Elway, a talented baseball player, was drafted in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. (Marino was also taken by the Royals in the fourth round of the same draft.) He enrolled at Stanford University in 1979, where he played football and baseball. The Denver Broncos selected him with their first pick in the 1983 NFL draft.
John Elway's career as a quarterback in the National Football League lasted from 1983 until 2001. During that time, he played for three different teams - the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts - and was awarded five All-Pro selections and two MVP awards. In 2004, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Elway started his professional football career with the Miami Dolphins, but he only stayed there for one season. In 1984, he joined the Denver Broncos, where he remained until 2001. After retiring from playing, he became the team's general manager. He was later promoted to executive vice president of football operations before being appointed as head coach of the Broncos in 2011. (He has since been replaced by Gary Kubiak.)
During his career as a quarterback, Elway led his teams to the playoffs every year except for his first season with the Dolphins when he suffered an injury that required surgery. He also had several memorable games including four consecutive come-from-behind victories to close out the 1997 season.
The Kansas City Royals will face the Baltimore Colts. The club drafted John Albert Elway Jr. in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft.
Elway played nine seasons in the NFL for three different teams. He was named MVP of the Broncos' 1981 season opener, when he led them to a 16-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders. The award is given each year to the player who best represents "the spirit of football."
Elway finished his career with 4,928 yards passing and 22 touchdowns against 30 interceptions. He also had 1,084 yards rushing and 10 scores on 196 attempts.
His career began with a memorable moment as he stepped onto Denver's field for his first game at quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 7, 1979. The Broncos lost that game 17-14, but it didn't matter much since they had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
In his rookie season, Elway passed for 2,247 yards while completing 62 percent of his passes. He also ran for six touchdowns.
Elway was an All-American college football player at Stanford before graduating with a degree in economics in 1983. He was the first overall choice in the National Football League (NFL) draft and went on to become a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. His career record is 75–37, and he has won two Super Bowl titles with the Broncos.
In addition to his playing career, Elway has been involved in sports management and marketing. He has worked as a color analyst for Stanford football games and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After retiring from football, Elway opened a restaurant chain called Elway's Restaurant & Grill. The first location opened in downtown Denver in 1994, and today there are more than 100 restaurants across the United States and one in Canada. In 2004, Elway became part owner of the Colorado Avalanches, a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The team plays in the NHL's Western Conference South Division.
Elway has four children with his wife, Linda. They live in Boulder, Colorado.
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John Elway's full-time job was not revealed until several years after his retirement from football. In 1988, he started a business consulting company called 3D Systems that provides services to companies who want to do business with the NFL.
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