John Elway

Background

John Elway is one of the most famous football players in U.S. history, and rightfully so. Elway, whose full name is John Albert Elway Jr., was born on June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Washington. He has a twin sister named Jana. His mother is named Janet and his father, Jack (after whom he was named), was the head football coach at Port Angeles High School at the time of his birth. Along with his twin sister, Elway has three other siblings. The large family moved across the country multiple times as his father worked as a football coach for various schools during his career. Elway ultimately finished high school at Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley of southern California. Upon completing high school, he received over 60 university scholarship offers based on his remarkable football talent.

Elway ended up enrolling at Stanford University in 1979. During his time there, he played varsity baseball in addition to varsity football. That same year, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals baseball team to play for the Major Baseball League. He graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics. Although he would eventually become a football superstar, he was selected to play for the New York Yankees in the Major Baseball League (M.B.L.) in 1981. Three years later, he was drafted as a quarterback for the National Football League (N.F.L.) for the Baltimore Colts. Elway started playing for the Denver Broncos soon after, which earned him his fame as a football player. He played in multiple Super Bowl championships with the Denver Broncos during the 1980s and 1990s. He won the N.F.L. ‘Most Valuable Player’ (M.V.P.) award in 1987 and again in 1999. The Denver Broncos earned their first win in the Super Bowl XXXII in 1997 despite Elway rupturing his right bicep tendon a few weeks before the game.

He announced his retirement from professional football in 1999. He was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and ranked at #16 on “The Sporting News” list of ‘100 Greatest Football Players’ in the same year. For his time playing football at college, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2002, he became the co-owner of the Colorado Crush, a team in the Arena Football League. He held this position for six years between 2002 and 2008 until the league was dissolved in 2009. Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in the first year of his eligibility. He then became the general manager and executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos in 2011. He now gives commentary on the Denver Broncos games and the NFL in general.