While Alzheimer’s has stricken the Bowlens again, Denver Broncos fans should be thankful for all of the good times this family has provided…
Although Alzheimer’s sadly has impacted the Bowlen family again, their contributions to the NFL, city of Denver, and the Denver Broncos organization are beyond measure.
In 1984, when Pat Bowlen bought the Broncos from Edgar Kaiser, I was only two years old.
Therefore, all of my time in Broncos Country, as a fan, and now, journalist, he has been there.
A lot has been asked of Annabel Bowlen over the years —
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 27, 2018
And she's handled everything with strength, determination and grace.
📸's » https://t.co/CjxzYfXAAX pic.twitter.com/3jQEjim8mL
When diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in July 2014, his wife, Annabel, led the team to a Super Bowl 50 title.
Thus, it was terrible to learn of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis Wednesday morning. There is much in this life that is not fair, both on the surface and in the details.
Proud of Annabel for having the courage to share her Alzheimer's diagnosis. Thinking of her and the entire Bowlen family. https://t.co/L8wt5g1clc
— John Elway (@johnelway) June 27, 2018
Broncos Country should savor the good times, of which there have been many.
When other fan bases call Broncos Country spoiled, their rationale is astutely put.
For instance, in Pat Bowlen’s tenure (1984-2014) the Broncos had seven Super Bowl appearances.
Additionally, they only had five losing seasons.
No matter how often I share this stat, it’s still amazing to me. In the NFL, especially in the salary cap era, this is absolutely insane.
With Annabel Bowlen running things, the Broncos have gone 38-24 (.594) and won one Super Bowl title.
Without this family, it’s virtually certain that the franchise would not have been this successful.
This past April, the Broncos had a successful collegiate draft as well. Broncos Country can give her the thumbs up for this, as she was in charge when it happened.
As to what happens next, it’s anyone’s guess. Perhaps the trust ownership stuff comes to naught.
Insomuch as I love these cloudless and hot June days, it’s important to remember their true worth. The same can be said for how this Broncos franchise has been run.
Broncos Country should not take these propitious times for granted. Twitter is full of vitriolic and angry fan bases not as fortunate.
Imagine how frustrating it must be to be an AFC East fan base that is not New England…
You keep hoping for something great to happen, but sadly, it never seems to.
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To an extent, the Broncos have given their fans the best of everything a fan base can have.
At any given time, Broncos fans have never had to worry about management embarrassing the community. Additionally, there have been three Super Bowl titles and a life’s worth of great memories for all.
Should things go south for this franchise, just always be thankful for the good times courtesy of the Bowlens.