John Elway Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Position: | Quarterback |
| College: | Stanford |
| NFL draft: | 1983, 1st round, 1st overall, Baltimore Colts |
| Pro career: | 16 seasons |
| Hall of Fame: | Pro Football Broncos |
| Table of contents |
|
2 Career highlights 3 Career statistics 4 Reference 5 External links |
Biography
Elway was born in Port Angeles, Washington. He attended Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, California, and then Stanford University, where he was a baseball player and quarterback. At Stanford he played in one of the most famous football games of all time, the 1982 Big Game versus the University of California at Berkeley, which ended with "The Play", an amazing play with five lateralss that allowed Cal to win the game. By the end of his senior year, Elway had set nearly every Pac-10 and Stanford career record for total offense and passing. He was a consensus All-American and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting. He graduated with a degree in economics.
In the 1983 draft, Elway was selected as the 1st overall pick by the Baltimore Colts, but he threatened to quit football and play professional baseball if he was not traded (he had by then played two summers in the New York Yankees organization). The Colts traded him to the Denver Broncos for two veterans and a first-round pick in the 1984 draft. In his fifth season, Elway was named league MVP. He finally won a Super Bowl in the 1997 season after three previously failed attempts, behind the overwhelming running game of Terrell Davis. In 1998, the Broncos repeated this feat and Elway was awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII; it was his last game.
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 to ever play the game. Not only does he have more wins than any other quaterback in NFL history, but he has the best winning percentage in league history (148-82-1), and is tied for most Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback (nine). He is second to Dan Marino in career passing yards, attempts, and completions. He is the first quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls.
Elway also holds the record for most game-winning or game-tying scoring drives in the fourth quarter, with 47. Surprisingly often, if John Elway had the ball late in the fourth quarter and was within a touchdown, he would tie or win the game. John Elway had many comeback opportunities because, for most of his career, the Broncos were a good team, but not a dominant team. Part of the reason that Denver was not a dominant team can be attributed to Dan Reeves who coached Elway for the majority of his career. Dan Reeves, had a conservative run first approach, and did not have a "stud" running back to run the offense. This often left the Broncos in situations where they were behind in the fourth quarter. Elway holds the record for most times sacked (516).
He and his ex-wife Janet have four children: daughters Jessica, Jordan, Juliana, and a son, Jack.
His number 7 jersey has been retired by the Denver Broncos in 1999, the same year he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He was the first player to have the five year waiting period waved. In 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Career highlights
Career statistics
Regular season
| 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 (2nd) | 4,123 (2nd) | 51,475 (2nd) | 300 (4th) | 226 | 774 | 3,407 | 4.4 | 33 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1983 | 15 | 10 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 37 | 19 | 184 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1986* | 107 | 57 | 805 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 101 | 0.0 | 2 | |
| 1987* | 89 | 42 | 797 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 76 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1989* | 82 | 42 | 732 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 91 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 54 | 30 | 378 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 49 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 47 | 29 | 302 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 38 | 25 | 226 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1997* | 96 | 56 | 726 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| 1998* | 86 | 45 | 691 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 34 | 0.0 | 1 | |
| Total | 651 | 355 | 4,964 | 27 | 21 | 94 | 461 | 0.0 | 6 | |
Reference
- The Associated Press, "Clock runs out on Elway", Arizona Daily Wildcat, May 3, 1999.[1]
- Ivan Carter, "KC helped make Elway a star", The Kansas City Star, August 8, 2004, p. C8.
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway biography
- DenverBroncos.com (official team site): Elway Tribute
- NFL.com: Elway profile
- SI/CNN: John Elway statistics
- Pro-Football-Reference.com: John Elway statistics
This is an Article on John Elway. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About John Elway