Who is John Albert Elway, Jr?. is a former
American football quarterback and is now the executive vice president of football operations for the
Denver Broncos of the
National Football League (NFL). He played
college football at
Stanford
and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos. Elway
recorded the most victories by a starting quarterback at the time of his
retirement. He retired in 1999 and statistically was the second most
prolific passer in NFL history. Elway led his teams to six
AFC Championship Games and five
Super Bowls, winning his last two.
Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions while at Stanford. He also received
All-American honors. Elway was drafted #1 overall in the
1983 NFL Draft by the
Baltimore Colts before being traded to the Denver Broncos. In 1987, he embarked on what is considered to be one of the most
clutch
and iconic performances in sports and in NFL history, helping engineer
the Broncos on a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the
AFC Championship Game against the
Cleveland Browns. The moment is known in
National Football League lore as
"The Drive". Following the AFC Championship Game, Elway and the Broncos lost in
Super Bowl XXI to the
New York Giants.
It would be the first of a record five Super Bowl starts at quarterback
in Elway's career, a record that he solely held until 2012 when
Tom Brady earned his fifth Super Bowl start.
After two more Super Bowl losses, the Broncos entered a period of decline; however, that would end during the
1997 season, as Elway and Denver won their first Super Bowl title by defeating the
Green Bay Packers 31–24 in
Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos repeated as champions the following season in
Super Bowl XXXIII by defeating the
Atlanta Falcons 34–19. Elway was voted MVP of that Super Bowl, which would prove to be the last game of his career.
Elway was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 2004 in his first year of eligibility. Since his retirement, Elway
has owned several businesses, including being a co-owner of the inactive
Colorado Crush, an
arena football team.
Early life
Elway and his twin sister were born in
Port Angeles, Washington, on June 28, 1960, to Janet (
née Jordan) and
Jack Elway, then a high school head coach at
Port Angeles High School on the
Olympic Peninsula.
The following year, the family of five which included sister Lee Ann, a
year older than the twins, moved to southwestern Washington where Jack
was the
junior college football coach at
Grays Harbor Community College in
Aberdeen for five seasons. As a youth he lived primarily in
Missoula, Montana, and
Pullman, Washington, when his father was an assistant coach at
Montana and
Washington State, respectively.
His father became the
head coach at
Cal State-Northridge in March
1976, and the Elways moved from Pullman to the
San Fernando Valley in
southern California, where John played his final three years of
football at
Granada Hills High School in
Granada Hills. He ended his high school career with 5,711 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns, and was named to the
PARADE
All America High School Football Team. Known as a dual-threat
quarterback, meaning he was accomplished at running and escaping
pressure and had impressive passing ability, he was the number-one
recruited high school player in the country, receiving over 60
scholarship offers.
[citation needed] (One of those offers was from his father, who became the head coach at
San Jose State following the 1978 season.) Also an accomplished
baseball player, Elway was selected by the
Kansas City Royals in the 18
th round of the
1979 Major League Baseball Draft.
[1] (The Royals drafted
Dan Marino in the fourth round of the same draft.
[2])
College career
He enrolled at
Stanford University in 1979 where he played football and
baseball. In his senior season in 1982, Stanford was 5-5 and needed to win their final game, the
Big Game against
California, 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
they were on 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."
[3] Stanford athletics director Andy Geiger said the loss cost Elway the
Heisman Trophy. Twenty years later, Elway came to terms with The Play, saying that "each year it gets a little funnier."
[4]
Although Elway never led his team to a
bowl game,
he had an accomplished college career. In his four seasons (1979–1982)
at Stanford, he completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns.
Stanford had a 20–23 record during his tenure. Elway's 24 touchdown
passes in 1982 led the nation, and he
Pacific-10 career record for passing and total offense. He won
Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1980 and 1982, was a consensus
All-American, and finished second in
Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior.
[5] In 2000, Elway was enshrined in the
College Football Hall of Fame.
In 2007, Elway was ranked #15 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College
Football History list. Thomas Davids, an assistant football coach, said
that Elway was the "best looking ball player he had ever seen."
