SuperBowl XLVIII Broncos vs Seahawks Game Day Thread

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WestCoastJoe
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Very interesting (to me anyway) article on Pat Bowlen, owner of the Broncos. Pretty amazing stuff.

He has a strong CFL and Alberta background.

Apparently now suffering from short term memory loss.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/01/25/ed ... ncos-owner
One time Edmontonian Pat Bowlen's 30th year as Denver Broncos owner

By Terry Jones,Edmonton Sun

First posted: Saturday, January 25, 2014 06:32 PM MST | Updated: Friday, January 31, 2014 03:43 PM MST

When the Denver Broncos won their first Super Bowl, owner Pat Bowlen held up the trophy and proclaimed 'This one is for John!'

Fred Fleming hopes it will work the other way this time.

“I hope we win this thing and John is able to say 'This one is for Pat!'

Pat Bowlen, 69, has dropped back in his decision-making role as the owner of the Broncos to allow his old quarterback John Elway, as VP and CEO, and Joe Ellis as president, to assume those duties.

Suffering from short term memory loss and unable to recall details of his team's back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 1997 and 1998, Bowlen has made the decision not to do interviews leading up to the Super Bowl. Not with Denver media. Not with media from his old hometown where he played for the Edmonton Huskies and built Commonwealth Stadium.

But Fred Fleming, 74, loves to talk as much now as he did back when he was trying to get a word in edgewise as Bryan Hall's colour commentator on Edmonton Eskimos broadcasts on CJCA and later on the CFL telecasts on CTV.

Fleming goes back a long way with Bowlen before he responded to the owners request to make the move to Denver to work for the Broncos full time 24 years ago.

Other than Elway himself, there's probably nobody to speak to the way it is with Mr. B, as the owner is lovingly referred to within the Broncos organization, than the guy who has had several different titles but is usually referred to as “Pat Bowlen's longtime assistant.”

This Super Bowl will very much be a celebration of Bowlen's 30th season as the owner of the team.

It's Bowlen's sixth trip to the Super Bowl, equaling the record of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.

Bowlen has become the only NFL owner in history to win 300 games in 30 seasons.

And Bowlen has only had five losing seasons in those 30 years. That might be the most impressive stat of all.

It's not as if this isn't everything it should be for Bowlen said Fleming. It's just that his boss has taken a step back and is no longer comfortable doing interviews and it's probably the smart thing in a week which can be overwhelming to somebody like himself, at the bottom of the organization as Fleming jokes, as the guy at the top.

“Pat is in here every day,” said Fleming. “He still goes to the practices and the walk-through. When it comes to football, don't think that he's missing anything. And when it comes to owning the Broncos he's always been all about the Super Bowl.

“But once he brought John in, he's backed off. He wanted John for that job for quite a long time.”

One year soon, it is hoped, Bowlen will almost certainly be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.. Fleming says people probably have forgotten Bowlen could have ended up in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame instead.

“Pat was originally looking at buying the Montreal Alouettes. But the French Canadiens didn't want an English-speaking Canadian owning the team back then so Pat started looking at the NFL and bought the Denver Broncos instead.”

Back in 1984 the Broncos under owner Edgar Kaiser were facing bankruptcy. Bowlen, his brothers John and Bill and sister Marybeth, purchased the team for $78 million.

The franchise value, as calculated by Forbes back in August was $1,161 million.

Despite the success Bowlen made of the franchise, he suffered by the lack of ultimate success for the longest time. I remember him in the bowels of Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego waiting for an elevator after his second Super Bowl loss.

“I'm embarrassed,” he told me after the Broncos had lost 42-10. “I'm embarrassed we couldn't make it more entertaining. I'm embarrassed by the score. I'm embarrassed by the defence. I'm embarrassed by everything.”

When I talked to him after he lost his third as an owner and made it back for his fourth kick at the can, one quote stuck with me.

“If winning the Super Bowl feels as good as losing feels bad, it's going to be off the dial. There's nothing in the world that compares to this. There's certainly nothing that can compare to winning. You can't win a world championship in the oil business. I want to be a world champion. I want that very much.”

But when he finally won it he said “This one is for John.”

Pat Bowlen is the answer to one of my favorite trivia questions. Who is the only person to ever win back-to-back Little Grey Cups and back-to-back Super Bowls?

Bowlen was a member of that celebrated Huskies team which won Canadian junior titles from 1962 to 1964.

He spoke at the Huskies 50th anniversary dinner to raise money for a new clubhouse and I remember talking to him on the phone to promote the dinner.

“A new clubhouse? I can't imagine that they spent all those years in that old clubhouse. We had trouble getting hot water back in the '60s.”

