John Elway

John Albert Elway Jr. mostly known as John Elway is one of the finest former quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. He is an icon in the city of Denver for everything he has given to the Denver Broncos both on and off the field. Spending his entire 16-year playing career with the Broncos, he has since dedicated another 11 years in a variety of positions in the franchise’s front office. Currently, Elway holds the Consultant position within the franchise and is a well-respected figure all around the city.

The former legend of the game has had a tremendous career, one which was capped off by back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the 1997 and 1998 NFL seasons respectively. As a matter of fact, before these two victories, Elway had already made it to the biggest game in the NFL three times previously but was never able to lift the Lombardi Trophy. There was growing speculation about whether or not he would be able to ever achieve the feat, but after his two wins, he was able to cement his legacy in the NFL’s history books forever.

John Elway personal information

John Elway Early Life

John Elway was born along with his twin sister Jana on June 28, 1960, in Port Angeles, Washington. Since his father was a football coach at various schools, the family was on the move a few times when John was in his youth.

He first attended Pullman High School in Washington for his freshman year and then went to Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, Los Angeles to complete his final three years of high school. He had a prolific high school career finishing with over 5,700 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns despite missing five games.

With his dual threat capabilities which enabled him to rush with the ball and escape dangerous situations along with great passing skills, Elway earned several scholarships. Excelling both at football and baseball, Elway was even selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 MLB draft.

After receiving multiple offers from Universities, Elway finally settled with Stanford University and played on the Cardinal’s football and baseball teams. Even though the Cardinals finished with a 20-23 overall record with Elway as the starter over his four-year duration, the former quarterback’s performances were always noteworthy. He finished with almost all of the PAC-10 passing records at the time and missed out on winning the Heisman Trophy a couple of times.

Along with his football career, Elway was considered to have an even better baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals. This was even a testament to the fact when the New York Yankees drafted him with the 52nd overall pick in the 1981 MLB draft.

John Elway Personal Life

John Elway was born in Port Angeles, Washington to parents John Elway Sr. (Jack Elway) and Janet Elway. He has an elder sister Lee Ann, and his twin sister Jana passed away in her forties.

Elway is a father of four with three daughters and one son. He has been married two times, first to ex-wife Janet Buchan but the pair ended up divorcing. His second marriage was to Paige Green and the couple are still together.

After his playing days came to an end, Elway kept himself busy taking up various administrative roles with the Denver Broncos franchise.

John Elway Family Background

The Washington native shared a very strong bond with his entire family which consisted of his parents, twin sister Jana and elder sister Lee Ann.

It was a close-knit family but the family has seen its fair share of tragic news. Elway’s father passed away in 2001 due to a sudden heart attack. Unfortunately, the family was dealt a severe blow the very next year when Elway’s twin sister also passed away due to lung cancer.

John Elway’s Father

John Elway Sr. (Jack Elway) was the father of the Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway Jr. His father was a football coach and traveled the country due to his profession. Both father and son shared a very special bond and his father was the one who always encouraged sports in the house.

It became very evident to Elway’s father at a young age that his son had a future in either football or baseball. He would coach his son and play with him while Elway Jr. also showed inclination towards sports from a very young age. Despite remaining in the background, Elway’s father was a great support and of even greater help during his son’s time with the Broncos, especially during the two Super Bowl-winning seasons.

Even after John finished his playing career and took up roles in the Broncos’ front office, his father would be on hand whenever required to help around.

For Elway Jr., his father was like his best friend, always standing by his side and guiding him in football matters when he was called upon. Many people remember Elway Sr. as not only a great and unique coach but also an even better individual at heart.

John Elway’s Mother

Janet Elway (née Jordan) was affectionately referred to as ‘Mimi’ by her grandchildren. Janet was a loving and caring but an even more concerned mother. She sacrificed a lot but also enjoyed traveling the country with her husband who was a football coach.

In spite of being the wife of a coach, she was still quite independent in her own way. She also worked and had her own professional life. Janet Elway was best known for her generosity, always wanting to give something.

When it came to her family, she was extremely proud of what her son achieved and she also stood side by side with her daughters, encouraging them to take on the world.

John Elway Siblings

There is relatively much less information on Elway’s sisters. Both his twin sister Jana, and elder sister Lee Ann did mention that they were all quite competitive in their youth but John always took it to the next level. He would get so serious about things that some of the fun would get lost.

