Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions while at Stanford. He also received All-American honors. Elway was drafted #1 overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts before being traded to the Denver Broncos. In 1987, he embarked on what is considered to be one of the most clutch and iconic performances in sports and in NFL history, helping engineer the Broncos on a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the AFC Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. The moment is known in National Football League lore as "The Drive". Following the AFC Championship Game, Elway and the Broncos lost in Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants. It would be the first of a record five Super Bowl starts at quarterback in Elway's career.
After two more Super Bowl losses, the Broncos entered a period of decline; however, that would end during the 1997 season, as Elway and Denver won their first Super Bowl title by defeating the Green Bay Packers, 31–24, in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos repeated as champions the following season in Super Bowl XXXIII by defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 34–19. Elway was voted MVP of that Super Bowl, which would prove to be the last game of his career.
Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility. Since his retirement, Elway has owned several businesses, including currently being a co-owner of the currently inactive Colorado Crush, an arena football team.
Elway currently writes a weekly NFL blog and occasionally answers members' questions for the newly launched sports website OPEN Sports.com. His son Jack was a quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils for one season.
In December 2010, Elway expressed interest in working as the Broncos' top football executive, after having dinner with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen. However, he expressed no interest in being a head coach or general manager after Josh McDaniels' firing, saying, "I'm not interested in being a head coach. I'm not interested in being a general manager. I don't have that kind of experience to be able to pick those players day in and day out and such."
On January 5, 2011, Elway was named executive vice president of football operations of the Denver Broncos. In this capacity, he reports to Joe Ellis (team president) and oversees both the General Manager (Brian Xanders) and head coach John Fox.
Early life
Elway and his twin sister were born in Port Angeles, Washington, on June 28, 1960, to Janet (née Jordan) and Jack Elway, then a high school head coach at Port Angeles High School on the Olympic Peninsula. The following year the family of five, which included sister Lee Ann, a year older than the twins, moved to southwestern Washington where Jack was the junior college football coach at Grays Harbor Community College in Aberdeen for five seasons. As a youth he lived primarily in Missoula, Montana, and Pullman, Washington, when his father was an assistant coach at Montana and Washington State, respectively.
His father became the head coach at Cal State-Northridge in March 1976, and the Elways moved to the San Fernando Valley in southern California, where John played his final three years of high school football at Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills. He ended his high school career with 5,711 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns, and was named to the PARADE All America High School Football Team. Known as a dual-threat quarterback, meaning he was accomplished at running and escaping pressure, and had impressive passing ability, he was the number-one recruited high school player in the country, receiving over 60 scholarship offers.(One of those offers were from his father, who became the head coach at San Jose State following the 1978 season.) Also an accomplished baseball player, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft. The Royals drafted Dan Marino in the fourth round of the same draft.
College career
He enrolled at Stanford University in 1979 where he played both football and baseball. In his senior season in 1982, Stanford was 5-5 and needed to win their final game, the Big Game against California, to secure an invitation to the Hall of Fame Classic bowl game. With two minutes remaining in the game, Stanford was down 19-17 and they were on 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line. Elway completed a 29-yard pass and drove the ball downfield to the 35-yard line, where Mark Harmon kicked what appeared to be the winning field goal. However, the clock had four seconds remaining, so Stanford had to kick off. What transpired then is now simply known as "The Play", where Cal players lateraled the ball five times – two of them controversial – and scored a touchdown to win the game. Elway was bitter about the game afterward, stating that the officials "ruined my last game as a college football player." Stanford athletics director Andy Geiger said the loss cost Elway the Heisman Trophy. 20 years later, Elway came to terms with The Play, saying that "each year it gets a little funnier."
Although Elway never led his team to a bowl game, he had an accomplished college career. In his four seasons (1979–1982) at Stanford, he completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns. Stanford had a 20–23 record during his tenure. Elway's 24 touchdown passes in 1982 led the nation, and he graduated with nearly every Stanford and Pacific-10 career record for passing and total offense. He won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1980 and 1982, was a consensus All-American, and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior. In 2000, Elway was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2007, Elway was ranked #15 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list. Thomas Davids, an assistant football coach, said that Elway was the "best looking ball player he had ever seen."
Draft
In the 1983 NFL Draft, Elway was selected as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts. Elway had, by then, played two summers of minor league baseball for the New York Yankees organization, and threatened to join the Yankees full-time unless the Colts traded him. He was wary of playing for the Colts, then among the worst teams in the league. He was also unwilling to play for their then-head coach, Frank Kush, who had a reputation as a harsh taskmaster. Eventually, Colts owner Robert Irsay gave in. The Colts traded him to the Denver Broncos for QB Mark Herrmann, rights to OL Chris Hinton and a first-round pick (OG Ron Solt) in the 1984 NFL Draft on May 2, 1983. Elway is one of three quarterbacks in the history of the NFL Draft (started in 1936) to be drafted #1 and go on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The other two are Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman.
