Champ Bailey Is More Remarkable Than Many Football Legends in the Hall of Fame by Mark Kiszla Denver Post August 3, 2019
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Here’s one reason Champ Bailey is more remarkable than many football legends in the Hall of Fame By Mark Kiszla Denver Post August 3, 2019 Until his final days, late, great Broncos owner Pat Bowlen adored a family dog named “Champ.” And for good reason. Although cornerback Champ Bailey represented both the nation’s capital and the Rocky Mountains during a brilliant NFL career that has earned him induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his gold jacket was won wearing a Denver uniform and his heart belongs to Broncos Country. Hey, Colorado: He’s our Champ. This Ohio town located somewhere between the heart and belly button of middle America is painted orange this weekend, with Broncos fans raising toasts to Mr. B and Bailey as they are honored in the Hall’s class of 2019. And what has Washington done to celebrate Bailey joining an elite fraternity of football immortals? “Nobody from Washington had called me until three days ago,” Bailey said Friday. “I mean nobody … just to say congratulations.” Really? At age 41, Bailey looks as if he could still run a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash and line up as the shutdown corner opposite Chris Harris Jr. in the defensive alignment for new Denver coach Vic Fangio. “Looks can be deceiving,” said Bailey, feeling the gravitational pull of middle age and bemused at the changes he sees in the mirror. Father Time is undefeated, even against Hall of Famers. Truth be told? Rather than pine to get his football cleats on the grass one more time, Bailey is thankful he escaped from a 15-year professional career with his body and brain both in sound condition. “I’m not wearing a helmet any more, which is great,” Bailey said. “Because I don’t know how I did what I did.” Bailey not only had the skills to wrap up the opposing team’s No. 1 receiving target in a wet blanket, he also was unafraid to use every last ounce of his 192 pounds to bring down a ball carrier in the open field. The dude could tackle. “Always below the waist,” Bailey reminded me. He embraced the game’s violence, but was smart enough to not allow the beast to eat him alive. While Champ played in 215 NFL regular-season games, his kid brother wasn’t so fortunate. For five years in the league, Boss Bailey did duty as a linebacker, in the vortex of the game’s demolition-derby violence. “I played 15 years. My brother played (five), and he deals with stuff all the time,” said Bailey, taking inventory of the havoc football wreaked on Boss. ”His ankles. His knees. Especially his knees. He had two micro-fracture surgeries. Each knee. ACL (surgery), two or three times, I can’t remember. I lost count. Seven different surgeries. It kind of puts it in perspective. Look at my brother. He didn’t play half as long as I did. And he suffered. So I’m fortunate. I’m very fortunate.” Yes, being issued a gold jacket to be immortalized alongside your football idols is the thrill of a lifetime. “Now I’m thinking, ‘Every event, do I have to wear my yellow jacket?’ Or do people just know I’m a Hall of Famer? I mean, how do I walk in the room?” said Bailey, chuckling at his next assignment of learning the protocols for his new, lofty status in NFL circles. But maybe here’s the biggest blessing for a player that did battle in the NFL wars for 15 years, and hopes to walk this earth for another four decades: Bailey is most thankful he can pull on that shiny gold coat without pain. “I’m so fortunate,” Bailey said, “just to be able to get up from all those tackles and walk around now, able to lift my arms over my head.” Every old Hall of Famer who gathered for the Gold Jacket dinner on Friday night is a legend. But what makes Bailey more remarkable than many of his legendary brethren? He’s unbroken. For Pat Bowlen’s children, immediate focus on Hall of Fame and not future of Broncos By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post August 3, 2019 On the eve of their father’s induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the children of late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen expressed confidence in upholding his legacy. Although they both want to be the Broncos’ next controlling owner, Beth Bowlen Wallace and Brittany Bowlen attempted to side-step the issue on Friday. “Beth and I both agree that this organization is a top priority for this family and we adore and love this community and we want to do right by them,” Brittany said. “But (the weekend) is about my dad and celebrating him and his Hall of Fame career.” Said Wallace: “Like Brittany said, this is about the Hall of Fame, my father, and his honor. I’m so glad we’re here as a family talking about that.” In June and October 2018, respectively, Wallace and Brittany Bowlen expressed their desire to succeed their father. Since July 2014, the Broncos have been led by a three-person trust, headed by president/CEO Joe Ellis. It was Pat Bowlen’s desire to keep the team in the family and empowered the trustees to sell the team if none of his children are interested or deemed qualified for the role. Walking out of McKinley High School, where media availability was held, Brittany told The Denver Post she will “soon” meet with Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis to map out her return to the organization. Asked if she was excited to see what plan Ellis presents, she said, “Of course … to make a plan with him.” On July 17, Ellis said he would be meeting with Bowlen to “go over some elements of her job description,” and that she would re-join the team, “sometime late this year or right after the season ends.” A January 2018 story in The Denver Post outlined the document sent by the trustees to Bowlen’s seven children and his wife, Annabel, that wasn’t a checklist per se, but a list of items (education and work experience) any Bowlen child would need to meet to be considered (but not guaranteed) their father’s role. The Bowlen children have tried to present a united front since their father was elected to the Hall in February. The plan for the future is unknown. The plan for this weekend is to enjoy the recognition their father is receiving while continuing to mourn his death on June 13 after a long fight with Alzheimer’s and make sure fans are aware of his legacy, not only with the Broncos (three Super Bowl titles) but at the league level (instrumental in negotiating labor and television deals). The Bowlen contingent were all over the Canton area on Induction Eve. At the annual “State of the Hall” event, the Class of 2019 surprised Hall of Fame officials and the Bowlen family by making an undisclosed donation in Pat’s name to the Hall. Bowlen’s five daughters attend the event. Kevin Mawae made the announcement on behalf of fellow inductees Champ Bailey, Ty Law, Ed Reed, Gil Brandt, Tony Gonzalez, and Johnny Robinson. Mawae said the idea was planted during a site visit to the Hall after he was elected. “(Hall of Fame president David Baker) showed us some things and there was a wall with donor names,” Mawae said. “I looked at the list of names and not one Hall of Famer was on the wall and I thought it was pretty cool for our class to stand out from other classes so I reached out to my classmates to ask if they would be willing to make a donation, however big or small. “During that time, Mr. Bowlen passed away and we decided to make that donation in honor of him.” Wallace, her siblings and Baker became emotional as they watched Mawae’s announcement. “Completely unexpected,” she said. “There were a lot of things we expected through this process, but that donation, I thought it was special enough and then Kevin said they were making it on Pat Bowlen’s behalf and that’s when tears streamed down my face. “It brought to everybody’s attention the commitment this class is making to the Hall of Fame. And it was just another example of how my father impacted people around him, whether they played for him or not.” Brittany Bowlen was also a guest at a surprise luncheon for former NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol, who Brittany considers a mentor. Ebersol, along with Pat Bowlen and Dallas owner Jerry Jones, spearheaded the creation of “Sunday Night Football.” Ebersol received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Hall. Early Friday afternoon, Wallace and Patrick, Brittany, Annabel, and Christanna Bowlen, along with Broncos director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos (whose video tribute will introduce Pat on Saturday), headed west to Massillon and the Boys & Girls Club to present the facility with a bench to honor the Broncos and their father. Pat Bowlen financed a Boys & Girls Club in Denver. “He loved their mission and it was all-around dedication and being caring and responsible citizens for the community,” Brittany Bowlen said. It was then back to Canton for media availability. Antonopulos, Wallace and Patrick, Brittany, Annabel and Christianna did a joint interview session. During the group session, Patrick Bowlen said the Broncos are in good hands if they remain in the family.