An emotional John Elway opens up on the moment Pat Bowlen left him speechless

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — On Jan. 25, 1998, the Broncos defied all odds.

The organization broke their Super Bowl losing streak, overcame the daunting 13-3 Green Bay Packers as 11-point underdogs, had their Super Bowl MVP battle through migraines and finally hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in the storied franchise’s history.

Despite the long odds, John Elway, Terrell Davis, Pat Bowlen and the Denver Broncos finally became Super Bowl champions.

But it was what happened moments after the improbable win that left the Broncos’ best player searching for words.

“Him raising the trophy saying, ‘This One’s for John,’ was almost overwhelming because it was a surprise to me,” Elway said on Monday morning, as he emotionally and candidly remembered his friend and former boss, Pat Bowlen.

Bowlen’s surprise to John quickly became an all-time NFL moment, not just in Broncos Country, but around the world.

“I just knew how much everybody on that football team, how hard it was,” Elway said, pausing for many moments attempting to rack his brain for words to describe his emotions when Pat declared the team’s first Lombardi Trophy was for him.

After failing to find the proper word on Monday, full of emotion, Elway continued, “I don’t have a word—I don’t have the adjective that explains my feelings when he did that.”

Selflessness, always thinking of his players and never wanting the credit was one of the many messages Elway and Joe Ellis conveyed about their memory and love for Pat Bowlen, who passed away late Thursday night.

“This one’s for John” will live forever as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sayings, in all of Colorado sports.

But just hours after that moment, Pat and John shared a moment together that Elway deemed as his favorite football memory with Pat.

“I think it was giving him a hug after winning that first Vince Lombardi Trophy,” Elway recalled. “I remember giving him a hug in the locker room. I think we were the last ones out of the locker room, too. That was the most special time.”

What made it the sweetest was what the two had gone through together leading up to that point.

There was the 19-point loss in Super Bowl 21 to the New York Giants, the 42-10 loss to the Washington Redskins the next year in Super Bowl 22 and, of course, the 55-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 24.

“He had been through those three losses and how much those three losses hurt—I think it hurt him as much as it hurt us as players,” Elway said, shining a light on Bowlen’s competitiveness and desire to win. “To finally be able to win that one against Green Bay I think was a very special time to finally say that we got there.”

Nearly two decades later, still speechless by Pat dedicating the first championship to him, Elway, now the general manager, repaid the favor to his boss.

“This one’s for Pat!” Elway exclaimed, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the Broncos conquered the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016.

“That was my goal.” Elway proudly said on Monday. “To be able to get that done. As he said when he introduced me when I was coming back as the G.M., he said, “Maybe one day he’ll say ‘This one’s for Pat.’ That was my goal when I took the job… So for us to be able to win Super Bowl 50 for him and be able to return that favor was also very much a highlight and something I’ll always remember.”

On Monday morning at the UCHealth Training Center, emotions had their own stories to them and stories were full of emotions from John Elway and Joe Ellis as they reflected and celebrated the life of their former boss and friend.

But the silence that filled the room when Elway spoke about Mr. B’s iconic words was more impactful than 1,000 words or pictures.

“I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world to be able to play for him,” Elway stated.

That one’s for Pat.