Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
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Bowlen is a major reason why he can say that. The short video that presented Bowlen, which included his children and Director of Sports Medicine Steve Antonopulos, offered a succinct summary of how and why Bowlen's team was such a special place for so long.
"Football first, business second," Antonopulos said of Bowlen assuming ownership in 1984, "and he provided the stability that our organization needed at that time."
The presentation was not merely a commemoration of Bowlen's career. It was a celebration of all the franchise has accomplished over the last 35 years: three Super Bowl wins, four more appearances and 18 playoff appearances in total.
It also noted how the defeats led to the ultimate success.
"The third Super Bowl was incredibly devastating for my dad," Beth Bowlen Wallace said. "But it's probably the most profound lesson I have learned from my dad through my lifetime, is that the losses and the challenges and the failures in life made him into the owner that he is."
The losses helped make the Broncos into the organization they became under Bowlen's watch. Failure on the brightest stage eventually became back-to-back world championships, in no small part because of Bowlen's leadership traits. Those proved to be infectious.
"Once I began to learn about Mr. Bowlen and the Denver Broncos, I was sold," Bailey said. "There were a few things I learned to appreciate from a good leader. They lead by example, they're accountable, they're competitive and they know how to win. That's what I learned, and loved about Mr. B."