John Elway

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Elway is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the sport. At the time of his retirement in early 1999, Elway had the most victories by a starting quarterback and was statistically the second most prolific passer in NFL history. He was also a prolific rusher of the ball, being one of only two players to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (the other being Emmitt Smith) and the only quarterback to do so.

In Their Own Story

While playing college football at Stanford, Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions and also received unanimous All-American honors. In his senior season in 1982, Stanford was 5–5 and needed to win its final game, The Big Game at 6–4 Cal, to secure an invitation to the Hall of Fame Classic bowl game. With two minutes remaining in the game, Stanford was down 19–17 and had 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line. Elway completed a 29-yard pass and drove the ball downfield to the 35-yard line, where Mark Harmon kicked what appeared to be the winning field goal. However, the clock had four seconds remaining, so Stanford had to kick off. What followed is now simply known as 'The Play', in which Cal players lateraled the ball, rugby-style, five times – two of them controversial – and scored a touchdown to win the game, 25–20. Elway was bitter about the game afterward, stating that the officials 'ruined my last game as a college football player.' Twenty years later, Elway came to terms with The Play, saying that 'each year it gets a little funnier.'

Reader's Guide

While playing college football at Stanford, Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions and also received unanimous All-American honors. He was the first selection in the 1983 NFL draft, famously known as the 'quarterback class of 1983', where he was taken by the Baltimore Colts before being traded to the Denver Broncos. In January 1987, Elway embarked on one of the most notable performances in sports and in NFL history, helping engineer a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the AFC Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns, a moment later dubbed 'The Drive'. Following that game in Cleveland, Elway and the Broncos lost in Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants. After two more Super Bowl losses, the Broncos entered a period of decline; however, that ended during the 1997 season, as Elway and Denver won their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos repeated as champions the following season in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was named MVP of that Super Bowl, which was the last game of his career, and in doing so Elway set a then-record five Super Bowl starts which was broken in February 2015 when Tom Brady of the New England Patriots started Super Bowl XLIX. After his retirement as a player, Elway served as general manager and executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos, which won four division titles, two AFC Championships, and Super Bowl 50 during his tenure, making Elway a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Broncos–two as a player and one as an executive. Elway was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Did You Know?

• Elway and his twin sister Jana were born on June 28, 1960 in Port Angeles, Washington.
• Elway was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.
• Elway graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University.
• Elway was ranked #15 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list in 2007.