Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen Dies at 75 Before Hall Enshrinement

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen talks about Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway who he named Executive V.P. of football operations during a news conference at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Jan. 5, 2011. Ed Andrieski/AP Photo

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Pat Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar television deals, died late Thursday, just under two months before his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 75.

In a statement posted on the Broncos’ website, Bowlen’s family said he died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. They did not specify a cause of death. Bowlen had had Alzheimer’s for several years.