DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 01: Annabel Bowlen, wife of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, speaks on behalf of her husband in honor of his induction as the 28th member of the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
When the Denver Broncos played host to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game last month, former Broncos safety John Lynch joined fellow Hall of Fame finalists and ex-Broncos Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater at midfield for the coin toss as honorary captains.
After the Broncos' 20-18 win over the defending Super Bowl champs, Lynch was on the field once again, this time looking on as Annabel Bowlen accepted the Lamar Hunt Trophy. But as he watched the Broncos celebrate reaching their seventh Super Bowl since Bowlen's husband, Pat, bought the team in 1984, Lynch couldn't help but feel like the moment was bittersweet.
It's been more than 18 months since Pat Bowlen relinquished day-to-day control of the Broncos following the announcement that Bowlen is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. And as the disease has progressively gotten worse, Bowlen has moved further and further from the public eye while a trust runs the team in his absence.
The last time Bowlen, 71, attended a game in person was Denver's divisional-round loss to the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the 2014 season, and his condition won't allow him to be in attendance for Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. However, Lynch said Bowlen's presence will still be felt in Santa Clara, where the Broncos will be hoping, as Annabel Bowlen instructed, to "get it done for Pat."
"I know it would mean a tremendous amount, for the family and for the city, which really has a great affection for Pat Bowlen and for the organization," said Lynch, who spent four seasons with the Broncos from 2004-07. "Because they know that's what he wanted more than anything."
Before the team left for California over the weekend, Broncos CEO Joe Ellis addressed to the players, speaking on behalf of Bowlen both about the owner's health and his message to the locker room heading into the game. Several players on the Denver roster have never met Bowlen, so it was important, Lynch says, to make them understand just how influential he's been over the last several decades.
This organization was built by Pat Bowlen to give the players and coaches everything they ever needed or could want. John Lynch
"The Bowlen family is very fortunate to have guys like (head coach and former Broncos quarterback) Gary Kubiak and (general manager and former quarterback) John Elway," Lynch added. "They understand what he was all about because they lived it, so they can make sure that that lives on."
"I think even at this stage of Alzheimer's, the message is clear to everyone who knows him that it's not about getting there," Lynch said. "It's about winning them, and I think that's what this group they've put together really wants to get done. And that's for a lot of reasons, but one of them, particularly, is to add one more to (Bowlen's) great legacy."
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