Pat Bowlen is a well-known businessman from the popular Bowlen family – the majority owner of the Denver Broncos. The Denver Broncos, which was founded in 1959 by Edgar Kaiser as an American Football League club, was bought by the Bowlen family for $78 million in 1984.
Pat was CEO of the franchise from 1984 to 2014 when he had to resign after his fight against Alzheimer’s disease. During his thirty years as CEO, Broncos recorded 307 wins with only five defeats, won the AFC title twice, and two Super Bowls.
What has become of the successful businessman, has he lost the fight against Alzheimer’s disease? Scroll to find answers.
Pat Bowlen Biography
Pat’s full name is Patrick Dennis Bowling. The renowned businessman was born on February 18, 1944, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the son of Arvella and Paul Dennis Bowlen. His father was also a well-known businessman in the Canadian oil business. The company is now run by Pat’s brother John.
Bowlen is a graduate of Campion Jesuit Catholic High School and the University of Oklahoma, where he earned degrees in business and law in 1965 and 1968. After graduating, Pat worked as an attorney in Edmonton, Alberta (he owned his own law firm) before becoming a senior executive in his father’s firm and then a real estate developer. He also invested heavily in the mining industry before starting his own business.
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Denver Broncos Ownership, Other Ventures
He became CEO of the Denver Broncos after buying it in 1984 from the original owner Edgar Kaiser for $78 million. The franchise was in a property dispute with the former owner of the club between 1999 and 2008.
In 1998, Bowlen resorted to selling a share of the team to John Elway (retired soccer legend) without telling Kaiser. When he (Kaiser) learned of this, he sued Pat and accused him of breach of contract on the grounds that he had every right to refuse any decision regarding ownership of the franchise.
A federal court ruled in his favor in 2004, stating that Kaiser had the right to buy back 10% of the team using the terms of the purchase offered to him. Bowlen appealed against this decision, filed an appeal, and won in 2008.
After Bowlen resigned as CEO of the Denver Broncos, Joe Ellis, who is the team’s top decision-maker for the time being, followed in his footsteps, piloted the team, and represented the Broncos at NFL meetings.
In addition to the Broncos, Pat Bowlen is co-owner of the Colorado Crush along with sports mogul Stan Kroenke and retired soccer legend John Elway. The Denver sports megastar is also co-owner of the professional men’s lacrosse field team The Denver Outlaws.
Pat Bowlen has been honored with so many awards, including Super Bowl Champion (three times), Broncos Ring of Fame (2015), Steinfeld Cup Champion (twice), ArenaBowl XIX Champion, and the Colorado Business Hall of Fame (2015).
For 19 years, he served as Honorary Chairman of the Colorado Special Olympics and was also the Honorary Chairman of the Stadium Stampede.
He was born Roman Catholic and is also a philanthropist. His charity group recently raised over $1 million for Catholic Capuchin services to the poor and homeless of Denver.
Is Pat Bowlen Dead?
No, Pat Bowlen is not dead. The owner of the Denver Broncos recently celebrated his 74th birthday.
Pat Bowlen’s Family – Wife, Daughters, And Sons
Bowlen has been married to Annabel Bowlen for over 35 years and together they have five children – two sons and three daughters, Patrick Bowlen III and John Bowlen Jr., Brittany, Annabel, and Christiana.
Pat’s children were actively involved with the Denver Broncos. His oldest son Patrick (named after him) was and still is the director of the team’s facilities.
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His second son John was the team’s former marketing staff working on the Sports Authority Field at Mile High. He seems to have resigned from this position and is currently pursuing other objectives. John was a defensive player at the University of San Diego but had to give up football due to injury. He has an MBA degree in sports and entertainment from the University of Denver.
Brittany worked as an economic analyst in the team’s finance department for ten months before leaving the team to pursue a master’s degree at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame. Annabel was a student at the University of Colorado Denver, not much is known about his youngest daughter Christianna.
Pat has two other daughters (Jane Elizabeth “Beth” Bowlen Wallace and Amie Bowlen Klemmer) from his marriage to Sally Parker.
Jane was the team leader for special projects and events before she left the team to study law at the University of Denver. His second daughter with Parker. Amie Bowlen Klemmer lives in Hawaii.
