John Elway is one of the most known quarterbacks in the history of the Denver Broncos. He was born on June 20, 1960 and grew up with two siblings: his twin sister, Jana, and his other sister, Lee Ann, who had been born one and a half years before John. His parents were Jack and Janet Elway. His father wanted him to be athletic at a youthful age, and quickly taught him to play baseball and then football. His father must have been concerned about his future athletic career because while his sisters got to go on skiing trips, Jack made him stay home so he would not injure himself before getting to play competitive sports. John was not allowed to play football until finishing fourth grade. In fifth grade he showed everyone the talents he had. Everyone who watched him would be impressed about how he could play as well as he did.
John Elway went on to be a star quarterback for his school, Grenada Hills. His talent as a young child continued into his high school years. He was such a great athlete that he also played baseball for the school. The baseball team made it to the Los Angeles championship. Since he was probably the best on his team, scouts kept a close eye on him, and apparently they enjoyed his performances because John was recruited by over 65 separate colleges. Out of all the colleges he got selected in to, he chose to attend Stanford University where he was quickly known as the best player on the team. His college career is unsurpassed because of all the records he broke. He surpassed five major NCAA records and nine records for his conference (Pac-10). Some stats for his entire career are he completed 62.1% of every pass he threw, threw for over 9,000 yards, as well as 77 touchdowns in his four years in the NCAA.
When he entered the NFL draft, the Broncos chose him as the number one pick in the draft. He stayed with the Broncos for his entire NFL career. He quickly became known as one of the best Denver Broncos football player ever. In 1985, he quickly broke the Broncos’ single season record for attempts, completions, and passing yards. The next year, he led the Broncos to the AFL championship. It was the first time they made it that far in the playoffs for 10 years. And in 1987 John Elway was given the league MVP. In Super Bowl XXII he became the first quarterback to catch a pass in the Super Bowl. In 1989, John scored the only touchdown made by his team in the Super Bowl. He led his team in touchdowns, which was 6 at the time. In 1992, he had to undergo surgery for his shoulder. But the next season he was as good as ever, throwing his career long 80 yd. touchdown.
In 1993 he was named the AFC MVP as well as the AFC Offensive Player of the Year. He threw 26 touchdowns, made 14 interceptions, and in five separate games threw for over 300 yards. With these amazing stats he broke his career records in all of them. During the 1996 season, he, once again, threw 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In that same season he set these records for the Broncos: most games played (192) and most consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass (15). In the following season he led the Broncos’ offense to their second season in a row as the top offense in the NFL. In his time with the Broncos Elway became widely known for his remarkable last-minute wins.
In his sixteen years with the team he made it to 5 Super Bowls, in which he won the last two. He was only the second quarterback to throw for over 50,000 yards. He was so popular he was asked for autographs everywhere he went— including Europe and Asia. In order to avoid hundreds of phone calls, he changed his phone number every month.
After he won his two Super Bowls, he announced his retirement.
“John Elway.”Answers.com. April 2009
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