Stokley on Pat Bowlen Hall of Fame snub: ‘It’s a shame’

Once again a Pro Football Hall of Fame class will come and pass without Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen’s name among the inductees.

Instead, the Hall of Fame contributor committee, meeting Friday in Ohio, nominated former Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard as the lone finalist for the 2018 class.

“It’s a shame,” said Brandon Stokley, co-host of “Stokley & Zach.” “It’s a shame that we thought he’d get in last year. I thought for sure he’d be in this year.”

In 2016, Bowlen was snubbed by the committee in favor of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — who was elected to the Hall of Fame in February — and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue — who was not elected.

Since 2014, the first year contributors were voted on separately from the entire pool of Hall of Fame candidates, there’s been a push for Bowlen’s enshrinement, including most recently one of the organization’s greatest alumni.

In August, during his own enshrinement speech, former Broncos running back Terrell Davis made his plea for his former boss to get into the Hall of Fame

“Let’s make sure that this champion is enshrined in 2018,” Davis said.

Broncos general manager John Elway, who spent the majority of his playing career under Bowlen’s ownership reign, said ahead of training camp in July, “Hopefully this is the year.”

“As we talked about so many times how much he deserves it, what he’s done for the league, his participation on different committees in the league and the relationships with the commissioners,” Elway said. “What Pat has contributed to the NFL has grown it to where it is today. There is no question he deserves to be in there.”

Among Bowlen’s on-field accomplishments, he’s the first owner in pro football history to reach 300 wins in his first 30 years and his teams have the highest regular season winning percentage (.612) in the NFL during his 34 years at the helm.

In just less than three and a half decades, the Broncos have had only seven losing seasons, one more than the team’s number of Super Bowl appearances — eight.

In terms of the NFL in general, Bowlen’s impact can be felt on the growth of the league, as he’s served on nine league committees and helped negotiate record-breaking television contracts.

“To me, it’s just confusing on what is taking so long. You look at this resume, his credentials, and what he’s accomplished with the Denver Broncos, and for him to be bypassed year after year — and especially the last couple of years — I just don’t understand it,” Stokley said.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s hard to put it into words, why he keeps getting passed over. What’s the reason why?”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.