John Elway

Football Player

• Born: June 28, 1960
• Place of Birth: Port Angeles, Washington

SPORT: Football

Early Life

John Albert Elway Jr., one of the most gifted athletes to play quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), was born on June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Washington. The son of Jack and Janet Elway, Elway grew up in a close, affectionate family. He had an especially warm relationship with his twin sister, Jana. Since Elway’s father was a college football coach, the Elway family left Washington’s rugged Olympic peninsula and moved frequently while the children were growing up. Elway’s father always found time to play various sports with him.

Although Elway’s father never pressured him to excel at sports, he instructed him in football, basketball, and baseball. When Elway was three years old, he swung his first plastic baseball bat, holding it in a perfect right-hander’s stance. His father taught him how to swing from the left side as well, so he learned to bat from both sides of the plate. When the family moved to Los Angeles, Elway’s father searched for a school with a football team known for its passing attack. Having chosen the best school district for his boy, he then began the search for a home to buy in that district.

At Granada Hills High School, Elway earned straight A's. He played varsity football, throwing as many as 40 passes in a game. After Elway had passed for 3,000 yards in twelve games, his coach began to realize he was professional quarterback material, something Elway’s father had long known. Even when Elway was young, he had exceptional vision. He was able to see everything happening on the basketball court or the football field. In football, he could see the whole field without distraction from his focus on the primary receiver.

The Road to Excellence

After high school, Elway decided to play football at Stanford University. He was the starting quarterback his sophomore year. After that season, his coach predicted that Elway would eventually win the Heisman Trophy. In fact, he was the first sophomore in eighteen years to be a first-team all-American, and was chosen as West Coast and Pac-10 Conference player of the year.

Meanwhile, Elway studied economics, maintaining a B average. He was awarded the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Today’s Top Five award not only for his athletic success and leadership qualities, but also for his academic prowess. He also participated in the Fiesta Bowl-NCAA drug education program. In the summers, Elway played baseball. As a senior, he was contracted to play baseball for the New York Yankees farm team for $140,000. Though he did well, Elway played only one season for the Oneonta Yankees before returning to Stanford for the fall of his senior year.

In 1982, during his last college football season, Elway led the NCAA Division I with twenty-four touchdown passes. He set NCAA Division I career records for completions, interception avoidance, passing attempts, and most games with 200 or more passing yards. He was a consensus all-American, but he came in second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

The NFL

Not surprisingly, Elway was chosen first in the 1983 NFL Draft, but he refused to play for the Baltimore Colts, the team that had selected him. He threatened to become a baseball player rather than play for the Colts’ coach, who was known to be a brutal disciplinarian. A week later, the Colts traded the rights to Elway to the Denver Broncos, who soon signed him to a long-term contract.

Even before starting his professional football career, Elway was the best-known rookie quarterback since Joe Namath. His arrival in Denver caused tremendous commotion, with fans and media around him at all times. He became known as the “Duke of Denver.” Elway, whose twin sister described him as happiest behind a mask at a Halloween party, was never comfortable with too much attention. He had to get used to it, however, as he gained increasing national prominence.

Elway began his first season under the weight of high expectations and had a tough season. He was not prepared for the speed at which professionals play the game, and he could not figure out the complex NFL defenses. As a result, Elway completed only 47.5 percent of his 259 passes, for 1,663 yards. He thought about quitting football.

Because of Elway’s competitiveness, he persevered. He studied films during the off-season and worked out with weights, building himself up. By his third NFL season, it all paid off. He led the NFL in total offense and completed 54 percent of his 605 passes, throwing 22 touchdowns.

While Elway had matured as a player, he still threw too many interceptions. He believed, stubbornly, that he could do anything with his all-powerful arm and fast feet. He tried to make great plays all the time—as his fans expected—relying on improvisation and instinct. However, he soon learned that he was trying to do too much and that he needed to play smart, read defenses better, and accept what the defenses gave him.

