‘Influence on the game,’ genuine care for winning sets Pat Bowlen apart

Next month, a subcommittee is expected to meet to consider one contributor candidate forward possible election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Mark Schlereth believes there’s only one right choice: Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.

In 2014, the Hall added a “contributor” category to the selection process, opening up what had become a logjam of potential candidates who otherwise may not have been considered from the general pool of nominees.

Since then, contributors elected to the Hall of Fame include general managers Bill Polian, Ron Wolf, and soon-to-be Bobby Beathard, along with owners Ed DeBartolo Jr. and Jerry Jones.

Yet, Bowlen, considered by many as one of the NFL’s biggest influencers over the past three and a half decades, has not even been put up to be voted upon for possible induction.

“It is time for the subcommittee to get it right finally,” the “Schlereth and Evan” host said on Monday. “I understand what Jerry Jones has done for the league. I get it. Jerry Jones may be the face and the forefront of it, but Pat Bowlen was the engine that got it done.”

Cecil Lammey, co-hosting with Schlereth on Monday, said the Pro Football Hall of Fame was made to honor people like Bowlen, whom he said has created a long-lasting impact on the landscape of the NFL.

“This great game, which we all love, would not be the same, at all, if it wasn’t for the influence of Mr. B,” Lammey said.

Schlereth said his record on the field “speaks for itself,” but his impact on the NFL’s television revenue cannot be ignored.

“The behind the scenes work that he did to take this league to the next level,” Schlereth said, describing Bowlen as the “engine” of the “beautiful, big racecar” that is the NFL.

“When he took over in the early ’90s, (the NFL was) making about $1.3 billion as a league a year. Now it’s over $13 billion, almost $14 billion. And he was instrumental in putting those deals together.”

Bowlen has served on 15 league committees during his 34 years as the Broncos owner, helping to negotiate record-breaking television contracts. Also, he was influential in bringing the NFL to Fox and creating “Sunday Night Football,” Schlereth said.

However, his genuine care for his players and winning as a franchise sets him apart from many other owners, Schlereth said.

“It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t just business,” said Schlereth. “He cared about the players, and he cared about winning. And it sets him apart.

“As simple as that sounds, there are a lot of owners in this league who don’t. What they care about is the fact that their franchise grows in value 12 percent a year or whatever it is. And that’s what they care about.”

Since Bowlen took over as controlling owner in 1984, the Broncos have the second-highest winning percentage of any NFL team (.602) — third-highest in American professional sports.

In three-plus decades, Denver’s had 21 winning seasons, won 13 division titles, had nine conference championship berths, and appeared in more Super Bowls (7) than have had losing seasons (6).

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.