Denver Broncos legend John Elway has been doing well for himself since leaving the NFL, parlaying his football career into different endeavors off the turf. Of course, you could say that none of this would have been possible if the Stanford grad did achieve everything he did while he was in a Broncos jersey. And to put it lightly, he did quite a lot.
After an extremely controversial draft, John Elway would arrive in Denver 1983 and he would spend his entire career in the Mile High City. The top selection in his class, Elway would play 16 years under center for the Broncos football team.
In his career, Elway played in a total 234 regular season games and had a record of 148 wins, 82 losses, and one draw. The 63% win percentage would be good enough to help lead the Broncos to the playoffs for 10 out of his 16 seasons. Elway would bring seven AFC West Division titles to Denver as well as five Conference Championships. Of there five trips to the Super Bowl, John Elway and the Broncos would win the Lombardi twice in back to back years, 1998 and 1999.
Individually, the Hall of Famer also got some hardware over his career. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro team selection, and was named NFL MVP in 1987. And even after retiring, he was still able to wing another Super Bowl ring with the Broncos but this time as part of the front office.
In today's era of sports it's extremely rare for an athlete to spend his entire playing career with just one team, what more when they retire and move on to coaching or front office work. Even the great Tom Brady has left his icy castle in Foxboro for the sunshine and beaches of Tampa Bay. For John Elway to have spent his entire NFL life with the Broncos is an achievement in itself and all the success he's brought to the franchise is what makes him a true legend.
Although his time as a Denver executive isn't done yet, let's take a look back at some of the moments that made the Duke's career in Denver a little more memorable. Here's rundown of the greatest moments in John Elway's career:
5. Super Bowl 50: “This one's for Pat.”
John's third Super Bowl win and his first as an executive, this championship was special for a lot of reasons.
First, it was John Elway's first big win as a member of the Broncos' front office and it was Denver's first Super Bowl since 1998. It was also the culmination of four years of hard work by Elway and the franchise that started back in 2011. Denver made several tough roster moves which included signing free agents Peyton Manning, Emmanuel Sanders, Wes Welker, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and Demarcus Ware. But what made this moment really special was perfectly captured by Elway when he hoisted up the Lomardi Trophy.
“This one's for Pat.”
Long-time owner Pat Bowlen stepped down a year before due to Alzheimers and John made sure to remember him during the championship ceremony.
4. The Drive
If there's one sequence people remember from Elway's historic career, this is most probably it.
In his 1987 MVP season, John Elway and his Broncos faced the Browns in the AFC Championship Game. Down seven, 20-13, with five minutes left in the game, Denver would muff the kick-off and would be held up on their own two-yard line. Cold and composed as ever, Elway would proceed to slice up the Cleveland the defense and lead his team 98 yards down field. More impressively, the Broncos would never be forced into a fourth down the entire drive. They would end up winning in overtime and would return to the Super Bowl.
3. Super Bowl XXXIII: The Duke Rides Off Into the Sunset
Simple and sweet, John Elway would lead Denver to the second of back to back Lombardi Trophies and would then retire later that year. Riding off into the sunset after finishing the last two years of his hard fought career on top, a fitting end.
2. 1998 AFC Championship Game: Last Game in Mile High Stadium
Another one that doesn't need a lot of explaining. The prelude to his second title run and retirement, Elway's last game in Mile High Stadium would end in a way that Broncos fans will forever cherish.
After securing their trip to Super Bowl XXXIII, John Elway would lead a victory lap around the arena, He would with a heartfelt “I love you” to the Denver crowd. Such a special moment especially knowing that only a few months later he would leave the game after 16 years with the franchise.
1. Super Bowl XXXII: Finally
And of course, the big one.
Before Super Bowl XXXII, John Elway had already led to the Broncos to the big game three different times but unfortunately they lost all three time and by big margins. In their previous attempts, the Elway-led Broncos were beaten by a total score of 40-136 by their opponents. So it's safe to say that there was pressure heading into this one.
And the legend would respond.
Highlighted by his epic “helicopter run”, Elway would not let this one slip away and he would help the Denver franchise win their very first Super Bowl after four tries. During the postgame celebrations, owner Pat Bowlen was presented with the Lombardi Trophy and exclaimed,“This One's For John!”
After 15 long years, he was finally a champion.
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