John Elway repays Broncos owner Pat Bowlen with postgame tribute

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Eighteen years after his signature Super Bowl moment, John Elway was able to return the favor for Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who once hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and said, "This one’s for John."

That’s why there were only four words that Elway wanted to say now that he’s the Broncos general manager and he built a team that on Sunday night won the franchise's third Super Bowl title with a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

"This one’s for Pat," Elway said.

The Broncos have been to seven Super Bowls since Bowlen bought the Broncos in 1983, but this is the first he was unable to attend. He put his ownership stake in the Pat Bowlen Trust in 2014 and is currently deep in his battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His family, led by his wife Annabel, represented him at Super Bowl 50.

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"I didn't want to think about it too much, because I didn't want to jinx anything. But I was waiting for the day that I was able to do that," Elway said. "I was glad, really thrilled, that I would be able to do that."

The Lombardi Trophy will travel back to Denver with the team on Monday and will soon make its way to the Bowlen home.

"We'll take that trophy over to Pat next week and let him cherish it," Elway said.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.