Pat Bowlen Patrick Dennis " Pat " Bowlen ( born February 18 , 1944 ) is the Majority Owner , President , and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos . The Bowlen Family , including his two brothers and sister , purchased the team from Edgar Kaiser in 1984 and saved the team from possible bankruptcy . Early life . Bowlen was born in Prairie du Chien , Wisconsin , the son of Arvella ( née Woods ) and Paul Dennis Bowlen , who became a millionaire in the Canadian oil business , founding Regent Drilling as a wildcatter . Bowlen attended the University of Oklahoma and earned degrees in business ( 1965 ) and law ( 1968 ) . The younger Bowlen became wealthy in his own right by becoming a successful lawyer in Edmonton , Alberta . He also worked as an executive for his father ' s company and as a real estate developer and had major investments in the mining industry . Bowlen is an initiated member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity . He was initiated by the University of Oklahoma , Beta Omicron chapter in 1963 . He is a member of the bar association and law society of Alberta , Canada . Bowlen is also one of the largest donors to the University of Denver . Denver Broncos owner . Over the last several years , Bowlen and the Broncos have been involved in several legal battles against one - time owner Edgar Kaiser . In 2004 , Bowlen agreed to sell retired football legend John Elway a 10 % share in the team . However , Kaiser sued , claiming a breach of contract . Kaiser asserted that he had a right of first refusal if any deal is made involving franchise ownership . In 2004 , a jury ruled in favor of Kaiser and a Federal judge decreed that Kaiser was entitled to purchase back 10 percent of the Broncos using the identical purchase terms offered to Elway . Bowlen appealed the original verdict that ruled in favor of Kaiser and won , as the appellate court ruled that the structure of the Bowlen - Elway deal did not violate the original right of first refusal agreement . On December 30 , 2008 , Broncos head coach and Vice President of Football Operations Mike Shanahan was fired by Bowlen after a 14 - year tenure as the head coach . Bowlen stated he wanted his team to go in a different direction . He undertook a search over two weeks and eventually chose Josh McDaniels who at the time was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots , as the new head coach of the Broncos . Subsequently , after a losing streak in the 2010 - 11 season , McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Broncos . On February 12 , 2009 , Bowlen appointed Brian Xanders as the team ' s sole general manager and fired Jim Goodman and Jeff Goodman . Within two weeks of the end of the 2010 - 11 regular season , Bowlen and the Broncos had hired former Carolina Panthers ' coach John Fox to be their new head coach . Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox before the hiring , new front - office executive John Elway was mostly responsible for the hiring . Since late 2009 , rumors have begun to emerge that Bowlen stepped out of the spotlight and is suffering from short - term memory loss . He told The Denver Post columnist Woody Paige that his memory wasn ' t what it used to be and that he couldn ' t recall details of the Broncos back - to - back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s . For most of 2010 , Bowlen was invisible . He no longer plays a major role in the Broncos ' decision making ; VP and CEO John Elway , President Joe Ellis , and General Manager Brian Xanders now have that control . Colorado Crush ownership . Besides being owner and president of the Broncos , Bowlen was also part - owner of the Arena Football League ' s Colorado Crush . He shared ownership with Denver - based sports mogul Stan Kroenke and legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway . The Crush entered the AFL as an expansion franchise in 2003 . After going through a 2 - 14 season in ' 03 , the team soon became a perennial playoff contender and one of the league ' s top franchises . The Crush won the Arena Football Championship in 2005 . Bowlen has won 3 championships as a football franchise owner ; 2 Super Bowl titles with the Broncos in 1998 & 1999 , and an Arena Football title in 2005 with the Crush . Denver Outlaws ownership . In 2006 Major League Lacrosse decided to expand adding the Denver Outlaws to its league of teams . The Denver Outlaws have been the most winning franchise that Bowlen has ever owned boasting a regular season win percentage of . 700 since their creation . The Outlaws have been to the Playoffs every year they have been in existence and advanced as far as the championship game 3 times ( 2006 , 2008 , 2009 ) .