[citation needed]
A consensus All-American at Stanford,he passed for over 200 yards in 30
of his 42 collegiate games. Elway was the nations most highly recruited
prep athlete in 1984.graduated with nearly every
Stanford and Elway also excelled as a baseball player. He was drafted by the
New York Yankees in the second round of the
1981 MLB Draft (52nd overall, six spots ahead of future Hall of Famer
Tony Gwynn), and received $150,000 for playing for the Yankees'
short season affiliate
Oneonta Tigers in the summer of 1982. Yankees scout
Gary Hughes believed that had Elway concentrated on baseball "the sky was the limit ... he would've been off the charts". Yankees owner
George Steinbrenner—who aggressively sought Elway's services—reportedly planned to make him the Yankees' starting
right fielder by
1985, which Elway—aware of Steinbrenner's opinion—later described as "a tremendous [and] exciting thought".
[6]
He played right field and pitched for Stanford, finishing his senior
year hitting .361 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 49 games and a 5–4
record with a 4.51 ERA.
[citation needed]
Elway graduated with a
bachelor's degree in
economics, and he is a member of the
Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.
[7] Already age 19 when he entered as a freshman, Elway did not use a
redshirt year at Stanford.
Professional career
1983 NFL Draft
In the
1983 NFL Draft Elway was selected as the first overall pick by the
Baltimore Colts.
(He is one of three quarterbacks in the history of the draft to be
chosen first and later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The other two are
Terry Bradshaw and
Troy Aikman.
[8])
Elway was wary of playing for the Colts, then among the worst teams in
the league, and his father advised him against playing for head coach
Frank Kush,
who had a reputation as a harsh taskmaster. While Elway preferred
football his agent Marvin Demoff later stated that baseball was "a true
option" for him at the time. More importantly, the possibility gave
Elway leverage in negotiations with the Colts.
[6]
After unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate an private agreement
with the Colts in which Elway would cite his alleged desire to remain on
the West coast to explain the team trading him, Elway publicly
threatened to join the Yankees full-time if the Colts did not trade him;
Demoff wrote in his journal, published three decades later, that "he
would be a garbage collector before he'd play for Baltimore." Elway's
refusal to join the Colts was controversial— Bradshaw denounced him,
stating "you should play baseball ... he's not the kind of guy you win
championships with"—but many other NFL teams began negotiations with the
Colts for the quarterback. One possibility was trading Elway for the
San Francisco 49ers'
Joe Montana, whose team had had a poor 1982 season. Another was a trade with the
San Diego Chargers, which was negotiating a new contract with its star quarterback
Dan Fouts. The
New England Patriots were interested, but the Colts did not wish to trade Elway to a team in the same division.
[6]
The Colts' general manager
Ernie Accorsi badly wanted Elway as, he later said, he (correctly) did not foresee the
1984 draft
as producing any first-round quarterbacks, and announced Elway as the
team's
Chris Hinton, which the
Denver Broncos had chosen as the fourth pick in the first round. On 2 May Colts owner
Robert Irsay and Accorsi agreed to trade Elway for Hinton, backup quarterback
Mark Herrmann, and a first-round pick in the
1984 draft.
[6]
choice as soon as possible during the 15-minute window on draft
day, surprising observers. Elway that day reiterated his wish to not
play for the Colts at a press conference, saying "As I stand here right
now, I'm playing baseball". (When a reporter pointed out that the
Yankees were not based on the West coast, Elway replied "They play
baseball during the summertime".) The Colts, however, were interested in
offensive lineman
Denver Broncos
Elway joined Denver as one of the most highly anticipated athletes in
the history of the NFL. The local newspapers ran a section that was
called "The Elway Watch".
[9] Elway debuted for the Broncos in the 1983 season opener against the
Pittsburgh Steelers at
Three Rivers Stadium. He was sacked for the first time in his NFL career at the hands of
linebacker and fellow
Hall of Famer Jack Lambert.
Although the Broncos were playoff contenders for his early years, Elway
went through the normal growing pains of a young NFL quarterback.
In the 1986 season, Elway led the Broncos to
Super Bowl XXI, after defeating the
Cleveland Browns on a famous possession at the end of the fourth quarter that became known as "
The Drive".
(In a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, Elway led his team 98 yards to
tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation. The Broncos went on to
win the game in overtime). Elway and the Broncos started out the Super
Bowl against the
New York Giants
very well, building a 10–7 lead and then driving to the Giants 1-yard
line in the second quarter. However, the Broncos lost five yards on
their next three plays and came up empty after kicker
Rich Karlis
missed the field goal attempt. From that point on, the rest of the game
went downhill for the Broncos. Elway was sacked in the end zone for a
safety on the Broncos ensuing possession, cutting their lead to 10–9.