Back when I first interviewed him when he bought the Broncos, I asked him about his career with the Huskies.

“I played without distinction,” was his evaluation.

“I look back on it as a very enjoyable time in my youth. That was a really fun group of guys to be around. It was a lot of fun,” he said of the team which included the likes of Ron Forwick, Ian McLeod, George Spanach, Warren Hansen, Tony Rankel, Marv Roberts, Bob Bateman, Clarence Kachman, Hart Cantelon, Larry Dufresne, Vic Justic and Al Gordichuk.

“Pat figured he should donate $5,000 to the fund for the new clubhouse,” remembers Fleming. “I suggested he auction off four executive box seats instead. They had two bids tied at $16,500. So he decided they were both winners and doubled the deal and they raised $33,000.”

Bowlen has always been a big believer in the CFL. He played a major role in bringing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to Edmonton to attend the 1997 Grey Cup.

“The Canadian game is a great game. I don't think there were many Eskimos games I missed over the years. And certainly no Grey Cups,” he once told me.

“I remember going to Clarke Stadium as a kid when my dad smuggled me in under his coat. Canadian football is a sacred thing,” added the man who built Commonwealth Stadium with partner Peter Batoni for $18.2 million.

People forget a lot of things about Bowlen's time in town.

“I wonder how many people remember that Pat competed in the Hawaii Iron Man event when it first started out. That defined his mental toughness,” said Fleming.

How did Fred Fleming, a former CFL player with the Calgary Stampeders, end up enjoying such a ride as Pat Bowlen's side kick?

“Forty-four years ago I worked with a trucking company. One day I was in the YMCA gym in Calgary with my Stampeders team-mate Bill Britton when I told him I was thinking about getting into the trucking business in the oil patch. Bill was a friend of Pat and he said Pat's dad Paul was looking at a trucking company. He set me up with a meeting with Pat and his dad at the Petroleum Club. Paul owned Regal Drilling in Edmonton. I had no experience at off-highway trucking but they took a chance on me and I turned Fleetway Trucking from a money-loser into a money-maker, moving derricks and drilling equipment.

“I look back and realize I never would have met Pat Bowlen if I hadn't played for the Calgary Stampeders. And I ended up working with Bryan Hall and Pat's dad liked me doing that so it wasn't a problem. That led to CTV.”

For the past 24 years Fleming has worked full time for the Broncos. But he was brought in to work at various times by Bowlen before he became full time.

“I used to go to work training camps and do the transportation at Super Bowls. In 1990 I went to work with the Broncos full time as assistant to general manager John Beak.”

Upon Beak's departure Fleming was given the job title Director of Special Services.

“I'm basically Freddie The Freeloader,” he laughs.

“I work about 50 or 60 service club dinners a year. I do a lot of work representing the Broncos with the California State Patrol as well. I go all over the state representing the club and have special projects they assign me to in all sorts of different areas.”

Oh, and he's had one other job all these years. He's attached to the quarterback. He was often referred to in print as “John Elway-s long-time security shadow.”

That's been the best part of the job.

“How many people get to work with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks? I was with John Elway for all his years and I'm with Payton Manning now to be their 'no' guy,” he said.

“Somebody has to be there with them to say no,” he said.

“When John retired it was a real emotional day and who was the first person he mentioned? Freddie The Freeloader. Can you believe that?”

And mostly, said Fleming, can you believe he's been able to work all these years with Bowlen and the Broncos.

“Pat is considered to be the best owner in this history of football. I'd really like to see us win it and for John to say 'This is for you, Pat.'”
How neat does Fred Fleming's job sound? Assistant to a billionaire. Number one guy. Security guy (and transport manager for all things Bowlen, including his star quarterbacks) for John Elway and now Peyton Manning.
How did Fred Fleming, a former CFL player with the Calgary Stampeders, end up enjoying such a ride as Pat Bowlen's side kick?

“Forty-four years ago I worked with a trucking company. One day I was in the YMCA gym in Calgary with my Stampeders team-mate Bill Britton when I told him I was thinking about getting into the trucking business in the oil patch. Bill was a friend of Pat and he said Pat's dad Paul was looking at a trucking company. He set me up with a meeting with Pat and his dad at the Petroleum Club. Paul owned Regal Drilling in Edmonton. I had no experience at off-highway trucking but they took a chance on me and I turned Fleetway Trucking from a money-loser into a money-maker, moving derricks and drilling equipment.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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Tried to buy the Alouettes at one time.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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notahomer
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Good stuff, WCJ, nice read I must say. In fact, I ALMOST, :wink: want to cheer on the Broncos. That is why this is an easy Superbowl. I DESPERATELY want the Seahawks to win but if the Broncos win, it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys.....
TheLionKing
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Didn't realize the owner is a Canadian
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WestCoastJoe
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TheLionKing wrote:Didn't realize the owner is a Canadian
I'm thinking he has dual citizenship. Born in Wisconsin.

