Editor's note: This is part of a weeklong look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019, focusing on plays, moments or defining characteristics of the inductees.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For more than three decades, Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen was the guiding hand of one of the NFL's most successful franchises.

His tenure was marked by as many Super Bowl trips -- seven -- as losing seasons. The Broncos won 13 division titles, seven AFC championships and three Super Bowls between his purchase of the team in 1984 and his death in June.

There are 30-somethings in Denver whose entire football lives have been filled with wins and the ever-present pursuit of the Super Bowl as Bowlen annually made no secret he believed his team should "go 16-0'' and "be No. 1 in everything."

Bowlen was the only owner in the NFL to have had four different head coaches reach the Super Bowl, and his team is the only one to have at least 90 wins in three consecutive decades.

Bowlen will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2019 on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). In all of those moments, many will simply say Bowlen summed it all up with four simple words he said on Jan. 25, 1998.

'It was never about him'

Rod Smith, former Broncos wide receiver: "Mr. B, man, that guy was a champion, a success, he knew what it took to get everybody going in the same direction. He had that ability to be the boss and still make everyone feel like they were empowered to do the best they could do. It was never about him, you know? It was always about the Broncos, the players, the coaches, never about him."

John Elway, Broncos president of football operations/general manager: "Pat's greatest strength, to me, was how he made you feel. He guided the organization, made decisions, listened to opinions, tried to hire the best people, and he made it clear the Denver Broncos were about trying to be world champions all the time. But he did it while letting people do their jobs and he made everyone feel like they had a piece in it. And the credit always went to other people from him. But really he was behind it all."

Bowlen (in 2006): "I've said I would much rather operate behind the curtain and let the athletes and the coaches be the entertainment. I do believe that. I think that's the way it should be."

The pain of 1996

The Broncos went 13-3 in 1996, earning home-field advantage in the playoffs. Former coach Mike Shanahan said he believed the team was poised "to do something special, I think we all believed that, I mean we were top five in offense and defense that year." And yet, the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Broncos 30-27 at home in the divisional round, bringing a shocking end to the year.

Shanahan: "We lose to Jacksonville; they frickin' beat us at home. We were a good football team, but if you're a good team, you have to beat Jacksonville in that situation. I told Pat 'I didn't do a very good job of preparing us.' ... We weren't ready to play, we weren't physical, you can't lose a game like that if you're a head coach. And how we played was a reflection of that and I told Pat 'I'm responsible, I didn't do a good job in that situation.' But he said we needed to do everything possible not to let it happen again, the get back to work, it was a big part of the next two years when we did get it done."

Smith: "Everybody in that locker room, from John on, wanted to make sure it never happened again. You don't forget that kind of loss because you really don't know what will happen, you don't really know if you'll really get another chance."

Elway: "We weren't going to let that happen again. We carried that. I think you could see that when we did win it."

'This one's for John'

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The Broncos went 12-4 in 1997, finishing second to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. They overpowered the Jaguars 42-17 in the wild-card game, won 14-10 against Kansas City and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21 in the AFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XXXII against the favored Green Bay Packers marked Elway's fourth trip to the title game, with three of those being crushing defeats.

Smith: "We just had that feeling we could do what we needed to do. That we could play any kind of game we needed to."

Elway: "You look back and I think I had 123 yards (passing) in the game, not one of those huge games, for sure. But we were a tough team, with T.D. (running back Terrell Davis) on offense, and we prepared and we worked."

Former Broncos guard Mark Schlereth: "We were tested, we could play with toughness. I don't think we felt like we could be kept from where we wanted to go."

Elway: "I'll always remember how it felt when we won. Just everything that had gone into it, 15 years, disappointments, big games, some big wins, the guys you played with. I'll always remember that."

Davis, who was the game's MVP: "Greatest feeling. It's always yours. You and the guys you played with are always a Super Bowl champion. And Mr. B put the stamp on it forever."

Just minutes after the Broncos' win, Bowlen took the microphone on the victory stand and said: "There's one thing I want to say here tonight, there's only four words ..."

Bowlen then picked up the Lombardi Trophy with his right hand and held it aloft as he said:

"This one's for John."