1980s professional career
Elway stormed into the mile-high air as one of the most highly anticipated athletes in the history of the NFL. The local newspapers ran a section that was called "The Elway Watch".
Elway would debut that season in the Broncos season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium. He was sacked for the first time in his NFL career at the hands of linebacker and fellow Hall of Famer Jack Lambert.
Although the Broncos were playoff contenders for his early years, Elway would go through the normal growing pains of a young NFL quarterback.
1986
In the 1986 season, Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowl XXI, after defeating the Cleveland Browns on a famous possession at the end of the fourth quarter that became known as "The Drive". (In a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, Elway led his team 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation. The Broncos went on to win the game in overtime). Elway and the Broncos started out the Super Bowl against the New York Giants very well, building a 10–7 lead and then driving to the Giants 1-yard line in the second quarter. However, the Broncos lost five yards on their next three plays and came up empty after kicker Rich Karlis missed the field goal attempt. From that point on, the rest of the game went downhill for the Broncos. Elway was sacked in the end zone for a safety on the Broncos ensuing possession, cutting their lead to 10–9. Then in the second half, the Giants scored 30 points and ended up winning the game 39–20. Still, Elway had an impressive performance, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, while also leading Denver in rushing with 27 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
1987
In 1987, Elway was selected to start in the American Football Conference's (AFC) Pro Bowl team and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. He went on to once again lead the Broncos to a victory over the Browns in the AFC title game, earning their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, this one against the Washington Redskins. The game started out very well for Denver, and they built up a 10–0 lead by the end of the first quarter. At the time, no team had ever overcome a 10–0 deficit in the Super Bowl. But in the second quarter, the Redskins suddenly stormed back with a record 35 points, and ended up winning Super Bowl XXII 42–10. Elway did have a few highlights. His 56-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Nattiel after just 1:57 had elapsed in the game set a record for the fastest touchdown in Super Bowl history, at the time. He also became the first quarterback ever to catch a pass in the Super Bowl, recording a 23-yard reception from halfback Steve Sewell on a halfback option play. With a porous defense unable to stop the Redskins offense, Elway was forced to take more risks on the offensive end. As a result, Elway's performance was rather disappointing: just 14 out of 38 completions for 257 yards and one touchdown, with three interceptions.
1988–1989
After recording an 8–8 record in 1988, Elway once again led his team to the Super Bowl after the 1989 season, with yet another win over the Browns in the AFC championship game, going on to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV. However this game ended even worse for the Broncos than their previous Super Bowl losses. San Francisco blew out Denver 55-10, the most lopsided score in Super Bowl history. Although Elway scored the only touchdown for his team on a three-yard run, his performance was exceptionally abysmal: 10 out of 26 completions for 108 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions. But he didn't try to hide from the media after the game or downplay his dismal performance. And when he was asked if he wanted to go back to the Super Bowl after three losses, he responded that he wanted to go back every year, even if his team kept losing. Still by this point, many doubted that he would ever win a Super Bowl in his career.
1990s professional career
Ending on top and Super Bowl years (1997–1999)
It took Elway another eight years, but he eventually led his team back to the Super Bowl in 1998. During the 1997 preseason American Bowl game in Mexico City, Elway ruptured his right (throwing arm) biceps tendon. It was treated non-surgically, and he returned to play 19 days later, going on that season to play in his fourth Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos faced the defending Super Bowl champions Green Bay Packers. Despite Elway completing only 11 of 22 passes, throwing no TDs, but one interception, they went on to defeat the Packers 31–24, finally winning a Super Bowl after three failed attempts for Elway (and four for the team). In 1999, the Broncos repeated this feat and Elway was awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII, throwing for 336 yards and one touchdown with one interception, while also scoring a rushing touchdown in Denver's 34–19 win over the Atlanta Falcons. It was his last game, other than the 1999 Pro Bowl.
Legacy
Elway (second from right) at Super Bowl XLIII with Lynn Swann, Roger Craig, Roger Goodell, and General David Petraeus.
On May 2, 1999, at the age of 38, Elway announced his retirement from pro football. Elway is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks ever to play the game. He has one of the best winning percentages in league history (148–82–1), and is tied for second most Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback (nine). He is fourth to Brett Favre, Dan Marino and Peyton Manning in career passing attempts, passing yards and completions. His four total rushing touchdowns in his Super Bowl games are the most ever by a quarterback. Elway is the only quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls. He is also the second player ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (running back Thurman Thomas was the first).