John Elway Ex-Wife

John Elway was previously married to Janet Buchan who is a former swimmer and who won a number of major swimming titles during her time at Stanford. Both John and Janet attended Stanford University where she was an accomplished swimmer and John was playing football and baseball.

The couple were married in 1984 but eventually divorced in 2003 having been separated for nearly a year prior. The couple have four children: Jessica, Jordan, Jack, and Juliana. Not much information could be found about them.

John Elway Wife

John Elway has been married to Paige Green since August 2009. The couple reportedly met each other in 2005 at a celebrity golf tournament which was organized by former NFL running back Marcus Allen in Los Angeles.

According to sources, Paige was born in Seattle, Washington in 1976. She is a former cheerleader for the then Oakland Raiders (Las Vegas Raiders) and is presently a social activist and is a big advocate of animal rights. Apart from this, not much else is known about her.

John Elway Social Media

John Elway doesn’t have a big social media presence although he does have an Instagram account as well as an ‘X’ account. He can be followed on both these platforms on below handles:

• johnelway - Instagram

• @johnelway - X

John Elway Draft

The former Broncos legend was drafted in the 1983 NFL Draft which was considered as the "Quarterback class of 1983". There were a total of six quarterbacks that were taken in the first round itself.

As far as Elway’s drafting was concerned, it turned out into quite a controversy as the number one pick was with the then Baltimore Colts, a team that was not doing so well. To further complicate matters, his father advised him against playing under the Colts coach at the time - Frank Kush as he had a reputation for tasking his players too much.

In addition to this, Elway still had an offer to join the Yankees in MLB which he would use to negotiate a trade out of Baltimore. He made it clear to the management that he wanted to either for a team on the West Coast, or play for the Dallas Cowboys or the Miami Dolphins and if they didn’t comply he threatened to join the Yankees and play baseball.

In spite of being told explicitly that he didn’t want to play for the Colts, Baltimore still selected him as the number one overall pick since they could not find a suitable trade option for him before the draft. Once again after his selection, Elway and his father made it clear that even if he was selected by the Colts, he would jump ship and go play baseball in the summer. As a result the Colts, now desperate to not lose out on their pick finally struck an agreement with the Denver Broncos and the rest is history.

The other quarterbacks to be drafted in that year in the first round were; Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien, and Dan Marino which is a record number of quarterbacks drafted in the first round of an NFL draft. Along with Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, both went on to become legends of the game even though they both missed out on Super Bowls, unlike Elway.

John Elway NFL Journey

John Elway has had an amazing 16-year career in the NFL as a player. Very recently, he also had a significant career as an executive in the Broncos front office which lasted another 12 years. As a player, he accomplished everything he could have and walked away from the sport at the top of his game having won two consecutive Lombardi Trophies. Along with the biggest honor in the NFL, he has won several individual accolades as well.

Over his 16-year career in the league, Elway won a Super Bowl MVP, a regular season MVP, and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. He was also instrumental in leading the Broncos to 10 postseason runs, making the Super Bowl five times. However, his performances in the Super Bowls were quite disappointing except for the last one.

Elway would finish his career as one of the highest winning percentage quarterbacks compiling a 148–82–1 record. His 148 wins are now fourth all-time in the league surpassed only by Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.

For his tremendous efforts and accomplishments on the field, Elway was honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on August 8, 2004, in his first year of eligibility.

John Elway Teams

John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL draft, however, he was traded to the Denver Broncos even before playing a single game. Elway then played all 16 seasons with the Broncos.

Denver Broncos (1983-1998)

Putting the controversy of the 1983 NFL draft behind him, Elway settled to play for the Broncos after his trade. In hindsight, it now looks to have been a great decision given the success he had with the franchise and his overall association with the team even after his retirement.

The two-time Super Bowl Champion was thrust into the offense as the starting quarterback in his rookie year itself. It took him some time to develop, but he quickly settled in the league and led the Broncos to deep playoff runs from his third season onwards.

In 1993, he led the league in completions, attempts, and passing yards with 4,030. Overall, he had 51,475 passing yards in the regular season and another 4,964 in the playoffs. His touchdowns to interceptions ratio which was 300 to 226 in the regular season and 27 to 21 respectively in the postseason could have been better for his standard. It hurt him the most in the Super Bowls as he threw only three touchdowns against an NFL record eight interceptions throughout his five appearances.

