Football Greats - John Elway

Born June 28, 1960, John Albert Elway, Jr. is a famous former quarterback for the Denver Broncos (from 1983 to 1998) of the NFL. Among his many records and awards is his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, naming him as the only quarterback to have started in five Superbowls.

His professional career started with his being the 1st pick overall in the 1983 draft, taken by the Baltimore Colts. However, he immediately threatened to quit and return to baseball (which he had played with the New York Yankees organization for two summers previously) if he wasn’t traded. In return for two seasoned players and a first round draft pick the following year, the Colts agreed to trade Elway to the Denver Broncos, where he proceeded to play for his entire professional career. Bronco fans were excited immediately and dubbed him “The Duke” of Denver.

After a trip to the Superbowl in 1997, Elway ruptured his right biceps tendon (his throwing arm) in the American Bowl game in Mexico City. However, the injury was treated without surgery, and he returned to the preseason 19 days later, finally winning a Superbowl, with the aid of Terrell Davis’s excellent running game. The performance was repeated in 1998, and Elway was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award for Superbowl XXXIII. This would be his last game, and he announced his retirement on May 2, 1999, at the age of 38.

Holding more wins than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL, and tied for the most elections to the ProBowl with nine, Elway is considered one of the top quarterbacks of all time. He is third in career passing attempts and yards, as well as completions. He also rushed four touchdowns in his Superbowl games, more than any other quarterback.

Elway also holds the record for game-winning and game-tying drives in the fourth quarter (47). His comeback efforts were made possible by a consistently strong but not dominant team to back him. Part of this could be because coach Dan Reeves, who was the head coach for the Broncos throughout most of Elway’s career, preached a conservative running game, though he never had an excelling running back to fuel the drive. This typically led to the Broncos being behind in the fourth quarter. Elway is also the record holder for sacks in the NFL, having been sacked 516 times in his career.

In 1999, Elway’s number seven jersey was retired, and he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, the first player to ever have the five-year waiting period waived. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 (his first year of eligibility) and is the only player to be inducted as a Bronco.

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