Then in the second half, the Giants scored 30 points and ended up
winning the game 39–20. Still, Elway had an impressive performance,
throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, while
also leading Denver in rushing with 27 yards and a touchdown on the
ground.
In 1987, Elway was selected to start in the
American Football Conference's (AFC)
Pro Bowl team and won the
NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
He went on to once again 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.
The game started out very well for Denver, and they built up a 10–0
lead by the end of the first quarter. At the time, no team had ever
overcome a 10–0 deficit in the Super Bowl. But in the second quarter,
the Redskins suddenly stormed back with a record 35 points, and ended up
winning
Super Bowl XXII 42–10. Elway did have a few highlights. His 56-yard touchdown pass to
Ricky Nattiel
after just 1:57 had elapsed in the game set a record for the fastest
touchdown in Super Bowl history, at the time. He also became the first
quarterback ever to catch a pass in the Super Bowl, recording a 23-yard
reception from halfback
Steve Sewell on a
halfback option play.
With a porous defense unable to stop the Redskins offense, Elway was
forced to take more risks on the offensive end. As a result, Elway's
performance was rather disappointing: just 14 out of 38 completions for
257 yards and one touchdown, with three interceptions.
After recording an 8–8 record in 1988, Elway once again led his team
to the Super Bowl after the 1989 season, with yet another win over the
Browns in the AFC championship game, going on to face the
San Francisco 49ers in
Super Bowl XXIV.
However this game ended even worse for the Broncos than their previous
Super Bowl losses. San Francisco blew out Denver 55–10, the most
lopsided score in Super Bowl history. Although Elway scored the only
touchdown for his team on a three-yard run, his performance was abysmal:
10 out of 26 completions for 108 yards with no touchdown passes and two
interceptions. But he didn't try to hide from the media after the game
or downplay his dismal performance. And when he was asked if he wanted
to go back to the Super Bowl after three losses, he responded that he
wanted to go back every year, even if his team kept losing. Still by
this point, many doubted that he would ever win a Super Bowl in his
career.
It took Elway another eight years, but he eventually led his team back to the Super Bowl in 1998. During the 1997 preseason
American Bowl game in Mexico City, Elway ruptured his right (throwing arm)
biceps tendon. It was treated non-surgically, and he returned to play 19 days later, going on that season to play in his fourth
Super Bowl. In
Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos faced the defending Super Bowl champions
Green Bay Packers.
Despite Elway completing only 11 of 22 passes, throwing no TDs, but one
interception, they went on to defeat the Packers 31–24, finally winning
a Super Bowl after three failed attempts for Elway (and four for the
team). In 1999, the Broncos repeated this feat and Elway was awarded the
MVP of
Super Bowl XXXIII,
throwing for 336 yards and one touchdown with one interception, while
also scoring a rushing touchdown in Denver's 34–19 win over the
Atlanta Falcons. It was his last game, other than the
1999 Pro Bowl.
Legacy
On May 2, 1999, at the age of 38, Elway announced his retirement from
pro football. Elway is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks ever to
play the game. He has one of the best winning percentages in league
history (148–82–1), and is tied for second most
Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback (nine). He is fourth to
Brett Favre,
Dan Marino and
Peyton Manning
in career passing attempts, passing yards and completions. His four
total rushing touchdowns in his Super Bowl games are the most ever by a
quarterback. As of 2012, Elway and
Tom Brady
are the only quarterbacks to start in 5 Super Bowls. He is also the
second player ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super
Bowls (running back
Thurman Thomas was the first).
On September 13, 1999, Elway's number 7 jersey was retired by the
Denver Broncos during halftime of a
Monday Night game against the
Miami Dolphins; that same night he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. (
Craig Morton,
his direct predecessor in Denver, also wore number 7 and is in the Ring
of Fame alongside Elway). He was the first Broncos player to have the
five-year waiting period waived. Also in
1999 he was inducted into the
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Also in 1999, Elway was ranked number 16 on
The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players,
[10] 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, also made the list). In 2005,
TSN published another special feature honoring the 50 Greatest Quarterbacks. Elway was ranked third behind
Johnny Unitas and
Joe Montana.