On September 13, 1999, Elway's number 7 jersey was retired by the Denver Broncos during halftime of a Monday Night game against the Miami Dolphins; that same night he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. (Craig Morton, his direct predecessor in Denver, also wore number 7 and is in the Ring of Fame alongside Elway). He was the first Broncos player to have the five-year waiting period waived. Also in 1999 he was inducted in to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Also in 1999, Elway was ranked number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the only player to have spent the majority of his career with the Broncos to make the list (Willie Brown, who began his career with the Broncos but spent more of it with the Oakland Raiders, also made the list). In 2005, TSN published another special feature honoring the 50 Greatest Quarterbacks. Elway was ranked third behind Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana.
Elway was named the greatest athlete wearing the #7 by Sports Illustrated. Current Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who grew up idolizing Elway and Joe Montana, wears number 7 in honor of Elway.
Elway is still considered to be a local legend and hero in Denver, and in the state of Colorado in general.
Elway is the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, winning his last one at the age of 38.
Notable statistics
Elway ended his career with a record 148 victories, since surpassed by Brett Favre for most wins by a starting quarterback. He finished his career with 774 rushing attempts, one shy of NFL record-holder Randall Cunningham (775) for rushes by a quarterback. Elway's 3,417 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time among NFL QB's behind Cunningham, Michael Vick, Steve Young, Fran Tarkenton, and Steve McNair.
Elway threw for 1,128 yards in his five Super Bowls, third most behind Kurt Warner and Joe Montana. His 76 Super Bowl pass completions rank fifth, and his 152 attempts were a Super Bowl record before being broken by Tom Brady. He is one of only two players ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (the other being Thurman Thomas) and the only quarterback to do so. (156 attempts)
Elway holds several Broncos franchise records:
Most Total Offensive Yards: 54,882 yards (51,475 passing, 3,407 rushing)
Most Total Touchdowns: 334 (300 passing, 33 rushing, 1 receiving)
Most Total Plays: 8,027
Winning Percentage: .641 (148–82–1)
Most Career Passing Yards: 51,475
Most Career Completions: 4,123
Most Career Attempts: 7,250
Most Touchdown Passes: 300
Hall of Fame
On August 8, 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was elected in his first year of eligibility. He was presented by his eldest daughter Jessica. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Career highlights
In 1979, Elway was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals to play baseball in MLB. George Brett, the future Hall of Fame third baseman for the Royals, is said to have remarked, "I hope this guy plays football."
In the 1981 MLB Draft, Elway was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round.The following year, he played outfield in 42 games for the Oneonta Yankees of the Class A New York - Penn League.He had a .318 batting average, with four home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a team-high 25 RBI.
In the 1983 NFL Draft, Elway was selected as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts, and on May 2, was traded to the Denver Broncos.
On January 11, 1987, Elway executed "The Drive"—a last ditch, five-minute, 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the AFC Championship against the Cleveland Browns to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, leading to an overtime win by field goal (by Rich Karlis) for the Broncos. It included six passes made (nine attempted), five rushes and an eight-yard sack. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player and the AFC Offensive MVP.
Elway is the only player to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 200 yards in seven straight seasons (1985–1991).
Elway was named the AFC Offensive MVP in 1993 when he passed for over 4,030 yards and 25 touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 92.8.
In 1997, Elway led the Broncos to their first ever Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXII. His three previous attempts in Super Bowls XXI, XXII and XXIV were unsuccessful.
Elway is the oldest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl at age 38 in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Elway is one of only two players to rush for a touchdown in four Super Bowls (XXI, XXIV, XXXII, XXXIII). Thurman Thomas is the other.
On January 31, 1999, in Super Bowl XXXIII, Elway passed for 336 yards in a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He was named the Super Bowl MVP.
Elway was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times during his 16 seasons with the Broncos, a franchise record.
Over his professional career, Elway led Denver to 34 comeback wins in the 4th quarter & overtime, tied for third with Johnny Unitas.
Elway's 148 wins place him second to Brett Favre for career wins among quarterbacks.
Elway was sacked 516 times, second to Favre for most times sacked in NFL history.
Elway's 300 career touchdown passes places him fifth behind Favre, Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton and Peyton Manning.
Elway is one of only four quarterbacks to pass for at least 3,000 yards in 12 seasons; Favre, Marino and Manning are the others.
On January 31, 2004, Elway was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Business activities
Elway is currently co-owner of the Arena Football team Colorado Crush, a position he has held since 2002. In February 2007, Elway was elected chairman of the Arena Football League's executive committee. On August 4, 2009 the Arena Football League announced an indefinite suspension of operations. Elway was one of the 17 remaining franchise owners that voted to suspend operations indefinitely.
Elway is the owner of two steakhouse restaurants, each named "Elway's": One is located in the upscale Cherry Creek shopping district, and the other is in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver.
