John Elway is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks ever.
60 Facts About John Elway
2.
At the time of his retirement in early 1999, John Elway had the most victories by a starting quarterback and was statistically the second most prolific passer in NFL history.
3.
John Elway was a prolific rusher of the ball, being one of only two players to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls and the only quarterback to do so.
4.
John Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions while at Stanford and received unanimous All-American honors.
5.
John Elway 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.
6.
In January 1987, John 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".
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John Elway was voted MVP of that Super Bowl, which was the last game of his career, and in doing so John 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.
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John Elway was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
9.
John Elway and his twin sister Jana were born on June 28,1960 in Port Angeles, Washington to Janet and Jack John Elway, then the head coach at Port Angeles High School.
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Also an accomplished baseball player, John Elway was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.
11.
John 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.
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John Elway won the Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1980 and 1982, was a unanimous All-American, and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior.
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In 2000, John Elway was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
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John Elway passed for over 200 yards in 30 of his 42 collegiate games.
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John Elway graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics, and is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
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Already age 19 when he entered as a freshman, John Elway did not use a redshirt year at Stanford.
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John Elway was the first of six quarterbacks selected in the first round.
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John Elway was wary of playing for the Colts, among the worst teams in the league at the time, and his father advised him against playing for head coach Frank Kush, who had a reputation as a harsh taskmaster.
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John Elway told the Colts in December 1982 that he did not want to play for the team, and later told the Colts that he wanted to play on the West Coast or for the Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins.
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John Elway debuted for the Broncos in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, and was sacked for the first time in his NFL career at the hands of linebacker and fellow Hall of Famer Jack Lambert.
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Still, John Elway had an impressive performance, throwing 304 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while leading Denver in rushing with 27 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
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John Elway went on to 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.
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John Elway became the first quarterback to catch a pass in the Super Bowl, recording a 23-yard reception from halfback Steve Sewell on a halfback option play.
24.
On May 2,1999, at age 38, John Elway announced his retirement from professional football.
25.
John Elway is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks to play the game.
26.
John Elway has one of the best winning percentages in league history, and was tied for the second-most Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback at the time of his retirement.
27.
John Elway played in 22 postseason games with the Broncos, 21 as a starter, and led the team to victory in 14 of them.
28.
John Elway is currently 9th all time in passing yards, 10th in passes completed, and 12th in passing touchdowns.
29.
John Elway is the second player to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls.
30.
John Elway was the first Broncos player to have the five-year waiting period waived.
31.
Also in 1999, John Elway was ranked number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the only player to have spent the majority of his career with the Broncos to make the list; Willie Brown, who began his career with the Broncos but spent more of it with the Oakland Raiders, made the list.
32.
John Elway ended his career with a record 148 victories, since surpassed by Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady for most wins by a starting quarterback.
33.
John Elway finished his career with 774 rushing attempts, currently fourth in league history behind Cam Newton, Michael Vick, and Randall Cunningham.
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John Elway's 3,407 rushing yards ranks seventh all-time among NFL QB's behind Cunningham, Vick, Newton, Steve Young, Fran Tarkenton, and Steve McNair.
35.
John Elway threw 1,128 yards in his five Super Bowls, fourth most behind Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, and Joe Montana.
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John Elway is one of only two players to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls and the only quarterback to do so, with 156 attempts.
37.
John Elway was elected in his first year of eligibility.
38.
John Elway was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
39.
John Elway was co-owner of the Arena Football team Colorado Crush from their inception in 2002 until the cancellation of the Arena Football League after the 2008 season.
40.
In February 2007, John Elway was elected chairman of the AFL's executive committee.
41.
John Elway was one of the 17 remaining franchise owners that voted to suspend operations indefinitely.
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John Elway is the owner of four steakhouse restaurants, each named "John Elway's": One is located in the upscale Cherry Creek shopping district, one in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver, one in Vail, and one in the Denver International Airport.
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John Elway sold them to AutoNation Inc in 1997 for $82.5 million.
44.
In December 2006, John Elway ended a nine-year licensing agreement with AutoNation, removing his name from Denver-area dealerships.
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At the time, John Elway said the move could allow him to get back into the auto business under his own name.
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John Elway still owns two Toyota Scion dealerships, one in Manhattan Beach, California and another in Ontario, California, a Chevrolet dealership in Englewood, Colorado, and a Chrysler Jeep dealership in Greeley, Colorado.
47.
John Elway acquired a Cadillac franchise from Sonic Automotive in 2014.
48.
John Elway had LASIK eye surgery and endorsed Icon LASIK in the Denver area in November 2008.
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John Elway currently offers his commentary on the Broncos and the NFL season as a whole Friday mornings during the football season on 87.7 The Ticket in Denver.
50.
John Elway is part of a national awareness campaign about Dupuytren's contracture, with which he was diagnosed in 2004.
51.
In December 2010, John Elway expressed interest in working as the Broncos' top football executive, after having dinner with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.
52.
On January 5,2011, John Elway was named general manager and executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos, with the final say in all football matters.
53.
Xanders left the team after the 2011 season, and John Elway assumed the role of general manager which gave him complete control over the football side of the Broncos operation.
54.
John Elway hired Gary Kubiak, his former backup quarterback and former Broncos offensive coordinator, as the new head coach for the 2015 season.
55.
In 2017, John Elway received the Mizel Institute Award for his philanthropic contributions to Denver and the state of Colorado.
56.
John Elway tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2020, and returned to the team on November 12.
57.
John Elway was succeeded as general manager by George Paton.
58.
In February 2022, John Elway took on a new position as an outside consultant that reports directly to Paton.
59.
John Elway married Janet Buchan, who attended Stanford University and competed on its swimming team, in 1984.
60.
John Elway met former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Paige Green in 2005 at a celebrity golf tournament held by former Raiders running back Marcus Allen in Los Angeles.