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John Elway

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[] at NFL.comJohn Albert Elway, Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Denver Broncos from 1983 through 1998. He holds many college and professional records, and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the only quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls. He is often considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Contents

Biography

Early life

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 and 49 passing touchdowns.

College

He attended Stanford University where he played both football and baseball. His last football game at Stanford was one of the most famous games of all time, the 1982 Big Game versus the University of California, Berkeley (also known as Cal), which ended with "The Play", an amazing (and infamous) play with five lateral passes that allowed Cal to win the game. 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. His 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. Although his team never qualified to play in a college bowl game, in 2000, Elway was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Elway also excelled as a baseball player, finishing his senior year hitting .361 with 9 home runs and 50 RBIs in 49 games.

Elway graduated with a degree in economics, and he is a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

Draft

In the 1983 NFL 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 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.

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". He soon became known to by all the Broncos fans simply as "The Duke" of Denver.

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 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 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 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 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 AFC's 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. 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 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. He was already being compared to other famous quarterbacks who had failed to win a championship, like Fran Tarkenton and Dan Fouts.

1990s professional career

Ending on Top

It took Elway another eight 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 play in his fourth Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos faced the defending Super Bowl champions Green Bay Packers. They would go on to defeat the Packers 31-24, finally winning a Super Bowl after three failed attempts. In 1998, the Broncos repeated this feat and Elway was awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII, throwing for 336 yards and 1 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.

Legacy

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 third to Dan Marino and Brett Favre in career passing attempts and third behind Marino and Favre in passing yards and completions. His 4 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 4 different Super Bowls (running back Thurman Thomas was the first).

Stats

Elway also holds the record for most game-winning or game-tying scoring drives in the fourth quarter, with 47. Elway holds the rather undesirable record for most times being sacked (516) and most career interceptions thrown in a Super Bowl, with eight.

Elway threw for 1,128 yards in his 5 Super Bowls, second only to Joe Montana's record of 1,142 yards. His 76 Super Bowl pass completions rank him third behind Montana and Jim Kelly.

Hall of Fame

His number 7 jersey was retired by the Denver Broncos on Monday September 13 during half time in a game vs the Miami Dolphins, 1999, that game he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He was the first player to have the five-year waiting period waived. Also in 1999 he was inducted in to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. In 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, by his oldest daughter Jessica Gwen. He is the only player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Bronco.

Career highlights

Pop Culture

John Elway was known for being very personable and appearing on commercials for the foam Vortex football. When the Koosh Vortex football was first introduced in 1994, Elway threw it over 90 yards. In 1998, Elway made history again, throwing the new Vortex Mach 110 over 110 yards.

Elway has suffered a long-term battle with acid reflux disease. In 2003, he made this condition public and became the spokesman for [Prevacid].

John Elway is constantly referenced on South Park. In many instances the boys look to him as a hero. It was thought that Elway was Eric Cartman's father. In one episode ,"The Wacky Molestation Adventure", a John Elway statue is known as the "provider" for the boys' make-believe town. Stan Marsh has many posters of Elway on his bedroom wall. In another episode with Barbra Streisand, Stan asks her if she knows John Elway. When she replies no, Stan says "You're so rich and famous, but you don't know John Elway?". In It's Christmas in Canada, at least Stan expresses interest in a John Elway doll action figure for christmas.

He has twice been lampooned on The Simpsons. In Cape Feare, he is Homer's preferred new identity, as Homer fantasizes himself scoring a touchdown as the Broncos quarterback in a Super Bowl. However, upon vewing the scoreboard, it shows that the Broncos are trailing in the game, 55-7. This is a reference to Super Bowl XXIV, which Elway's Broncos lost 55-10, with Elway scoring the only touchdown of the game for his team long after the Broncos had any hope of making a comeback. In You Only Move Twice, the Denver Broncos are seen haplessly getting their football drills wrong after Homer receives the team as a gift from Hank Scorpio. Homer is disappointed as he'd always dreamt of owning the Dallas Cowboys. "Awww the Denver Broncos..," Homer later says. Ironically enough, the Denver Broncos won the next two Super Bowls after the original airing of that episode.

Two days before the 2006 AFC Championship Game on the Denver Broncos versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, a high school student named Joshua Vannoy in Pennsylvania sported an Elway jersey. The 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 for fun. When Elway heard the news, he sent Vannoy a custom designed [recliner].

John Elway and his Elway Foundation host a charity golf tournament every year called the John Elway Golf Classic. Profits are split equally between two local charities, The Kempe Foundation and [[The Family Advocacy, Care and Support (F.A.C.E.S.), both of which combat child abuse.

Career statistics

Regular season

 ¹Led league ²Second place ³Third place †Tied
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 33 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

 *'''includes Super Bowl
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

References

External links

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