The boss was hurting. And the Broncos’ trainer came to help. Steve Antonopulos has witnessed countless injuries, shattered ankles, shredded knees. He can’t catalog them all in Denver over the past 40 years. But he vividly remembers one he treated in 1984.

It was Pat Bowlen’s first training camp as the Broncos’ owner. He was different from the start. Drive? Who needs a fancy car to navigate the highway to Greeley when a bicycle will do. Bowlen grabbed the handlebars and pedaled off from the team’s old headquarters at 5700 Logan St. He hit a pothole, one of few over the past 32 years during his Broncos stewardship, breaking his collarbone.

WATCH: Broncos roundtable on owner Pat Bowlen’s induction into Ring of Fame

Suddenly, Antonopulos was in front of him.

“I asked him, ‘What did you do?’ And here he was mad he got hurt because it could affect his training. I will always remember his competitiveness. He wanted to be the best at everything he did. I mean, just look at this place,” Antonopulos said, glancing at the Broncos’ plush Dove Valley headquarters. “None of this possible without him.”

Antonopulos leaned forward. His eyes became misty. He got a lump in his throat.

If you want to know why Bowlen’s Ring of Fame induction Sunday night during halftime of the game against Green Bay means so much to the Broncos, walk into the trainer’s room, step into the locker room, call a former player.

Bowlen set the standard for excellence, turning the Broncos into an AFC powerhouse, a two-time Super Bowl champion. Bowlen stood out because he stood in the background, a driving force with a heart in a sport short on sympathy and compassion.

“He loved his players. Loved them,” said Broncos president Joe Ellis.

An ongoing battle with Alz heimer’s disease will prevent Bowlen from attending Sunday’s ceremony. His presence will be felt, though, his void filled by dozens of players, coaches and executives whose lives he impacted.

“He has meant everything to me,” said Ring of Fame wide receiver Rod Smith, a star on the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl teams, which ended a 14-year streak of dominance by NFC franchises. “Here’s a guy who didn’t want any fanfare. I have been told he was shocked by this honor. Why? Because he handles his business behind the scene. As the union rep, I saw all the stuff he did. As a business man, I watched how he delegated and let people do their jobs. He’s one of the best owners ever because he doesn’t look for the camera.”

Desire to win

Bowlen’s story in Denver started before he set foot in the state. He loved football. He started at wide receiver for Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wis., a city of 6,000 bordering the Mississippi River. He played freshman football at the University of Oklahoma. When he purchased the Broncos, he had an outlet for his desire to win beyond his triathlons.

“I know this: The bottom line with Pat was winning,” said Hall of Famer and Broncos general manager John Elway.

What separated Bowlen is that his fierce competitiveness knew boundaries. Where the Yankees’ late George Steinbrenner might scream from his owner’s box during a game or fire an employee on Christmas Day, or the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones might star in commercials, Bowlen shunned the spotlight and never lost his temper.

He applied pressure of expectations without belittling anyone. He wanted excellence, but not at the expense of a relationship.

“Never at one point, not one time, did he come to me and tell me to get a guy on the field. He would gather information and trust us,” Antonopulos said. “He was a special guy. You know, for me, the thing that shows Pat’s character is that even when we won the first Super Bowl, he said it was for John (Elway). It wasn’t about him. It was more important for him to acknowledge what it meant for John, for the team and the fans.”

Bowlen’s human touch resonates with players as much as the victories. He provided them with first-class travel, extra leg room on flights, TVs in the locker room and movies in their hotel rooms for road games. Former quarterback Jake Plummer remembers becoming furious with the NFL when he was not allowed to wear the No. 40 sticker on his helmet honoring former college teammate and fallen soldier Pat Tillman. The NFL said it was permitted for only one game. Bowlen talked with Plummer, and the next week Bowlen placed the No. 40 placard near the play clock in the stadium.

“That was solely for me as a way to continue to honor my close friend,” Plummer said. “He knew how much it mattered to me and took care of it in his own way. I didn’t even know he was going to do it.”

When Ring of Fame running back Terrell Davis blew out his knee in 1999, altering his career path, Bowlen was the first one to call him at the hospital.

“That was him. He was just an awesome guy,” said Davis, one of the 35 players from the 1997 championship team who are expected to attend Sunday’s game. “He was very personable. He would ask questions about your family. He would speak to everybody by name. He was that guy.”

A fitting game

Sunday night presents a perfect intersection to honor Bowlen. The Broncos and Green Bay Packers are undefeated. The Broncos will wear their blue jerseys and white pants, mirroring their look from their Super Bowl XXXII victory over Green Bay. The broadcast figures to be the NFL’s most-watched game so far this season, and it’s fitting since Bowlen helped turned Sunday night into a prime-time event with his work on the league’s broadcast committee.

“I’ve always felt that the really great and iconic owners are the owners who have not only built great franchises individually, but have worked really hard to make the NFL a better product. The fact that Sunday night is now the biggest night — that goes back to Pat. That goes back to him working with Dick Ebersol, who ran NBC Sports (and will be in Denver on Sunday),” NBC broadcaster Al Michaels said. ” ‘Sunday Night’ has about a 50 percent larger audience than ‘Monday Night’ does, and you can attribute that to Pat’s vision and the fact that he figured, ‘Hey, if we can make our big game Sunday night with a flexible schedule and that would be the best way to maximize the value of the NFL on TV.’ “

Bowlen spearheaded the creation of the Ring of Fame in 1984. Friday night, the Broncos unveiled the pillar honoring Bowlen at the Ring of Fame plaza outside Sports Authority Field. Players gathered, staring at the plaque. Bowlen didn’t want recognition, but no Ring of Fame would be complete without him.

The first Super Bowl victory, he famously said, was for John. This weekend’s celebration, the Broncos agreed, is for Pat.

“He wanted us to get back on top. That’s what we are all working for. That’s how Pat was built,” said Elway of the team’s recent five-year run of success. “Money was secondary. He gave us all the resources we needed to put the best team on the field. I am honored he gave me that chance. His mentality and the culture he created have allowed me to do the best job I can for him.”

Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or twitter.com/troyrenck