Without even knowing it, Broncos Country paid a perfect tribute to Pat Bowlen in Canton

CANTON, Ohio — It’s a sight to behold when a fanbase from halfway across the country takes over an entire town.

As legendary owner Pat Bowlen and legendary corner Champ Bailey took their rightful places in the Hall of Fame, Broncos faithful painted the small town of Canton, Ohio orange from border to border.

Orange face paint, pom-poms and No. 24 Bailey jerseys flooded a place more than 1,300 miles from Denver, in what served as the perfect example of what makes Broncos Country special.

At Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game, it was all Denver. At Friday’s Gold Jacket Dinner, it was the Broncos who received the loudest ovations. As Saturday’s enshrinement ceremony, orange covered the field at Tom Benson Hall of Fame stadium.

It was a special weekend for a special fanbase, and one that brought them even closer together.

“You walk around, and there’s so much love out here from just anyone from Denver or anyone that supports the team from all around the world,” said Broncos fan Ayman Badwan. “It’s crazy.”

“We’re just walking around and making friends,” he added. “We made a lot of friends just based on being Broncos fans.”

They cried together when Bowlen’s bust was unveiled. They laughed together when Champ Bailey shouted out his friend, “Tater Head.” But, ironically, it was something else that brought the group even closer, something that would have made the late, great Pat Bowlen proud.

“I’m the first defender?” Said Bailey, highlighting a problem that has long frustrated Broncos faithful. “Like… how does that happen in a franchise like this with so many greats? I have no idea how that happens.”

“That would be the first thing that my dad would be talking about at these media events,” Brittany Bowlen told BSN Denver.

“‘We need more Broncos in the Hall of Fame and this is is just the start,” she said, sharing what her father would have said. “I’m going to keep working at it, talking to media members and making sure that everyone knows the stories of our players and the impact they had on the NFL.'”

They say a dog will take on the personality of its owner—in this case, it’s a fanbase that has become a mirror of their owner.

While the weekend was still much more about Pat Bowlen than he probably would have liked, he would have loved how much the conversation surrounded getting more Broncos in.

It was everywhere.

As I toured ‘the Hall’ myself, I came across Matt Bly, a man who said he was doing his part to get Steve Atwater in by, well, wearing his No. 27 jersey inside of the building.

“Steve has to be the next one in here,” he said. “We changed the way the safety position was played.”

In the Hall of Fame merchandise shop, a fan pondered over a golf shirt marked at $69.99.

“You know what,” he said, “I’m not giving this place a dime until they put Steve in.”

When news broke on Friday that the Hall of Fame was expanding to a 20-man class in 2020, you couldn’t go far without hearing names like Randy Gradishar and Karl Mecklenburg being discussed in circles of Orange.

With so many boots on the ground in Canton, the fans took it upon themselves to do a bit of grassroots campaigning, and stand up for what they believe is right in the football world.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve only had a couple guys go in,” said Zachary Castro, draped in a customized Pat Bowlen jersey. “When you look at the teams we’ve fielded, it’s criminal.”

With just seven “primary” Hall of Famers, the Broncos rank in the bottom half of the league, numbers-wise. Something that frustrated Bowlen mightily.

As Hall of Fame President David Baker took the stage at the Gold Jacket Dinner, one fan yelled, “We need more Broncos!” And while it’s likely Baker didn’t hear that call, someone with a closer line to his ear did her part.

Detailing a recent conversation she had with Baker, Brittany Bowlen told BSN Denver of a comment that just slipped out.

“As we were ending the call, I said, ‘I hope we’ll talk again soon, David, but next time it will be about a player.'”

Perfect.

“Sometimes I feel my dad’s spirit,” she said. “All of the sudden I’ll say something and I go, ‘Oh my gosh, that was him! That was him.'”

As Broncos fans used their weekend in Canton to fight for more representation in what Bowlen called “the place where legends go,” well, that was him.