Patrick Dennis “Pat” Bowlen (created February 18, 1944) is the majority owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos. From 1999 to 2008, Bowlen as well as the Broncos were involved in a number of legal fights against onetime owner Edgar Kaiser. In 1998, Bowlen consented to sell retired football star John Elway a share in the team. When Bowlen let the presence of the offer slip out to Kaiser while both were at the 1999 Bohemian Grove, Kaiser sued, asserting a breach of contract. Kaiser claimed he had a right of first refusal if any deal is made including franchise possession. In 2004, a jury ruled in favor of Kaiser as well as a National judge decreed that Kaiser was entitled to buy back 10 percent of the Broncos utilizing the identical purchase conditions offered to Elway. Bowlen appealed the initial verdict that ruled in favor of Kaiser and won in 2008, as the appellate court ruled the construction of the Bowlen-Elway deal failed to break the original right of first refusal arrangement. Bowlen said he wanted his team to really go in another way. On February 12, 2009, Bowlen named Brian Xanders as the team’s one general manager and fired Jim Goodman and Jeff Goodman. Within fourteen days of the conclusion of the 201011 regular season, Bowlen and also the Broncos had hired former Carolina Panthers’ coach John Fox to be their new head coach. Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox prior to the hiring, new front-office executive John Elway was largely in charge of the hiring. By late 2009, rumors had started to emerge that Bowlen had stepped from the limelight due to short-term memory loss. He told The Denver Post columnist Woody Paige that his recollection was not what it used to be and that he could not remember details of the Broncos back to back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s. On July 23, 2014, due to complications with Alzheimer’s disease, he formally relinquished control of the group to Joe Ellis.
$1 Billion
