BOWLEN AND BAILEY ENTER HALL OF FAME
Beloved owner Mr. B enshrined along with CB Champ Bailey
Less than two months after his death due to Alzheimer’s, late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen joined his sport’s immortality here Saturday night with his posthumous induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
To the delight of his family and friends, Bowlen was joined in the spotlight by one of his favorite players, cornerback Champ Bailey, who was elected in his first year of eligibility.
A six-minute, 47-second video presentation preceded director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos and six of Bowlen’s seven children taking the stage. Amie Klemmer, Beth Bowlen Wallace, and Patrick, Brittany, Annabel and Christanna Bowlen, each grabbed the cloth to unveil their father’s bronze bust.
Bowlen became the 16th team founder or owner to be inducted, joining contemporaries Lamar Hunt (Kansas City), Jerry Jones (Dallas), Wellington Mara (New York Giants), Eddie Debartolo (San Francisco), Ralph Wilson (Buffalo), Al Davis (Oakland) and Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh).
“When my father gave his first press conference (in 1984), he said he was not getting into ownership for ‘selfgratification,’” Wallace told The Denver Post after the ceremony. “While he
may have shied away from this attention, seeing our father go into the Hall of Fame was incredibly gratifying for our family. It was emotional, but we know he was watching from a front-row seat in heaven.”
Two hours later, Bailey had his bust unveiled alongside friend/ agent Jack Reale. A first-ballot selection, Bailey’s 12 Pro Bowl nods are most-ever by a cornerback.
“The best thing in my career came in 2004,” Bailey said during his 30-minute, 34-second speech. “I was traded to the Denver Broncos.”
Three current Broncos players — outside linebacker Von Miller, cornerback Chris Harris and kicker Brandon Mcmanus — traveled from Denver for the ceremony.
Antonopulos, who was with the franchise for the entirety of Bowlen’s ownership tenure, was selected by Bowlen’s kids this spring to present him for induction.
Bowlen was honored fourth among the eight inductees. In the video, Antonopulos and all seven Bowlen children provided memories.
“Mr. Bowlen was about football — football first, business second,” Antonopulos said. “He provided the stability our organization needed at the time.”
The video detailed Bowlen’s three Super Bowl losses before the team’s great triumphs — backto-back titles in quarterback John Elway’s final two seasons.
“I remember running around the field (in San Diego) looking for him and when I found him, we both had tears in our eyes and hugged,” Wallace said. “It was an experience of a lifetime.”
Antonopulos said that in the post-game locker room, Bowlen told him, “Greek, we have to keep doing this. We have to keep this up.”
The Broncos did, repeating as champions.
“I was asking him about the Pro Football Hall of Fame — ‘What does it mean, Dad? Why is it such a big deal?’” Brittany Bowlen said on the video. “He said, ‘Brittany, the Hall of Fame is only where legends go; it means you were the greatest of all time.’ He was a legend. He has definitely set the bar for NFL owners.”
Antonopulos wrapped up the video by looking up with a point of the finger and saying, “Mr. B, this one’s for you.”
After the unveiling, Patrick Bowlen leaned over to kiss the bust and the kids and Antonopulos were greeted by the Broncos Hall of Famers, including Bailey.
Bailey became the first defensive player in Broncos history to enter the Hall of Fame.
“I salute my Broncos fans. Every single home game, I could feel your energy, even in San Diego — you would make it feel like a home game,” he said. “I cannot overstate how grateful I am to be a part of the Broncos family. I will always consider Denver my home.”
Bailey’s speech was chronological in nature, starting with growing up in Folkston, Ga., through his college career as a two-way player at Georgia and his NFL career with the Redskins and Broncos.
Bailey paused to collect himself while pointing out his father.
“Wedidn’thavemuchgrowing up, but he would give us his last dollar if it meant feeding his kids; I love you for that,” Bailey said.
Bailey acknowledged dozens of former coaches and players during his address, crediting them for shaping him.
“There are so many things the game simply gives you that the real world doesn’t, like team work, accountability, discipline, perseverance just to name a few things,” Bailey said. “The game helped shape the man I am today, learning from a lot of great coaches and teammates.”
Attending the ceremony were former Broncos Super Bowl-winning coaches Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak.
Bowlen and Bailey grew close upon Bailey’s trade to the Broncos in 2004.
“Simply put, Mr. B was a great man and a great leader,” Bailey said. “He’ll forever be my teammate.”