No reason to renounce either. Unlike Ted Cruz, born in Canada, who has U.S. Presidential ambitions, and says he is in the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship. Good riddance IMO, says me, being somewhat liberal politically (on social and cultural issues), although conservative in fiscal matters (balanced budget, dump the Senate, smaller rather than huge government).

(Like Bowlen, I am very grateful, proud and happy to be Canadian.)

http://www.canoe.ca/NFLCanada/News/2004 ... 12065.html

A quick search brought forth this article, from 2003.
Though he is entrenched in Colorado, Bowlen has no intention of abandoning his Canadian roots and remains quite proud of them.

Born in Wisconsin but raised in Alberta, Bowlen retains his Canadian citizenship. He was briefly a minority owner of the Calgary Flames, came close to buying the Montreal franchise in the CFL in his search for `his' football team, actually started the quest by trying to buy the San Diego Chargers.

Bowlen, who earned his law degree from University of Oklahoma, practiced law at the prestigious Calgary firm of Bennett Jones before realizing the job didn't meet his financial expectations. His father, Paul, who once ran for Canada in the Commonwealth Games, was the majority shareholder in Trans Prairie Pipelines. When Paul retired, his net worth was estimated in the Edmonton Journal at more than $100 million.

To this day, he remains a member of the Canadian and Edmonton Bar Associations and the Law Society of Alberta.

"I'm proud to be a Canadian, why wouldn't I be," Bowlen said recently. "I still have a lot of good friends up there.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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sj-roc
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I knew of PB's past from Edm but didn't know he had such close ties to the Eskimos or such a big hand in building Commonwealth. I suppose it's not too surprising given the deep grassroots nature (e.g., community ownership) of football in that city that someone of his stature would be so involved.

From $78M in 1984 to $1161M in 2013. That's an average of almost a 10% ROI year in, year out for nearly three solid decades. We should all be so lucky with our investments.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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WestCoastJoe
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notahomer wrote:Good stuff, WCJ, nice read I must say. In fact, I ALMOST, :wink: want to cheer on the Broncos. That is why this is an easy Superbowl. I DESPERATELY want the Seahawks to win but if the Broncos win, it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys.....
This is win/win for me. Happy with either outcome.

Gotta like Peyton Manning. Pat Bowlen. John Elway. The great running games over the years.

Gotta like Pete Carroll. Russell Wilson. Our sister city, Seattle. Tough defence. Marshawn Lynch.

Virtual tossup for me.

But ... shade to Peyton. Last chance to catch the lucky Eli? David Tyree one hand on the ball, miraculously stuck to his helmet? LOL

Tossup. Shade to Peyton. Happy either way. A bit sad if Peyton doesn't get two.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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David Tyree ...
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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DT ...
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
TheLionKing
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TheLionKing
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Put your money on Seattle. Anatasia has spoken (or should have say "barked")
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Hambone
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I'll be watching with mixed emotions. The Colts have always been my favourite NFL team going back to Johnny Unitas' days and well before the Seahawks joined the NFL. The Seahawks though are my #2 fave. I'd love to see Seattle get that Super Bowl ring. However being a Colts fan I'm a huge Peyton Manning fan. I've thoroughly enjoyed the way he plays. By all accounts the person you see in the commercials really is who he is, sense of humour and everything. There's been a lot of naysayers and detractors "only won one SB" "can't win the big one" etc. I'd love to see him win another Super Bowl so he can take that Vince Lombardi Trophy and shove it up the butts of the critics to silence them once and for all. Unfortunately like most of the Colt teams he played on he goes into tomorrow's big game with a great offence but a defence that is at best very average. Lynch could be the X-factor who can neutralize Manning by keeping the Bronco O on the sidelines.
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B.C.FAN
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Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Cols were my favourites in the '60s, and the team was my second favourite during Manning's days in Indy. l'll be happy for Manning if Denver wins but I'll be happier if Seattle wins.
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Toppy Vann
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The Ted Cruz born in Canada wanting to POTUS caught my eye. I see the argument online that he was a "natural born" American making him eligible for a Presidential run. McCain had both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton sponsor a bill declaring him to be Ok to run for Pres. and he was born in Panama to US parents.

As far as the game goes and old favs - mine too was Unitas and the Colts when the Rams or 49ers weren't playing.

I am really torn as I like Seattle the team and the community and state. Like their HC too but also the Broncos as well.
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