Upon hearing of Pat Bowlen’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I was reminded how fragile our time can be and what a legacy means, even to the small people. I thought it is appropriate to share my experience with a man and his family that few people have had a chance to experience.
Mr. Bowlen stepped down from active ownership earlier this week due to his condition. Many people, including myself, feel that Pat Bowlen and his family are everything that is right with the NFL. I wanted to take this chance to share my personal experience with the Broncos organization. For one Sunday in November 1998, I was family.
Everyone has their one or two sports experiences they will never forget. I have been lucky to have more than a few. I saw Tiger win his first Open Championship at St. Andrew’s, I went to a Rose Bowl in 1993, and I once played behind (and met) golf legend Tom Watson on a course in Northern Michigan. All those experiences are unforgettable, but my day with the Broncos family was a unique and priceless experience that no one can take away from me.
I grew up in suburban Detroit in a wealthy suburban neighborhood of Grosse Pointe, MI. Our neighborhood is known for a couple things. Among them, the film “Grosse Pointe Blank” starring John Cusack and the NFL Ownership representation in the neighborhood. Ralph Wilson, the late owner of the Buffalo Bills, lived here until his death earlier this year. William Clay Ford, the owner of the Lions, also grew up here. Both of them are gone, but there is another football family in town that many who aren’t from Grosse Pointe don’t know about: The Jagger family.
John and Mary Beth Jagger bleed Bronco Orange in a town full of Honolulu Blue. Mrs. Jagger’s maiden name is Bowlen. Mary Beth’s father, Paul Dennis Bowlen, purchased 60% of the near-bankrupt Denver Broncos on March 23, 1984 from Canadian financier Edgar Kaiser Jr. for $65 Million.
Wisconsin-born Paul Bowlen made millions in the Canadian oil business and died in October 1984. His son, Pat, made some of his own money adjacent to his family’s fortune as an attorney in Edmonton, Alberta. He later went on to an executive role in his father’s company, Regent Drilling, where he served as a real estate developer. Upon Paul’s death, Pat and his brother John took control of the NFL franchise, along with their siblings Bill and Mary Beth. Pat and John Bowlen eventually bought out sister Mary Beth and brother Bill in 2002, taking full control of the team.
Mary Beth married John Jagger and settled in Grosse Pointe. Their son Johnny and I grew up together and attended high school together. When you’d go to the Jagger household, you couldn’t spit without hitting something with a Broncos logo on it. In fact, two-hand-touch football at their Grosse Pointe lakefront home often involved memorabilia (helmets) that were once used on the field of play. I won’t say by whom.
There was always a sense of pride in that they wanted to talk about the team. They did not brag but they wanted to just talk football with you. Being a Lions fan, I found it so interesting that I was sitting in the same chair that John Elway sat in at dinner mere hours before I came over. It was extremely unique to be so close to the lifeblood of my favorite sport.
I was visiting colleges in 1998 as a junior at U of D Jesuit High School. I always knew I wanted to attend a Jesuit University and I was on my way to Denver to visit Regis University, where my father’s cousin was a Jesuit Priest. While in the airport, I was reading a Sports Illustrated article when I heard a voice behind me:
“Donnelly! What’s up man?”
It was my friend Johnny. Bags packed. He was by himself.
“Hey John,” I said. “Just headed to Denver to visit schools.”
Not realizing why he was at the same gate, I quickly put two and two together. He was on his way to Boulder to visit his sister at CU-Boulder, then off to the game on Sunday. The Broncos were playing Natrone Means and the San Diego Chargers. (Ironically, these two teams are both dealing with the same ownership troubles as of late. Chargers owner Alex Spanos purchased the Chargers in the same year as the Bowlen family bought the Broncos and is also dealing with similar mental health issues.)
“Hey man, I’m going to the game on Sunday, do you want to come? Do you think your parents would be cool with you coming back with me late Sunday after the game? I know you’re coming back early Sunday morning, but I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me, you can meet Uncle Pat,” Johnny said.
