Steve Atwater

Lore & Background

Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players.

In Their Own Story

The 1998 campaign saw Steve Atwater earn his place on the Pro Bowl roster, a testament to his consistent excellence throughout the season. The Broncos entered the year as defending champions and maintained their momentum by winning their first thirteen games before suffering two late-season losses. In the playoffs, they routed the Miami Dolphins 38–3 and overcame a 10–0 deficit against the New York Jets to reach Super Bowl XXXIII. There, Atwater and his teammates faced the Atlanta Falcons, securing a 34–19 victory.

Reader's Guide

Atwater attended Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri and was the school's top athlete, playing football, basketball, and track. He was selected all-conference and league Most Valuable Player as an option style quarterback. He credits his coach there, Mike Russell, as serving as a mentor for him both as a football player and becoming an exemplary citizen. Atwater also is sixth on Lutheran North's all-time passing yards in a season with 1,097 yards in his junior year. He signed with the University of Arkansas, where he was moved from quarterback to safety. He was named to the All-Southwest Conference team three times and named as an All-American twice. During his senior year, Atwater helped the 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team finish the season at 10-2 and win the Southwest Conference championship outright, but lost to UCLA and QB Troy Aikman in the 1989 Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day. 1988 bookended his college career since Arkansas also finished 10–2 after beating Arizona State 18–17 in the 1985 Holiday Bowl during Atwater's freshman season. Helping Atwater's stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, where he logged two interceptions. He was also named defensive most valuable player in the 1989 East-West Shrine Game. He still holds the school record with 14 interceptions in his career. In 1994, Atwater was named to the Razorback All-Century Team and the All-Decade Team for the 1980s. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1998. The Denver Broncos selected Atwater in the first round (20th overall) of the 1989 NFL draft. Atwater was the first safety drafted in 1989. Head coach Dan Reeves was conflicted on which safety to draft after Louis Oliver was unexpectedly still undrafted at 20th overall. Head coach Dan Reeves consulted with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and defensive backs coach Charlie Waters and it was decided they would draft Atwater due to his leadership and instincts. Due to failed contract negotiations, Atwater staged a contract holdout which subsequently caused him to refuse to attend the first two weeks of training camp. On August 1, 1989, the Denver Broncos signed Atwater to a four—year, $2 million rookie contract that included an initial signing bonus of $750,000. Upon his arrival at training camp, Atwater was slated to takeover a starting role at

Did You Know?

• Atwater was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.
• He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.
• Atwater still holds the University of Arkansas school record with 14 interceptions in his career.
• He was named defensive most valuable player in the 1989 East-West Shrine Game.