect to 'Mr. B,' who has faced Alzheimer's disease with such dignity and strength," the Broncos said in a statement, in this CBS Sports article. "As Mr. Bowlen focuses on his health, the Broncos have announced changes to their leadership structure that will ensure the long-term stability of the franchise."
