ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — On a cool night in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 7, 2016, John Elway thrust the Lombardi Trophy into the air and hollered, “This one’s for Pat!”

It came 18 years after Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen had declared, “This one’s for John!” following the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship, a 31-24 win over Green Bay.

Bowlen, who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar television deals, died late Thursday, just under two months before his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 75.