Elway was named the greatest athlete wearing the #7 by
Sports Illustrated. Current
Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, who grew up idolizing Elway and Joe Montana, wears number 7 in honor of Elway.
[11]
Elway is the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, winning his last at the age of 38.
Notable statistics
Elway ended his career with a record 148 victories, since surpassed by
Brett Favre for
most wins by a starting quarterback. He finished his career with 774 rushing attempts, one shy of NFL record-holder
Randall Cunningham (775) for rushes by a quarterback. Elway's 3,417 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time among NFL QB's behind Cunningham,
Michael Vick,
Steve Young,
Fran Tarkenton, and
Steve McNair.
Elway threw for 1,128 yards in his five Super Bowls, fourth most behind
Tom Brady,
Kurt Warner and
Joe Montana. His 76 Super Bowl pass completions rank fifth, and his 152 attempts were a Super Bowl record before being broken by
Tom Brady. He is one of only two players ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (the other being
Thurman Thomas) and the only quarterback to do so. (156 attempts)
[12][13]
Elway holds several Broncos franchise records:
- Most Total Offensive Yards: 54,882 yards (51,475 passing, 3,407 rushing)
- Most Total Touchdowns: 334 (300 passing, 33 rushing, 1 receiving)
- Most Total Plays: 8,027
- Winning Percentage: .641 (148–82–1)
- Most Career Passing Yards: 51,475
- Most Career Completions: 4,123
- Most Career Attempts: 7,250
- Most Touchdown Passes: 300
Hall of Fame
On August 8, 2004, Elway was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was elected in his first year of eligibility. He was presented by his eldest daughter Jessica. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
[14]
Career highlights
- In 1979, Elway was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals to play baseball in MLB. George Brett, the future Hall of Fame third baseman for the Royals, is said to have remarked, "I hope this guy plays football."[citation needed]
- In the 1981 MLB Draft, Elway was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round.[15] The following year, he played outfield in 42 games for the Oneonta Yankees of the Class A New York - Penn League.[16] He had a .318 batting average, with four home runs, 13 stolen bases,[17] and a team-high 25 RBI.[16][18]
- In the 1983 NFL Draft, Elway was selected as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts, and on May 2, was traded to the Denver Broncos.
- On January 11, 1987, Elway executed "The Drive"—a last-ditch,
five-minute, 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the AFC Championship
against the Cleveland Browns to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, leading to an overtime win by field goal (by Rich Karlis)
for the Broncos. It included six passes made (nine attempted), five
rushes and an eight-yard sack. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player
and the AFC Offensive MVP.
- Elway is the only player to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 200 yards in seven straight seasons (1985–91).[19]
- Elway was named the AFC Offensive MVP in 1993 when he passed for
4,030 yards and 25 touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 92.8.
- In 1997, Elway led the Broncos to their first ever Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXII. His three previous attempts in Super Bowls XXI, XXII and XXIV were unsuccessful.
- Elway is the oldest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl at age 38 in Super Bowl XXXIII.
- Elway is one of only two players to rush for a touchdown in four
Super Bowls (XXI, XXIV, XXXII, XXXIII). Thurman Thomas is the other.
- On January 31, 1999, in Super Bowl XXXIII, Elway passed for 336 yards in a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He was named the Super Bowl MVP.
- Elway was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times during his 16 seasons with the Broncos, a franchise record.
- Over his professional career, Elway led Denver to 35 comeback wins in the 4th quarter & overtime, tied for third with Johnny Unitas.
- Elway's 148 wins place him third to Peyton Manning and Brett Favre for career wins among quarterbacks.
- Elway was sacked 516 times, second to Favre for most times sacked in NFL history.
- Elway's 300 career touchdown passes places him fifth behind Favre, Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton and Peyton Manning.
- Elway is one of only four quarterbacks to pass for at least 3,000 yards in 12 seasons; Favre, Marino and Manning are the others.
