John Albert Elway (born June 28, 1960) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos from 1983 through 1998.
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| Position: | Quarterback |
| College: | Stanford |
| NFL draft: | 1983, 1st round, 1st overall, Baltimore Colts |
| Pro career: | 16 seasons |
| Hall of Fame: | Pro Football Broncos |
Biography
Elway was born in Port Angeles, Washington. He attended Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, California. He ended his high school career with 5,711 passing yards 49 passing touchdowns. He attended Stanford University where he played baseball and football. His last football game at Stanford was one of the most famous games of all time, the 1982 Big Game versus Cal, which ended with "The Play", an amazing play with five laterals that allowed Cal to win the game. By the end of his senior year, Elway had set nearly every Pac-10 and Stanford career record for total offense and passing. He was a consensus All-American and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting. He graduated with a degree in economics. Elway is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.
In the 1983 draft, Elway was selected as the 1st overall pick by the Baltimore Colts, but he threatened to quit football and play professional baseball if he was not traded (he had by then played two summers in the New York Yankees organization). The Colts traded him to the Denver Broncos for two veterans and a first-round pick in the 1984 draft. In his fifth season, Elway was named league MVP.
In the 1986 season, Elway lead the Broncos to Super Bowl XXI, after defeating the Cleveland Browns on a famous possesion at the end of the game that became known as The Drive. 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 5 yards on their next 3 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 possesion, cutting their lead to 10-9. Then in the second half, the Giants scored the 30 points and ended up winning the game 39-20. Still Elway had an impressive performance, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interceptionn, while also leading Denver in rushing with 27 yards on the ground.
In 1987, Elway was selected to start in the AFC pro bowl 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 appearence, 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 overcame 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. 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. But overall, Elway's performance was rather dissapointing: just 14 out of 38 completions for 257 yards and 1 touchdown, with 3 interceptions.
After recording an 8-8 record in 1988, Elway once again lead his team to the Super Bowl in 1989 season, with yet another win over the Browns in the AFC championship game, going on to face the San Fransisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV. However this game ended even worse for the Broncos then their Super Bowl losses. San Fransisco blew out Denver 55-10, the most lopsided score in Super Bowl history. Although Elway scored the only touchdown for his team on a 3-yard run, his performance was exceptionally abysmal: 10 out of 26 completions for 108 yards with no touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. But he didn't try to hide from the media after the game or dowplay his dismal performance. And when he was asked if he wanted to go back to the Super Bowl after 3 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. He was already being compared to other famous quarterbacks who failed to win a championship, like Fran Tarkenton and Dan Fouts.
It took Elway another 8 years, but eventually he did lead his team back to the Super Bowl in 1997. 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 finally win a Super Bowl — behind the overwhelming running game of Terrell Davis — finally winning a Super Bowl after 3 dissapointing failed attempts. In 1998, the Broncos repeated this feat and Elway was awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII; it was his last game.
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. Not only does he have more wins than any other quarterback in NFL history, but he has the best winning percentage in league history (148-82-1), and is tied for most Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback (nine). He is second to Dan Marino in career passing attempts and third behind Marino and Brett Favre in passing yards and completions. He is the first quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls.
Elway also holds the record for most game-winning or game-tying scoring drives in the fourth quarter, with 47. Surprisingly often, if Elway had the ball late in the fourth quarter and the Broncos were within a touchdown, he would lead them to tie or win the game. Elway had many comeback opportunities because for most of his career, the Broncos were a good, but not dominant, team. Part of the reason that Denver was not a dominant team can be attributed to Dan Reeves, who coached Elway for the majority of his career. Reeves had a conservative "run-first" approach, and did not have an intimidating running back to power the offense. This often left the Broncos in situations where they were behind in the fourth quarter. Elway holds the record for most times being sacked (516).
He and his ex-wife Janet have four children: daughters Jessica, Jordan, Juliana, and a son, Jack. Jessica Elway was a member of Stanford's women's basketball team during her freshman year.
His number 7 jersey was retired by the Denver Broncos in 1999, the same year he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He was the first player to have the five-year waiting period waived. In 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the only player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Bronco.
Career highlights
- In 1979, Elway was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals to play baseball in the MLB.
