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Longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen passed away late last week. The family held a ceremony open to the public at Broncos Stadium at Mile High Tuesday, and thousands of people turned out for the event. Attendees were greeted by team CEO Joe Ellis, and then led through a museum-like set of memorabilia that Bowlen had collected.
Bowlen's family then addressed the crowd, and expressed their gratitude for all the support.
“It’s been very comforting,” said Beth Bowlen Wallace, per Mike Klis of Denver 9 News. “It’s been an overwhelming time emotionally for all of us, but to see the fans and to see the players and the staff that have come through has brought great comfort because we realize, which we already did, it just solidifies how much my father meant to this community. It’s mirrored back to them how much this community meant to my father.”
Brittany Bowlen, assumed by many to be the future heir to the team, also spoke.
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“He’d be incredibly overwhelmed by all of the support and love,” she said. “And there would definitely be a small part of him that would be like, ‘What the heck?’ It’s pretty astonishing to see all of these artifacts and things that were important to him in life and meet all of these people that truly loved him. I think he’d be really incredibly overwhelmed by the support. I think it would be moving for him.”
There's been a lot of tension among members of the Bowlen family over the past year, with numerous children competing for influence in the team's affairs, so it's nice to see them all coming together here.
The ownership of the team will get itself sorted out, and for now honoring Bowlen's memory is the most important thing. The team has also announced plans to wear orange “Mr. B” decals on their helmets this season.
