Pat Bowlen

Patrick Dennis "Pat" Bowlen (born February 18, 1944) is the Majority Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos. The Bowlen Family, including his two brothers and sister, purchased the team from Edgar Kaiser in 1984 and saved the team from possible bankruptcy.

Early life
Bowlen was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the son of Arvella (née Woods) and Paul Dennis Bowlen, who became a millionaire in the Canadian oil business, founding Regent Drilling as a wildcatter. Bowlen attended the University of Oklahoma and earned degrees in business (1965) and law (1968). The younger Bowlen became wealthy in his own right by becoming a successful lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta. He also worked as an executive for his father's company and as a real estate developer and had major investments in the mining industry.

Bowlen is an initiated member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. He was initiated by the University of Oklahoma, Beta Omicron chapter in 1963. He is a member of the bar association and law society of Alberta, Canada. Bowlen is also one of the largest donors to the University of Denver.

Denver Broncos owner
Over the last several years, Bowlen and the Broncos have been involved in several legal battles against one-time owner Edgar Kaiser. In 2004, Bowlen agreed to sell retired football legend John Elway a 10% share in the team. However, Kaiser sued, claiming a breach of contract. Kaiser asserted that he had a right of first refusal if any deal is made involving franchise ownership. In 2004, a jury ruled in favor of Kaiser and a Federal judge decreed that Kaiser was entitled to purchase back 10 percent of the Broncos using the identical purchase terms offered to Elway. Bowlen appealed the original verdict that ruled in favor of Kaiser and won, as the appellate court ruled that the structure of the Bowlen-Elway deal did not violate the original right of first refusal agreement.

On December 30, 2008, Broncos head coach and Vice President of Football Operations Mike Shanahan was fired by Bowlen after a 14-year tenure as the head coach. Bowlen stated he wanted his team to go in a different direction. He undertook a search over two weeks and eventually chose Josh McDaniels who at the time was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, as the new head coach of the Broncos. Subsequently, after a losing streak in the 2010-11 season, McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Broncos. On February 12, 2009, Bowlen appointed Brian Xanders as the team's sole general manager and fired Jim Goodman and Jeff Goodman.

Within two weeks of the end of the 2010-11 regular season, Bowlen and the Broncos had hired former Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox to be their new head coach. Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox before the hiring, new front-office executive John Elway was mostly responsible for the hiring. Since late 2009, rumors have begun to emerge that Bowlen stepped out of the spotlight and is suffering from short-term memory loss. He told The Denver Post columnist Woody Paige that his memory wasn't what it used to be and that he couldn't recall details of the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s. For most of 2010, Bowlen was invisible. He no longer plays a major role in the Broncos' decision making; VP and CEO John Elway, President Joe Ellis, and General Manager Brian Xanders now have that control.

Colorado Crush ownership
Besides being owner and president of the Broncos, Bowlen was also part-owner of the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush. He shared ownership with Denver-based sports mogul Stan Kroenke and legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway. The Crush entered the AFL as an expansion franchise in 2003. After going through a 2-14 season in '03, the team soon became a perennial playoff contender and one of the league's top franchises. The Crush won the Arena Football Championship in 2005. Bowlen has won 3 championships as a football franchise owner; 2 Super Bowl titles with the Broncos in 1998 & 1999, and an Arena Football title in 2005 with the Crush.

Denver Outlaws ownership
In 2006 Major League Lacrosse decided to expand adding the Denver Outlaws to its league of teams. The Denver Outlaws have been the most winning franchise that Bowlen has ever owned boasting a regular season win percentage of .700 since their creation. The Outlaws have been to the Playoffs every year they have been in existence and advanced as far as the championship game 3 times (2006, 2008, 2009).