Elway used to own five auto dealerships, called John Elway Autos, in the Denver area. He sold them to AutoNation for $82.5 million in 1997. In December 2006, Elway ended the nine-year licensing agreement with AutoNation Inc., removing his name from Denver-area dealerships. At the time, Elway said the move could allow him to get back into the auto business under his own name. He still owns two Toyota Scion dealerships, one in Manhattan Beach, California and another in Ontario, California and a Nissan dealership in Riverside, California.
In September 2008, Elway became the spokesperson for OpenSports.com. Elway also writes a weekly NFL blog on the site.
Elway had LASIK eye surgery and endorsed Icon LASIK in the Denver area in November 2008.
Elway currently offers his commentary on the Broncos and the NFL season as a whole Friday mornings during the football season on 87.7 The Ticket in Denver.
Family
Elway married Janet Buchan, who attended Stanford University and competed on its swimming team, in 1984. They had four children before separating in 2002 and divorcing in 2003.
Jessica Elway was a student at Stanford University. During her freshman year, she was a member of the Stanford women's basketball team. However, she did not rejoin the team for her sophomore year. She previously attended Cherry Creek High School, located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Jessica gave an introduction speech for her father at his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, becoming the first daughter to ever introduce her father as an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. She graduated in 2008 after spending time abroad in Seville, Spain.
Jordan Elway graduated college with a nursing degree in 2011. Soon after she went to Chile for two weeks to study nursing there. She also got a job at children's hospital on the 8th floor.
Jack Elway played quarterback at Cherry Creek High School in Colorado, receiving All-State honors his senior year, graduating in 2008. John worked as the quarterback coach for Cherry Creek for Jack's senior year. Jack signed to play quarterback for Arizona State University but left the team in April 2009. ASU's head coach Dennis Erickson was his grandfather Jack's first offensive coordinator, from 1979–81, at San José State, the elder Jack's first Division I head coaching job.
Juliana Elway is still in college and is very interested in being a teacher.
Elway's twin sister Jana developed lung cancer and died at the age of 42 in the summer of 2002. John's father, Jack, died of an apparent heart attack a year earlier.
Elway proposed marriage to former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Paige Green in Italy in September 2008. Elway and Green were married in August 2009. Elway met Green in 2005 at a celebrity golf tournament held by former Raiders running back Marcus Allen in Los Angeles.
Pop culture
Elway appeared on commercials for the foam Vortex football.
Elway has suffered a long-term battle with acid reflux disease. In 2003, he made this condition public.
Elway is often referenced on South Park, a cartoon set in Colorado.
Elway has twice been lampooned on The Simpsons.
In 1994, Elway appeared in an episode of Home Improvement. along with Grant Hill and Evander Holyfield. The season 3 episode, "Eve of Construction," featured the athletes working with Habitat for Humanity.
Elway was featured as the star of John Elway's Quarterback video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Two days before the 2006 AFC Championship Game pitting the Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a Pennsylvania high school student named Joshua Vannoy sported an Elway jersey. A teacher, John Kelly, an avid Steeler fan, humiliated him by having him sit on the floor during a test and had the students throw paper balls at him. Vannoy, who only wore the jersey because he was an Elway fan, claimed that he wasn't able to concentrate fully on the test, messed up miserably, and was called a "stinking Denver fan." He eventually stopped attending school and had to transfer to another high school. The teacher claimed that the incident was only in fun. When Elway heard the news, he sent Vannoy a custom designed recliner.
Elway and his Elway Foundation, in partnership with Sun Microsytems, host a charity golf tournament every year called the John Elway Celebrity Classic. In its early years, The Elway Tournament was played over two days on two courses, Plum Creek Golf Course in Castle Rock, CO, and at Arrowhead Golf Course in the Denver foothills. In its later years, the Plum Creek venue was replaced by Fox Hollow Golf Course because Fox Hollow had 18 holes and could accommodate a larger field of players. For over a decade, Kim Andereck and other businessmen from around the U. S. joined NFL celebrities, major league baseball stars and others notables for the two day events.
Elway has contributed to a number of Republican Party candidates in recent elections. Following the decision by incumbent U.S. Senator Wayne Allard on January 15, 2007 not to seek another term in 2008, some pundits speculated Elway might campaign for the seat.
Elway appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, in 2007, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. Elway won the competition.
Elway was featured on the cover of All-Pro Football 2K8 video game with Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice.
Elway has appeared in a commercial for Heroes.
Elway was referenced in Bo Burnham's debut song "My Whole Family." Burnham, on the topic of his family viewing him as homosexual, sings "I was John Elway, now I'm Elton John."
Elway is also the name of a band to which the famed quarterback has filed a cease and desist warrant for use of his name. The website can be found here http://www.myspace.com/elway the Bands press response: "We have no intention of changing the name again. We love the name, regardless of what connotations are inferred by the listener. Surely, if the Dead Kennedys could become one of punk's most popular bands without incurring litigation, Elway can keep their moniker and continue making so-so music for our dozens of fans to enjoy."
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