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Myers: Broncos trying to win Super Bowl 50 for Pat Bowlen

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Broncos owner Pat Bowlen (l.) once dedicates Super Bowl win to John Elway (r., with MVP Terrell Davis, c.) and now Denver will be trying to win one for him.Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen (l.) once dedicates Super Bowl win to John Elway (r., with MVP Terrell Davis, c.) and now Denver will be trying to win one for him.

After losing his first three Super Bowls, and not coming close in any of them, John Elway finally broke through and won his first championship against Brett Favre and the Packers in a big upset 18 years ago.

The victory produced one of the most memorable post-game moments in Super Bowl history.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen lifted the Lombardi Trophy high above his head on the podium that was set up in the middle of the field. Elway was standing to his left.

“There’s only one thing I want to say here tonight. It’s only four words,” Bowlen said. “This one’s for John.”

He then handed Elway the Lombardi Trophy.

If the Broncos are able to upset the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara on Feb. 7, it would be appropriate for Elway to return the favor, hold up the trophy and declare, “This one’s for Pat.”

Bowlen, who will be 72 years old 11 days after the game, acknowledged in the summer of 2014 he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He relinquished control of the team to the Pat Bowlen Trust, which is run by three non-family members. Bowlen first revealed to the Denver Post in 2009 that he was experiencing short-term memory loss. He has not been able to attend a game since the Broncos’ divisional round loss to the Colts last year.

The day-to-day operations of the Broncos are handled by team president and CEO Joe Ellis, who has been Bowlen’s long-time right-hand man. Bowlen and Ellis hired Elway in 2011 to run the football operation and Elway’s most significant personnel move was signing Peyton Manning a few months later. Bowlen, who has seven children, has made plans for the team to be kept in the family. Bowlen’s mother died from Alzheimer’s in 2006.

Bowlen is resting comfortably at home and is frequently visited by members of the Broncos organization as well as guests from out of town. Elway and Ellis stop by all the time. Prior to the Broncos’ divisional playoff game against Pittsburgh on Jan. 17, Roger Goodell dropped by to see Bowlen. After the victory over New England, the Lamar Hunt Trophy was presented to Bowlen’s wife Annabel, who has been active in the Denver Alzheimer’s community.

Annabel Bowlen, wife of Pat, speaks on behalf of her husband during his Broncos' Ring of Honor induction at halftime of a game vs. the Packers back in November.Joe Mahoney/AP

Annabel Bowlen, wife of Pat, speaks on behalf of her husband during his Broncos’ Ring of Honor induction at halftime of a game vs. the Packers back in November.

“In my time around the league, he has been one of the most influential owners we’ve had,” Giants co-owner John Mara told the Daily News. “He served on some of the most important committees in the league.

He’s also one of the good guys in the league. I can’t think of anybody who doesn’t like him. It’s a shame that he hasn’t been able to enjoy the success that his team has had over the last few years. He deserves to be standing up on that platform accepting the Lombardi Trophy. It would have been nice to see him accept the Lamar Hunt Trophy the other day, but fortunately his family was up there.”

The Broncos have been to seven Super Bowls and won two and have had just five losing seasons in the 32 years Bowlen has owned the team. He’s been on nine league committees. He was also very supportive of the efforts of New York and New Jersey to get Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium two years ago. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they lost to the Seahawks, 43-8.

“He did speak out in favor of having a game here,” Mara said. “That certainly helped our efforts. I’m sure he was probably thinking down the line he would like to have one in Denver also. He recognized how unique New York is. He was outspoken in his efforts to try and get the game here. That is something I will always appreciate about him.”

Bowlen was also an influential member of the television committee, and along with Jerry Jones, fought back an effort by Browns owner Art Modell in the early 1990s to give the networks a break in rights fees during a downturn in the economy. The league eventually got an increase and Bowlen was also instrumental in Fox becoming a broadcast partner. The league now pulls in around $5 billion a year in television revenue.

“He was really, in his hey-day, one of the go-to guys for Roger and before that for Paul Tagliabue, without question,” Mara said.

Although he was not present for the event, Bowlen was inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame on Nov. 1 and received a huge ovation from the fans. About 60 players from the Broncos’ first Super Bowl championship team in 1997 showed up.

“To have this many people here tonight tells you what they thought of him,” said former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who won back-to-back titles for Bowlen. “You don’t have that many players come back for a dedication unless the owner really meant something special to everyone on the football team.”

Bowlen (l.) with Elway (r.) after they bring in Peyton Manning to be the quarterback.Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Bowlen (l.) with Elway (r.) after they bring in Peyton Manning to be the quarterback.

Bowlen was always an owner who gave his football people the resources to win but then let them do their jobs.

Mara is actually torn over who to pull for in the Super Bowl. He really likes Bowlen and would like to see Peyton Manning go out a winner, if, as expected, this “might be my last rodeo,” as he told Bill Belichick after the AFC title game last weekend.

But the Mara family is also close to Carolina owner Jerry Richardson and his family. Richardson and George Halas are the only two former players who have gone on to be own NFL teams. Richardson, who will be 80 in July, had a heart transplant in 2009 and Mara would like to see him win his first Super Bowl.

The Panthers lost in their only Super Bowl appearance, to the Patriots, following the 2003 season.

“How many chances is Jerry Richardson going to get?” Mara said. “He’s getting up there in years.”

Bowlen or Richardson? “I’m not sure what I am going to feel once the game starts,” Mara said.

Either way, one of his friends will win the game. If it’s the Broncos, it’s obvious what Elway must do on the podium.

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