Does Bowlen Hall of Fame snub point to bias against Broncos?

The Pro Football Hall of Fame made waves Tuesday in announcing its two contributor finalists for election to it’s 2017 class, not because of the names listed but one that was not.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will go up for possible entrance into the hallowed Canton, Ohio, halls, but yet another year will go by without a chance for Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen to be memorialized.

ESPN NFL analyst and 104.3 The Fan’s Mark Schlereth, who played for Bowlen with the Broncos from 1995 to 2000, said Wednesday on “Schlereth and Evans” that a bias against the Rocky Mountain franchise led to Bowlen’s Hall of Fame snub.

“Maybe I’m biased because I played for the Denver Broncos, and I love Mr. Bowlen. Because Mr. Bowlen is one of the great dudes, one of the great owners, one of the great people that have ever been a part of this league. So yeah, I am biased,” Schlereth said.

“But you want to talk about real bias? How about the East Coast bias against the Denver Broncos when it comes to the Hall of Fame?”

Denver ranks among the bottom in terms of Hall of Famers per franchise, with just four. For comparison, the Dallas Cowboys –– a team with relatively similar regular season and playoff success on the field –– has 15 inducted players.

“I don’t think it’s an out-and-out bias against the Broncos. I just think it’s a bias for certain teams, certain franchises, and in the wake of that the Broncos get left behind,” said Schlereth’s co-host Mike Evans. “… I think it just comes down to there is a bias toward those East Coast markets, the big West Coast markets, in between markets like Dallas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh. And for some reason, the Broncos just don’t get elevated into that group.”

Bowlen’s on the field Hall of Fame resume includes three Super Bowl championships, the only owner to 300 victories in his first 30 seasons, and more Super Bowl appearances (7) than losing seasons (5).

His off the field includes helping negotiate record-breaking television contracts and helping maintain labor peace with the NFL Player’s Association.

“He was heavily involved in the TV deal, and he was one of the pioneers pushing Sunday Night Football So now the NFL owns, essentially from when you wake up at 8 in the morning until 10:30 at night, in the programming,” Denver 7 Broncos Insider Troy Renck said Wednesday on “Schlereth and Evans.”