I looked at my dad, and without even uttering the words, my dad knew how cool and unique this experience was for a young guy like me. I would stay the extra day and come home with Johnny that night. The thing I didn’t realize was that I wouldn’t need a plane ticket to get back to Detroit.
After my weekend in Denver, I hooked up with Johnny on Sunday morning. My dad drove me to Cherry Hills, an affluent suburb of Denver to Johnny’s uncle’s house. Uncle Pat’s house. As we drove down the road through the golf course, we came upon a gate that was something out of Billy Madison. Dogs, cameras, guards, the whole deal.
I was greeted at the door by the butler, of course. I set down my coat and backpack as Johnny came down the hall to greet me, along with his cousin, also named John. It was time to meet the family. As I walked throughout his classy and beautiful suburban Denver estate, a large booming voice could be heard upstairs. It was the owner of the NFL’s Denver Broncos shouting. He couldn’t find his favorite tie.
Pat came down his concrete encased staircase in a white bathrobe, gold chain glowing out of his garden of chest-hair; he stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
“Johnny, is this your friend?” asked Pat.
“Hi, Mr. Bowlen. I’m Jack. Thanks for including me, it’s so nice to meet you,” I responded.
“Glad to have you in Denver, Jack. Behave yourself, this one’s a troublemaker.” Pat said, staring down Johnny with a smirk.
He was all business. Yet, gave me a few seconds to speak with him. I couldn’t believe it. I was at Pat Bowlen’s house talking to him while he was still in his bathrobe. I pinched myself. The confidence he had was on his sleeve. It was game day. He greeted me, shook my hand and went back upstairs. It was time to head out for the morning meetings. It was time for John, Johnny and I to play some Nintendo 64 in John’s room. Terrell Davis’ 1997 Super Bowl jersey hung on the wall of his room next to a 1980’s John Mobley jersey signed by the Broncos great.
After we played about 15 different games (he had them ALL), we played some football in the basement with an oversized football that had a Super Bowl XXXII logo on it. We did what teenagers do. Horsed around, played tackle football in the house, typical activity for kids our age. Then we headed to the game in style. The best was yet to come.
We drove in a pack of three black SUVs to the game. When we got to Mile High Stadium, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I had only been to the Silverdome and Soldier Field at this point. This was a entirely different experience for me. The pre-game festivities included an hour in the owner’s box where we ate and chatted with relatives and friends of the Broncos family. Mr. and Mrs. Jagger were introducing us to so many people, I only remember meeting a few. They all had Super Bowl rings on. Mr. Jagger took his ring off and let me wear it. I still remember the weight and the diamonds of a piece of jewelry people work an entire lifetime to earn. I had it on. It was experience the coolest moment of my life. I was now a Broncos fan.
At halftime, Uncle Pat relayed a message that we could go to the team shop and each get whatever we wanted, as long as it was under fifty dollars. He would pay for it. Earlier that day when we arrived at the stadium, we earned that fifty dollars. It was 1998 and the Broncos were trying to pass Referendum 4A to approve tax funding for a new Mile High Stadium. It was our job as guests to post large circular orange 4A stickers on every pillar and wall in Mile High Stadium. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like a good pregame political activity to earn a day in fantasyland. I’d like to think I personally had a lot to do with getting them a new stadium. Just let me have my moment, here.
The game was a memorable one. It was November 8, 1998. Broncos won 27-10 and John Elway left the game with an injury and Bubby Brister came in to win the game. The Broncos, as everyone knows, went on to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. That would be John Elway’s last season. I was a part of it. It was a part of me. It still is a part of me.
As the Broncos organization goes through this tough transition, I felt it would be poignant to share my experience. I have the utmost respect for Pat Bowlen, the Broncos and the welcoming embrace the Broncos family shared with a 17-year-old kid they didn’t know from Adam. I want to publicly thank Johnny Jagger and his family for letting me experience a day I’ll never forget in my favorite city in America. Pat Bowlen brought the Denver Broncos from the dregs of impending bankruptcy and made them one of the most successful franchises in all of sports. I am blessed to have been a small part of it.
Thank you, Mr. Bowlen.
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