- On January 31, 2004, Elway was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[21]
Career statistics
Regular season
¹Led league ²Second place ³Third place †Tied
| Year |
Passing |
|
Rushing |
| Att |
Comp |
Yds |
TD |
Int |
|
Att |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
| 1983 |
259 |
123 |
1,663 |
7 |
14 |
|
28 |
146 |
5.2 |
1 |
| 1984 |
380 |
214 |
2,598 |
18 |
15 |
|
56 |
237 |
4.2 |
1 |
| 1985 |
605¹ |
327² |
3,891² |
22 |
23 |
|
51 |
253 |
5.0 |
0 |
| 1986 |
504 |
280 |
3,485 |
19 |
13 |
|
52 |
257 |
4.9 |
1 |
| 1987 |
410 |
224 |
3,198 |
19 |
12 |
|
66 |
304 |
4.6 |
4 |
| 1988 |
496 |
274 |
3,309 |
17 |
19 |
|
54 |
234 |
4.3 |
1 |
| 1989 |
416 |
223 |
3,051 |
18 |
18 |
|
48 |
244 |
5.1 |
3 |
| 1990 |
502 |
294 |
3,526 |
15 |
14 |
|
50 |
258 |
5.2 |
3 |
| 1991 |
451 |
242 |
3,253 |
13 |
12 |
|
55 |
255 |
4.6 |
6 |
| 1992 |
316 |
174 |
2,242 |
10 |
17 |
|
34 |
94 |
2.8 |
2 |
| 1993 |
551¹ |
348¹ |
4,030¹ |
25² |
10 |
|
44 |
153 |
3.5 |
0 |
| 1994 |
494 |
307 |
3,490 |
16 |
10 |
|
58 |
235 |
4.1 |
4 |
| 1995 |
542 |
316 |
3,970 |
26 |
14 |
|
41 |
176 |
4.3 |
1 |
| 1996 |
466 |
287 |
3,328 |
26 |
14 |
|
50 |
249 |
5.0 |
4 |
| 1997 |
502 |
280 |
3,635 |
27 |
11 |
|
50 |
218 |
4.4 |
1 |
| 1998 |
356 |
210 |
2,806 |
22 |
10 |
|
37 |
94 |
2.5 |
1 |
Total
(all-time) |
7,250
(4th) |
4,123
(4th) |
51,475
(4th) |
300
(5th) |
226 |
|
774 |
3,407 |
4.4 |
33 |
Playoffs
*includes Super Bowl
| Year |
Passing |
|
Rushing |
| Att |
Comp |
Yds |
TD |
Int |
|
Att |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
| 1983 |
15 |
10 |
123 |
0 |
1 |
|
3 |
16 |
5.3 |
0 |
| 1984 |
37 |
19 |
184 |
2 |
2 |
|
4 |
16 |
4.0 |
0 |
| 1986* |
107 |
57 |
805 |
3 |
4 |
|
15 |
101 |
6.7 |
2 |
| 1987* |
89 |
42 |
797 |
6 |
5 |
|
18 |
76 |
4.2 |
1 |
| 1989* |
82 |
42 |
732 |
4 |
3 |
|
16 |
91 |
5.7 |
1 |
| 1991 |
54 |
30 |
378 |
1 |
2 |
|
10 |
49 |
4.9 |
0 |
| 1993 |
47 |
29 |
302 |
3 |
1 |
|
5 |
23 |
4.6 |
0 |
| 1996 |
38 |
25 |
226 |
2 |
0 |
|
5 |
30 |
6.0 |
0 |
| 1997* |
96 |
56 |
726 |
3 |
2 |
|
9 |
25 |
2.8 |
1 |
| 1998* |
86 |
45 |
691 |
3 |
1 |
|
9 |
34 |
3.8 |
1 |
| Total |
651 |
355 |
4,964 |
27 |
21 |
|
94 |
461 |
4.9 |
6 |
Business activities
Elway is currently co-owner of the Arena Football team
Colorado Crush, a position he has held since 2002. In February 2007, Elway was elected chairman of the
Arena Football League's executive committee.
[22] On August 4, 2009 the Arena Football League announced an indefinite suspension of operations.
[23] Elway was one of the 17 remaining franchise owners that voted to suspend operations indefinitely.
[24]
Elway is the owner of two steakhouse
restaurants, each named "Elway's": One is located in the upscale Cherry Creek shopping district, and the other is in the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver.
[25]
Elway owned five auto dealerships, called John Elway Autos, in the
Denver area. He sold them to AutoNation Inc. in 1997 for $82.5 million.
