Elway, John

▪ 1999

      On Jan. 25, 1998, National Football League (NFL) quarterback John Elway of the Denver Broncos added a much-anticipated credential to his already impressive resume: Super Bowl champion. Three previous Super Bowl appearances (1986, 1987, 1989) had ended in defeat, and it seemed that Super Bowl XXXII—against the defending champion Green Bay Packers—would be Elway's final chance for a victory. Having acknowledged before the game that his future was uncertain, the 38-year-old star left thousands of longtime Broncos fans praying for both their first Super Bowl championship and the return of their revered quarterback. The Denver devotees were joined by football fans and players throughout the country in support of Elway, whose illustrious career almost certainly guaranteed him a place in the Football Hall of Fame. With the fans and media behind him, Elway became the hero of Super Bowl XXXII long before the first snap was even taken.

      Born on June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Wash., Elway excelled at football and baseball in high school and was drafted by the major league baseball Kansas City Royals in 1979. He instead attended Stanford University, where he received a B.A. in economics and set several football passing and other offense records. He was the number one draft pick of baseball's New York Yankees in 1981 and played on a Yankees farm club the following summer. In 1983 he was chosen by the Baltimore Colts as the number one pick in the NFL draft. Elway was set to play baseball, but when he was traded by Baltimore to the Denver Broncos later in 1983 he headed for the "Mile High City" instead.

      Elway wowed fans in the NFL with his throwing precision, cool leadership, and rushing ability. By the end of the 1997-98 season he was the winningest starting quarterback in league history, was tied for the most seasons (12) with at least 3,000 passing yards, and led the NFL with 45 fourth-quarter game-winning drives. Elway received the Mackey Award from the NFL Players Association as the top American Football Conference quarterback of the 1997-98 season and was voted to his eighth Pro Bowl appearance (his fifth as a starter). His well-known scrambling and comeback abilities were used most notably in Denver's 31-24 win over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII. In the third quarter Elway dove headfirst between two much larger Green Bay defenders to gain a first down that set up a Bronco touchdown. The play revealed Elway's intense desire to achieve the one honour missing from his storied career, and it came to symbolize Super Bowl XXXII. Months later Elway rewarded his legions of fans with another division title and seemed to be well on his way to a record fifth Super Bowl in January 1999.

LAURA RODNITZKY

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▪ American athlete

born June 28, 1960, Port Angeles, Wash., U.S.

 

 American collegiate and professional gridiron football (football, gridiron) player who is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He led the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) to two Super Bowl championships (1998, 1999).

      Elway excelled at football and baseball in high school and was drafted by major league baseball's Kansas City Royals in 1979. However, he instead attended Stanford University (B.A., 1983) on a football scholarship, where he set several school and conference passing records. He was the number one draft pick of baseball's New York Yankees in 1981, and he played for a Yankees farm club over the following summer. In 1983 Elway was chosen by the Baltimore Colts (Indianapolis Colts) as the first overall pick in the NFL draft, but he threatened to play baseball professionally if the struggling Colts did not trade him. The Colts complied, and Elway was dealt to the Denver Broncos, where he spent his entire 16-year career.

      Elway impressed fans in the NFL with his throwing precision, cool leadership, and rushing ability. In his rookie year he led the Broncos to the franchise's fourth playoff appearance in its 24-year history. While Elway rarely led the league in individual statistical categories, he was noted for his consistent production and his ability to rally his team to victory in the late stages of games. The most famous of his comebacks came in the 1986 American Football Conference (AFC) championship game against the Cleveland Browns when he led the Broncos on a 98-yard drive to score the tying touchdown in the game's final seconds. The Broncos won the game in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl, and Elway's feat became known as “the Drive.”

      Elway's Broncos teams were unsuccessful in their first three Super Bowl appearances (1986, 1987, 1989), losing by an average margin of 32 points. In 1998, however, they finally broke through as Elway led another late-game drive to beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions the following year, Elway's last. He retired with the NFL career records for most victories by a starting quarterback (148; which was broken by Brett Favre (Favre, Brett) in 2007) and most fourth-quarter game-winning or game-tying drives (47). Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

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