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Bowlen, Bailey To Enter Hall Of Fame

Pat Bowlen - Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen introduces quarterback Peyton Manning on March 20, 2012 at the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre.

The wait is over for Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.

Saturday, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Also going in as part of the 2019 class is former Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey.

Former Broncos Steve Atwater and John Lynch did not make it in to this year's class.

Bowlen and Bailey become the sixth and seventh Broncos to enter Canton. They will be enshrined on August 3, 2019.

Bowlen has owned the Broncos for 35 years. He became the first NFL owner to reach 300 overall wins in his first 30 years. His teams have made as many Super Bowl appearances (7) as they have had losing seasons (7).

Bailey played for the Broncos from 2004-2013. He amassed 908 tackles and 52 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns).

He was a 3-time First Team All-Pro and a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team.

Bailey began his career with the Washington Redskins and was with them from 1999-2003. The Broncos acquired Bailey and a second round draft pick from the Redskins for running back Clinton Portis on March 4, 2004.

Champ Bailey - Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Champ Bailey during his playing days with the Denver Broncos. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Pat Bowlen's children talk with Brandon Krisztal and Ryan Edwards on Orange & Blue 760 on Saturday, February 2, 2019.

Denver Broncos President and COO Joe Ellis talks with Ryan Edwards and Brandon Krisztal about the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Orange & Blue 760 on Saturday, February 2, 2019.Denver Broncos President and COO Joe Ellis talks with Ryan Edwards and Brandon Krisztal about the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Orange & Blue 760 on Saturday, February 2, 2019.

New Hall of Famer Champ Bailey talks with Brandon Krisztal and Ryan Edwards on Orange & Blue 760 on Saturday, February 2, 2019.

Champ spoke with reporters after learning he was in the Class of 2019.

Hall of Famer and former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis talks about the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019 with Orange & Blue 760's Brandon Krisztal and Ryan Edwards at the NFL Honors on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019.

Information courtesy of the Denver Broncos.

Pat Bowlen 1
Pat Bowlen 2

BRONCOS OWNER PAT BOWLEN AND CB CHAMP BAILEY ELECTED

TO PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019

ATLANTA — Denver Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen and former cornerback Champ Bailey were selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019, it was announced on Saturday night at NFL Honors from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

Chosen by the 48-person Selection Committee, Bowlen (contributor) and Bailey (modern-era) will be officially enshrined with the rest of the Class of 2019 in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio in August as the main event of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.

This represents the first time multiple Broncos have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the same class. Bowlen and Bailey become the sixth and seventh Broncos to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining quarterback John Elway (Class of 2004), tackle Gary Zimmerman (Class of 2008), running back Floyd Little (Class of 2010), tight end Shannon Sharpe (Class of 2011) and running back Terrell Davis (Class of 2017).

Others with ties to the Broncos who are also enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame include cornerback Willie Brown (1984), running back Tony Dorsett (1994), General Manager Fred Gehrke (1972), defensive tackle Stan Jones (1991) and running back Doak Walker (1986). Cornerback Ty Law , who spent the 2009 season with the Broncos, was also announced as a modern-era selection for the Class of 2019.

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019

Contributor Selections

Owner Pat Bowlen

Personnel Executive Gil Brandt

Senior Selection

S Johnny Robinson

Modern-Era Selections

CB Champ Bailey

TE Tony Gonzalez

CB Ty Law

C Kevin Mawae

S Ed Reed

DENVER BRONCOS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019 CAPSULES

OWNER PAT BOWLEN

The 15th principal owner to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pat Bowlen ranks among the Top 5 all-time in wins among owners with 354 overall victories. During Bowlen’s 35 seasons as owner (1984-pres.), the Broncos have tied for the second-best win percentage (.596 / 354-240-1) in the NFL and the fourth-best mark among all 122 major North American pro sports teams.

The only owner in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with four different head coaches, Bowlen has led the Broncos to unprecedented sustained success over the last three decades. The Broncos’ accomplishments under Bowlen include 21 winning seasons, 18 playoff appearances, 13 division titles, nine conference championship berths, seven Super Bowl appearances and three World Championships (1997, 1998 & 2015).

The Broncos have as many Super Bowl appearances (7) as losing seasons under Bowlen. They are the only NFL team during his ownership to rank in the Top 5 in overall wins both before free agency (1984-92 / 4th, 96 wins) and post-free agency (1993-pres. / 4th, 258 wins).

In addition to his role with the Broncos, Bowlen has been heavily involved in the growth of professional football through his dedication at the league level.

Bowlen served a combined 91 seasons on 15 different NFL committees, including a role as role chairman of both the NFL Management Council Executive Committee and the NFL Broadcasting Committee. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Rooney (18) and Lamar Hunt (16) served on more NFL committees than Bowlen among owners.

As chairman of the NFL Broadcasting Committee, Bowlen helped negotiate record-breaking television contracts with national networks to help grow the game.

Called the “Father of Sunday Night Football ” by former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol , Bowlen was a key influencer in the 2006 launch of the NBC series that has become the most-watched program on television. Former FOX Sports President David Hill referred to Bowlen as the “brains” of the NFL’s approach to media that saw television revenues skyrocket beginning in the 1990s.

Bowlen’s important work on the NFL Management Council Executive Committee also helped ensure decades of labor peace with several extensions to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Broncos have become one of the most popular franchises in all of sports under Bowlen, selling out a league-high 300 games (every regular season and playoff contest) during his tenure. The Broncos have made an NFL-best 354 nationally televised appearances during Bowlen’s ownership, putting the Rocky Mountain Region on the national stage and earning “America’s Team” recognition in a 2014 national Harris Poll.

Bowlen has also been a strong advocate for the league’s international growth, volunteering the Broncos to play eight international games in six different countries during his tenure.

A member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame (2015) and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (2007), Bowlen has made a significant commitment to the community during his ownership. He has donated more than $30 million to charitable organizations through Broncos Charities and is responsible for the Broncos being the only pro sports team to fully fund its own branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

CORNERBACK CHAMP BAILEY

The first defensive player in franchise history to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bailey played 10 seasons with the Broncos from 2004-13 and five years with the Washington Redskins from 1999-2003.

Bailey was selected to 12 Pro Bowls during his career to tie for the third-most in history among defensive players. A member of the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team as chosen by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selectors, Bailey also was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Team five times (1st Team: 2004-06; 2nd Team: 2000, ’12).

In 215 career regular-season games, Bailey totaled 983 tackles (837 solo), 52 interceptions (464 yds.), 235 passes defensed, three sacks (26 yds.), nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Bailey also started 10-of-11 career postseason contests and added 34 tackles (30 solo), two interceptions (105 yds.) and 10 passes defensed.

He began his career starting 99 consecutive regular-season games and made the most starts (212) among league cornerbacks during his 15 NFL seasons.

Bailey’s 52 interceptions were the most among NFL cornerbacks during his career (third among all players). That total included a career-best 10 interceptions in 2006, which marked the second-highest single-season total in Broncos history and propelled him to a second-place finish in the AP’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In all, Bailey was a member of six playoff teams (1999, 2004-05, ’11-13), five division champions (1999, 2005, ’11-13) and one Super Bowl team (2013).

Selected by the Redskins with the seventh overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft from the University of Georgia, Bailey played his first five seasons with Washington before being acquired by Denver in a trade on March 4, 2004.

Bailey was the 1998 recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Award at Georgia as the nation’s top defensive player while also earning consensus All-America honors that year. He was born on June 22, 1978, in Fort Campbell, Ky.


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