The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
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Pat Bowlen was everything that a sports fan could possibly want in a team owner. His only goal was winning a championship, believing that trying to be No. 1 in everything the franchise did was the best way to achieve that goal.
During his three-plus decades as the Broncos owner, Bowlen proved that point to be true. Under his guidance, Denver won the AFC West 13 times, went to seven Super Bowls and won three championships. Along the way, the became a model franchise in the NFL, a fact that earned the owner enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Perhaps as telling as the on-field success was to Bowlen’s importance, the team’s falloff after his departure paints an even clearer picture. During his tenure, the Broncos never suffered through back-to-back losing seasons. Once he was gone, the franchise endured the worst stretch in the NFL history, posting seven-consecutive sub-.500 campaigns and missed the playoffs in eight-straight years.
Why? Because they became a bit of a rudderless ship, an organization devoid of a leader with a vision.
In July 2014, Bowlen gave up day-to-day control of the team due to complications from Alzheimer’s. Ownership duties were turned over to a trust, headed by Joe Ellis, which was charged with running the team while they mapped out a succession plan.
Things didn’t go well. Yes, the Broncos won the AFC West in ’14 and 15, and hoisted a Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl 50, but those were still teams that were built under Bowlen’s watch. From there, things went south in a hurry.
And it wasn’t just on the field that the Broncos were a mess. Away from the gridiron, they were soap opera, as well.
Seven children, from two different marriages, vied for control of the team. Beth Bowlen Wallace wanted to be put in charge, but she was denied by the three-person trust headed by Ellis, with the organization putting out a statement that she was unfit to run the team. The Broncos seemed to be grooming Brittany Bowlen for the role, as the youngest of the seven kids was working for the team under the trust.
Ultimately, none of them gained control. Infighting, the emergence of another alleged child, a trainwreck of an Instagram account and a power struggle fit for an HBO series led the trust to determine it was time to put the franchise up for sale.
In August 2022, after months of speculation and multiple suitors, the Walton Penner Family Ownership Group, with Greg Penner tasked with running the team on a daily basis, ultimately purchase the Broncos for $4.65 billion. The nearly decade-long saga was finally over.
But it left a mark on the organization. During the first two years under Penner’s guidance, the Broncos finished below .500 and missed the playoffs. The 2022 campaign was a low point, as Denver finished 5-12 and had to fire head coach Nathaniel Hackett less than a year after hiring him.
That embarrassment was the perfect summation of the post-Bowlen era. It provided the clearest example of how far the trust had guided the team off course.
Thankfully, the ship has been righted. The Broncos finished 10-7 in 2014, making the playoffs for the first time in nine years. It’s a sign that the damage done during the search for new ownership is finally being mended.
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THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
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Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.