In December 2006, Elway ended a nine-year licensing agreement with
AutoNation, removing his name from Denver-area dealerships. At the time,
Elway said the move could allow him to get back into the auto business
under his own name.
[25] He still owns two
Toyota Scion dealerships, one in Manhattan Beach, California
[26][27] and another in Ontario, California,
[28][29] a
Chevrolet dealership in Englewood, Colorado,
[30] and a
Chrysler Jeep dealership in Greeley, Colorado.
[31]
In September 2008, Elway became the spokesperson for
OpenSports.com.
[32] Elway also writes a weekly
NFL blog on the site.
[33]
Elway had
LASIK eye surgery and endorsed Icon LASIK in the Denver area in November 2008.
[34]
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.
Executive career
In December 2010, Elway expressed interest in working as the Broncos'
top football executive, after having dinner with Broncos owner Pat
Bowlen. However, he expressed no interest in being a head coach or
general manager after Josh McDaniels' firing, saying, "I'm not
interested in being a head coach. I'm not interested in being a general
manager. I don't have that kind of experience to be able to pick those
players day in and day out and such."
[35]
On January 5, 2011, Elway was named executive vice president of
football operations of the Denver Broncos. In this capacity, he reports
to Joe Ellis (team president) and oversees both the General Manager (
Brian Xanders) and head coach
John Fox.
[36]
Family
Elway married Janet Buchan, who attended
Stanford University and competed on its
swimming team, in 1984. They separated in 2002 and divorced in 2003. They have four children: Jessica, Jordan, Jack, and Juliana.
[37]
Elway's twin sister Jana developed
lung cancer and died at the age of 42 in the summer of 2002. John's father,
Jack, died of an apparent
heart attack a year earlier.
Elway proposed marriage to former
Oakland Raiders cheerleader Paige Green in Italy in September 2008.
[37][41]
Elway and Green were married in August 2009. Elway met Green in 2005 at
a celebrity golf tournament held by former Raiders running back
Marcus Allen in
Los Angeles.
[37]
Elway appeared on commercials for the foam
Vortex football in the 1990s.
[42]
Elway has suffered a long-term battle with
acid reflux disease. In 2003, he made this condition public.
[43]
In 1994, Elway appeared in an episode of
Home Improvement.
[44] along with
Grant Hill and
Evander Holyfield. The season 3 episode, "Eve of Construction," featured the athletes working with
Habitat for Humanity. Elway appeared in the
ABC reality television series
Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, in 2007, featuring a dozen celebrities in a
stock car racing competition. Elway won the competition.
[45]
Elway was featured as the star of
John Elway's Quarterback video game for the
Nintendo Entertainment System.
Elway and his Elway Foundation, in partnership with Sun Microsytems, host a charity
golf tournament every year called the John Elway Celebrity Classic.
[46]
In its early years, The Elway Tournament was played over two days on
two courses, Plum Creek Golf Course in Castle Rock, CO, and at Arrowhead
Golf Course in the Denver foothills. In its later years, the Plum Creek
venue was replaced by Fox Hollow Golf Course because Fox Hollow had 18
holes and could accommodate a larger field of players. For over a
decade,
Kim Andereck
and other businessmen from around the U. S. joined NFL celebrities,
major league baseball stars and other notables for the two-day events.
[47]
Elway has contributed to a number of
Republican Party candidates in recent elections. Following the decision by incumbent U.S. Senator
Wayne Allard on January 15, 2007 not to seek another term in 2008, some pundits speculated Elway might campaign for the seat.
[48]
Elway was featured on the cover of
All-Pro Football 2K8 video game with
Barry Sanders and
Jerry Rice.
Elway has appeared in a commercial for
Heroes.
Elway was referenced in Bo Burnham's debut song "My Whole Family."
Burnham, on the topic of his family viewing him as homosexual, sings "I
was John Elway, now I'm
Elton John."
Elway has been referenced in a couple of episodes of
South Park from being a possible candidate of being
Eric Cartman's father to a large statue of him in the episode
The Wacky Molestation Adventure dubbing him "The Provider". In
It's Christmas in Canada Cartman wants a John Elway Doll with Karate Chop action as a gift. Creators
Trey Parker and
Matt Stone are notable long time fans of the Denver Broncos.
