John Elway Biography

Born June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Washington, John Albert Elway revealed his athletic prowess early in life.

John was such a strong and accurate passer in his Pop Warner league and elementary school days that, when he was ready for high school, his father moved the Elway family to the greater Los Angeles area, so John could play in the pass-oriented offense of the Granada Hills High School Highlanders football team. The move paid dividends as John completed 60 percent of his passes for 5,711 yards and 49 touchdowns over his four years of high school.

Transforming a Franchise

John Elway, who also starred in baseball at Stanford, was drafted by both the Baltimore Colts and the New York Yankees in 1983. The Colts made John Elway the first player picked in the 1983 NFL draft, but John stunned the football world by refusing to play for Baltimore. The Colts traded their rights to John to the Denver Broncos, who promptly signed him to a 6-year contract worth $12.7 million.

Prior to John Elway's arrival, the Denver Broncos had their greatest success with the famed "Orange Crush" defense of the late 1970's, which racked up an AFC Championship in 1977, before falling to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XII.

In the 1983-4 season, rookie John Elway started 10 games, replacing injured incumbent Steve DeBerg. He finished the year the NFL's 17th ranked quarterback.

The next season, 1984-85, saw John starting every game for the Broncos, throwing 18 TDs en route to a 12-2 regular season record. By 1985-86, he was rewriting the Denver record books, making 605 pass attempts for 237 completions and 3,891 yards. With John at the helm, the Broncos led the league in total passing plays and total offense.

"The Drive"

The 1986-87 campaign was another stellar statistical year for John, but it will forever be remembered for a single post-season milestone on his journey from star quarterback to NFL legend: a 15-play, 98-yard offensive series in the AFC Championship game now known simply as, "The Drive."

Trailing by seven with less than six minutes left in regulation and starting at the Broncos two-yard line following a booming Cleveland Browns punt, John directed an awe-inspiring, nearly flawless series of downs that culminated in a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Jackson.

That score tied the game with just 39 seconds remaining and sent it into overtime, where John conducted a 60-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal by Rich Karlis. Final score: Broncos, 23 ? Browns, 20. Despite a loss two weeks later to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI, the foundation had been laid for John's reputation as the greatest comeback QB of all time. In recognition of his season's achievements, John was voted into the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Fireworks and Frustrations

The next several seasons would witness John's continued growth as a premier NFL quarterback. In 1987-88 he passed for 300 yards in four different games and led the Broncos to the AFC Championship once again, only to stumble again, in Super Bowl XXII, to the Washington Redskins. John was voted into the Pro Bowl again, this time as a starter, and was also named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

Injuries nagged John throughout the 1988-89 campaign, but he was still voted the Broncos' most valuable player, for the fourth consecutive season.

In 1989-90, John led Denver to its third AFC Championship, only to endure a 55-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV. John scored the only Bronco touchdown that day. It would be almost 10 years before he would get a chance for redemption in football's biggest game. Meanwhile, he was invited to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career.

The Broncos, perhaps still stinging from their Super Bowl loss, had a disappointing 1990-91 season, even as John Elway set a new personal career-high in completion percentage.

Into the 90's ... and the Record Books

In 1991-92, John had another stellar year that included the score of his lone receiving touchdown, on a pass from teammate Steve Sewell, in an explosive season opener against Cincinnati, in which he added two TDs rushing and two more passing. The Broncos returned to the playoffs, highlighted by a come-from-behind victory over the Houston Oilers in an AFC Divisional Playoff. John also earned his fourth Pro Bowl berth.

Although the Broncos were out of the Super Bowl hunt in 1992-93, John added another remarkable comeback victory to his tally, throwing two touchdowns as the Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a regular season contest.

John Elway was named the AFC Most Valuable Player in 1993-94 and started his fifth Pro Bowl. He led the league in pass attempts, completions and completion percentage. And he led the AFC in yardage with his first career 4,000-yard season.

John logged several milestones over the next couple of seasons. In 1994-95 he earned his sixth Pro Bowl berth and in 1995-96 he became just the second player in league history to throw for 3,000 yards in 10 seasons, and the seventh player in league history to reach 40,000 career passing yards.

In 1996-97, John set a new NFL record for career victories by a starting quarterback and became only the third player in league history to pass for 45,000 yards. He also joined Fran Tarkenton as the only other player to pass for 40,000 yards and rush for 3,000 in a career, surpassing Randall Cunningham for all-time rushing attempts by a quarterback along the way.

After 14 years in Denver, he was the winningest starting quarterback in league history. Yet the win he treasured most still eluded him.

Victory and Vindication

Changes made over the prior two years in Denver's front office, player roster, and even its uniform design, began to bear fruit in the 1997-98 season. Head Coach Mike Shanahan had assembled a team with superior talent at nearly every position, surrounding John Elway with arguably the best squad he had ever led onto the Mile High Stadium turf.

With a spectacular running attack spearheaded by running back Terrell Davis, John led the Broncos to their fifth Super Bowl appearance. En route, he threw a club record 27 TDs and surpassed the 50,000 yard mark for career total offense.

Super Bowl XXXII was billed by some as a showdown between John Elway and the NFL's other gun slinging field general, Brett Favre. The Packers were favored and, true to form, scored early. But Denver stormed back and in a critical moment, John bootlegged on third down, launched himself forward, spun in midair, and secured the first down—an iconic moment of grit that symbolized his career.

Denver went on to win, and John Elway finally secured the Super Bowl victory that had eluded him for over a decade.

A Fitting Curtain Call

The 1998-99 campaign was to be John's last, though his performance showed no signs of decline. He surpassed 50,000 yards passing and 300 career touchdowns, helping the Broncos to a 13-0 start.

In Super Bowl XXXIII, he started his fifth Super Bowl, completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another score. Denver won decisively and John Elway was named Super Bowl MVP.

Shortly afterward, Elway announced his retirement, citing the physical demands of the game. He stepped away as a reigning champion.

Family, Business, Charity, and the Hall of Fame

Today, John Elway lives in Englewood, Colorado, keeping busy with his family, business ventures, and the Elway Foundation, a nonprofit he founded in 1987 to fight child abuse.

In 2004, Elway was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot and was inducted alongside Barry Sanders, Carl Eller, and Bob Brown. Over 16 seasons and 234 games, he amassed an NFL-record 148 wins, 47 comeback drives, and a legacy of perseverance and excellence.

Executive Start

In December 2010, Elway expressed interest in returning to the Broncos in an executive role. On January 5, 2011, he was named Executive Vice President of Football Operations and has remained deeply involved with the organization he helped define.