- In the 1981 summer draft, he was the first selection of the New York Yankees. The following year he hit .314 and a club-high 24 runs while playing for the Oneonta, New York single-A farm club.
- In the 1983 NFL draft, he was selected as the 1st 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 miracle 5-minute, 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the AFC Championship against the Cleveland Browns to tie the game, leading to an overtime win by field goal 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.
- In 1991, he became the only quarterback to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 200 yards in the same season for seven consecutive seasons.
- He was named the AFC Offensive MVP in 1993 when he passed for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.
- In 1997, he 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.
- On January 31, 1999, in Super Bowl XXXIII he passed for 336 yards in a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Elway was named the Super Bowl MVP.
- He was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times during his 16 seasons with the Broncos.
- Over his professional career, he led his teams to a record 47 fourth quarter comebacks.
- He led the NFL all-time list with 148 wins as a starting quarterback. He was also sacked 516 times, more than any other quarterback.
- At retirement, Elway's 300 career touchdown passes placed him third behind Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton.
- He was only the second quarterback to pass for at least 3,000 yards in 12 seasons.
- On January 31, 2004, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- On August 8, 2004, he was inducted to the Hall of Fame along with Bob Brown, Carl Eller, and Barry Sanders.
- Elway's economics degree from Stanford has also benefited him. He started a very successful network of car dealerships in the Denver area (later sold to Wayne Huizenga), and is also the owner of the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League.
Career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1983 | 259 | 123 | 1,663 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 146 | 5.2 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 380 | 214 | 2,598 | 18 | 15 | 56 | 237 | 4.2 | 1 | |
| 1985 | 605¹ | 327² | 3,891² | 22 | 23 | 51 | 253 | 5.0 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 504 | 280 | 3,485 | 19 | 13 | 52 | 257 | 4.9 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 410 | 224 | 3,198 | 19 | 12 | 66 | 304 | 4.6 | 4 | |
| 1988 | 496 | 274 | 3,309 | 17 | 19 | 54 | 234 | 4.3 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 416 | 223 | 3,051 | 18 | 18 | 48 | 244 | 5.1 | 3 | |
| 1990 | 502 | 294 | 3,526 | 15 | 14 | 50 | 258 | 5.2 | 3 | |
| 1991 | 451 | 242 | 3,253 | 13 | 12 | 55 | 255 | 4.6 | 6 | |
| 1992 | 316 | 174 | 2,242 | 10 | 17 | 34 | 94 | 2.8 | 2 | |
| 1993 | 551¹ | 348¹ | 4,030¹ | 25² | 10 | 44 | 153 | 3.5 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 494 | 307 | 3,490 | 16 | 10 | 58 | 235 | 4.1 | 4 | |
| 1995 | 542 | 316 | 3,970 | 26 | 14 | 41 | 176 | 4.3 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 466 | 287 | 3,328 | 26 | 14 | 50 | 249 | 5.0 | 4 | |
| 1997 | 502 | 280 | 3,635 | 27 | 11 | 50 | 218 | 4.4 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 356 | 210 | 2,806 | 22 | 10 | 37 | 94 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Total (all-time) |
7,250 (3rd) |
4,123 (3rd) |
51,475 (3rd) |
300 (4th) |
226 | 774 | 3,407 | 4.4 | 33 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1983 | 15 | 10 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 37 | 19 | 184 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1986* | 107 | 57 | 805 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 101 | 0.0 | 2 | |
| 1987* | 89 | 42 | 797 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 76 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1989* | 82 | 42 | 732 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 91 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 54 | 30 | 378 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 49 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 47 | 29 | 302 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 38 | 25 | 226 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1997* | 96 | 56 | 726 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1998* | 86 | 45 | 691 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 34 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| Total | 651 | 355 | 4,964 | 27 | 21 | 94 | 461 | 0.0 | 6 | |
Reference
- The Associated Press, "Clock runs out on Elway", Arizona Daily Wildcat, May 3, 1999.[1]
- Ivan Carter, "KC helped make Elway a star", The Kansas City Star, August 8, 2004, p. C8.
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway biography
- DenverBroncos.com (official team site): Elway tribute
- NFL.com: Elway profile
- SI/CNN: John Elway statistics
- Pro-Football-Reference.com: John Elway statistics
- ESPN SportscenturyBio
- BlogTrap John Elway article