Nevertheless, his contribution to the Broncos as a player could not be overlooked and as a result, the franchise retired his number 7 jersey on September 13, 1999, after he had retired from the game a few months earlier. He was also inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame on the same night cementing his legacy as one of the best if not the best Broncos to ever play in the NFL.

John Elway Net Worth

John Elway has a reported net worth of nearly $150 million. He has made his fortune from several avenues with the most bankable one being his long NFL career in which he has earned a sizable amount of money. Apart from his playing salary, Elway has cashed in on high-profile endorsement deals, investments, and business ventures. He even returned to the Broncos and took up various positions in the front office increasing his net worth as an administrator. His latest net worth growth is as shown below:

John Elway Contract

It has been well over two decades now that Elway last played a game in the NFL. His last contract in the league was a five-year deal worth $20 million which included a $2,260,000 signing bonus, and an average annual salary of $4,000,000.

Previously, he had signed a four-year deal worth $19,100,000 including a $6,000,000 signing bonus, and an average annual salary of $4,775,000 in 1993. His 1987 contract was for six years and the deal was worth $12,700,000 including a $3,000,000 signing bonus and an average annual salary of $2,116,667. His rookie contract was a $5,000,000 deal for five years averaging $1 million a year along with a $1,000,000 signing bonus.

John Elway Brand Ambassador

Being a very successful quarterback during his time in the league and a legend of the game post-retirement, becoming a brand ambassador for various brands has been very easy for the former star. His portfolio of endorsements includes some of the top brands such as:

• Nestle

• Neptune Krill Oil

• Sprint

• Chevrolet

• Shriners Hospitals

• ONEflight

John Elway Investments

Once Elway retired from a reputed playing career in the NFL, he turned his attention towards investing his money and business ventures. During the 90s he had several automobile dealerships but according to reports he sold many of them to AutoNation Inc. in 1997 for $82.5 million. He still owns some of them including Toyota, Chevrolet, Chrysler Jeep, and Cadillac.

From 2002 to 2008 he had also invested in the Colorado Crush Arena Football team. Moreover, he also tried his hand in the restaurant business opening a chain of steakhouse restaurants in Colorado known as Elway’s.

John Elway Achievements

A former player of Elway’s caliber is bound to have an immense number of achievements as is the case here. While it is not possible to list each and every minor achievement, the following is a list of some of his standout accomplishments in the sport of gridiron football.

• 2 time Super Bowl champion - Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII

• Super Bowl XXXIII MVP

• NFL Most Valuable Player - 1987

• NFL Man of the Year - 1992

• 3 time Second-team All-Pro - 1987, 1993, 1996

• 9 time Pro Bowler - 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996–1998

• NFL passing yards leader - 1993

• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team

• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

• Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

• Denver Broncos No. 7 retired

• Career passing yards in the NFL - 12th all-time with 51,475

• Career passing touchdowns in the NFL - 14th all-time with 300

• Only quarterback to score 4 rushing touchdowns in 4 different Super Bowls

John Elway Super Bowl Wins

In his 16-year career, John Elway led the Broncos to 10 postseasons, 5 Super Bowls and 2 Super Bowl victories. While it looked like he would never win a Lombardi Trophy before retiring, the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons proved to be otherwise.

Elway led the team in his fourth Championship game in Super Bowl XXXII where they met the defending champions, the Green Bay Packers. The game played in Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California was a tight one in its entirety as Denver held a slender 17-14 lead at the half. Eventually, the Broncos would come out on top by a score of 31-24 but Elway didn’t have the best game of his life. He finished the game completing just 12 of 22 for 123 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He did however have one rushing touchdown.

Super Bowl XXXIII was against the Atlanta Falcons in Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida. This time Elway had a much better game as the Broncos were in control from the get-go. Leading 17-13 at the half, Denver would go on to win 34-19 and Elway produced 336 passing yards to go with 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown, and an interception.

John Elway Career Stats

Regular Season

Postseason

John Elway Diet

No specific information regarding the diet plans of John Elway could be found.

John Elway House

According to sources, John Elway’s residence is in Englewood, Colorado. This property is situated nearly twenty minutes south of downtown Denver. Built in 1982, the property is over 2,000 square feet and consists of 7 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. Some amenities that are mentioned include four fireplaces, a jacuzzi, and attached garage parking. The house is said to be worth over $5 million.

John Elway Cars

Unfortunately, there is no information on the cars that John Elway owns or drives. However, he has a car dealership which started in Colorado and has now expanded to other locations such as Utah, Nebraska and California.