By the 1986 season, he posted numbers that showed he had achieved the greatness long predicted for him: 280 of 504 passes for 3,485 yards and 19 touchdowns. That year, he threw only 13 interceptions. In 1986, 1987, and 1989, he led the Broncos to victories in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship games and on to the Super Bowl. Some said Elway was a one-man team.

In 1990, in Super Bowl XXIV, Denver lost badly to the San Francisco 49ers, 55–10. Joe Montana of the 49ers earned most valuable player honors. Elway and his father stayed up the whole night after the game playing ping-pong, both of them grudging losers unable to call it quits.

In 1993, Elway was named AFC most valuable player by the NFL Placekickers Association and AFC offensive player of the year by United Press International. He was the starting quarterback in the 1994 Pro Bowl after a regular season in which he led the AFC in all six major quarterback statistical categories. Elway’s 1993 statistics and rankings included a 92.8 rating, first in the AFC, third in the NFL; 551 attempts, first in the NFL; 348 completions, first in the NFL; a 63.2 completion percentage, first in the AFC, third in the NFL; 25 touchdown passes, first in the AFC, second in the NFL; and 4,030 yards, first in the AFC.

In 1996, Elway earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection and was again a statistical leader. That year, he moved into third place in all-time career passing yards and became the third NFL player to throw for 45,000 yards in a career. Elway also surpassed hall-of-famer Fran Tarkenton as the winningest starting quarterback in NFL history.

In 1997 and 1998, Elway continued to be an elite quarterback, cementing his place in NFL history as one of the top quarterbacks of all time. He capped his career in Super Bowl XXXII on January 25, 1998, by leading the Broncos to a 31–24 victory over the Green Bay Packers, and in Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999, by contributing to a 34–19 win against the Atlanta Falcons. With two Super Bowl victories to his credit, Elway announced his retirement from professional football in April 1999.

When his playing days ended, Elway entered the business world. He owned several auto dealerships and was the proprietor of two steak houses in the Denver area. He also was co-owner of the Colorado Crush, an Arena Football League team, from 2002 to 2008. In 2004, Elway was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In 2011, he became the executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos, and a few months later he became general manager after Brian Xanders left the position at the end of the 2011 season. While the Broncos had finished 4–12 in 2010, Elway led the team to four consecutive AFC West Division titles, a first in franchise history. Elway signed quarterback Peyton Manning to the Broncos as a free agent in 2012. After the 2012 season, Elway became the first executive in the Super Bowl era to lead a four-win improvement and deliver a division title in each of his first two years with a team. Under Elway's management, the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in 2015.

Elway stepped down as general manager after the 2020 season and became the president of football operations. In 2022, he took on a contractual position that reported directly to the general manager, but, in 2023, his affiliation with the team ended.

Personal Life

Elway married Janet Buchan in 1984. They had four children, Jessica, Jordan, Jack, and Juliana, before their marriage ended in divorce in 2003. Elway married Paige Green, a former cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders, in August 2009.

Summary

John Elway is considered by some to be the most gifted athlete ever to play quarterback in the NFL. After he joined the Denver Broncos in 1984, the team became the AFC’s premier franchise. After a number of attempts, Elway and the Denver Broncos finally triumphed in the Super Bowl in 1998 and 1999. As general manager, he helped lead the team to its third NFL championship in 2015.

Bibliography

"How the Broncos Landed Peyton Manning in 2012." Sports Illustrated. Time, 9 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

“John Elway: On the Road to Relief.” Saturday Evening Post 277.4 (2005): 24. Print.

“John Elway.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, www.profootballhof.com/players/john-elway/. Accessed 12 July 2024.

Latimer, Clay. John Elway, Armed and Dangerous. Rev. ed. Lenexa: Addax, 2002. Print.

"Staff Directory: John Elway." DenverBroncos.com. NFL.com, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

Williams, Doug. “Remembering Elway's Summer of Baseball.” ESPN, 6 Sept. 2012, www.espn.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/‗/id/10608/remembering-john-elways-summer-of-baseball. Accessed 12 July 2024.