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Denver Broncos: Which players belong in the Hall of Fame?

By Andrew Wade

HOUSTON - JANUARY 31: John Elway is selected into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame during a press conference on January 31, 2004 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
HOUSTON - JANUARY 31: John Elway is selected into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame during a press conference on January 31, 2004 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos
DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 01: (L-R) Shannon Sharpe, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman and John Elway present Annabel Bowlen with a ring at the induction of Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Pat Bowlen

First and foremost, Pat Bowlen not being in the Hall of Fame is outrageous.

The longtime owner of the Denver Broncos has overseen one of the most successful tenures of any franchise in all major sports. Since taking over in 1984, the Denver Broncos have made seven Super Bowls and won three Super Bowls.

According to Business Insider, Bowlen bought the Broncos for $71 million in 1994. Today’s estimated evaluation ranges anywhere from $2 to $2.8 billion. Although much of this can be contributed to the growth of the NFL, Bowlen is solely responsible for turning Denver into a premier team in the NFL.

In the 34 years under the ownership of Bowlen, only one franchise has been to more Super Bowls — the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, in the AFC West, no team has won more division titles in Bowlen’s tenure.

This consistency of winning and franchise stability is something many teams have been working towards since their inaugural seasons.

Additionally, Bowlen has been instrumental to the growth of the NFL, spearheading television deals during tough economic times.

In 2015, he was inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame for all he has done, but when is it his time for the NFL Hall of Fame?

He has been close before, but with his health in question, it is pertinent that the voters do the right thing and induct him in 2019.

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