DENVER — Brittany Bowlen, one of Pat Bowlen’s seven children, said Saturday night she’s hoping to one day succeed her father as principal owner of the Denver Broncos.
It was the first public declaration of her intention and it came at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s annual fashion show, where she is co-chair.
The franchise has been run by a trust since Pat Bowlen stepped away several years ago to battle Alzheimer’s.
“Right now, the Denver Broncos have an owner. It’s my father. Unfortunately, he can’t be involved in the day-to-day of the team,” Brittany Bowlen said. “I do have ambitions and goals to one day becoming the controlling owner of the Denver Broncos. And I’ll keep working toward those goals. I’m not there yet, but I really believe I can get there.”
Brittany Bowlen, 28, received her master’s degree in business administration from Duke in May after graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in finance, then working for two years at NFL headquarters and a year with the Broncos as a business analyst.
Terms of the trust require five years’ experience with the league or team. Bowlen, who began a job with McKinsey & Company at the global consulting firm’s downtown Denver branch, said she doesn’t have a timetable to rejoin the Broncos for more front-office experience.
“I think it’s really important that I get experience outside of the football industry,” Bowlen said. “And I think that working at McKinsey & Company is going to give me that experience.”
Asked for an update on her father’s health, Bowlen said, “My father is doing OK. Alzheimer’s is a very hard disease. He is the most stoic Alzheimer’s patient. It’s truly inspirational to see how he carries himself with the disease.”
She said since getting her master’s degree, “it’s been really awesome to spend more time with him.”
Brittany Bowlen’s mother, Annabel Bowlen, recently announced her own Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Pat Bowlen, who has been nominated as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, bought the team in 1984. He transferred control of the team to the Pat Bowlen Trust in 2014.
The trust is run by team president Joe Ellis, Broncos general counsel Rich Slivka and attorney Mary Kelly.
