Gary Kubiak on Pat Bowlen's Ring of Fame induction: “That's really special”

Pat Bowlen will be serendipitously inducted into Ring of Fame Sunday.

“Mr. B” has been likely the most important figure in Denver Broncos history, and now he’ll be memorialized along with the 27 other outstanding individuals which helped make the franchise what it is today. Which is one of the classiest organizations in the entire National Football League.

Bowlen took the reins of the Broncos in 1984 and turned them into one of the most successful franchises in the NFL during his 30 years of ownership. He’s the only owner to see his team win 300 games during his first 30 years of running a team, seeing Denver to six Super Bowls under his control including back-to-back Vince Lombardi Trophy wins in the late-90s.

More than wanting to win, Bowlen created the Ring of Fame in 1984 to honor the Broncos greats. Now, he will forever hold a place among them.

“That’s really special. I told the team that today, too,” head coach Gary Kubiak, who’s been with the organization for 20 total years as a player and coach. “You have Mr. Bowlen going in the ring and you have a team coming back that won a championship, so there are a lot of things going on around us. The best thing that we can do is to stay focused on our play and play good football because we have a big challenge, from that standpoint. I’m very proud to be a part of it. It’s awesome to be here and watch that happen. He’s been deserving for a long, long time. It will be a special day for him, his family and this organization.”

Starting with his creation of the Ring of Fame, Bowlen seemingly always had an eye towards the future of the franchise. He built the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre at Dove Valley, the Broncos headquarters, and recently the team upgraded their indoor practice facility to what must be the best in the NFL. He pushed for the construction of Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, spending $150 million of his own money to help pay for it, and has consistently put the fan experience at the forefront of attending games. And when Bowlen resigned last year, he left the team in the capable hands of Joe Ellis and John Elway.

“Personally, I think that it’s great,” safety David Bruton Jr. said of Bowlen’s induction. “We need to go out there and play well, especially for him being honored in that game. He brought me here and had trust in me for seven years thus far. I’m very appreciative of the opportunities that he has given me along with the coaching staff. I know that I’m going give it all that I have, not only for my teammates, but also Mr. B.”

When “Mr. B” is inducted into the Ring of Fame during a halftime ceremony Sunday night, the emotion filling the stadium he partially built will be palpable. Not only will the Broncos want to win this one for Pat, they want to finish off the season with a Super Bowl win, proudly proclaiming, “This one’s for Pat!”

Soon, the Professional Football Hall of Fame should open their doors to Bowlen, as well.