Thirty years to the day after he was drafted, how John Elway changed a city and a sports franchise
“In a lot of ways, #7 put our little old cow town on the map. In 1983, when Elway arrived, Denver wasn’t exactly on the map of professional sports. In 1999, when Elway retired, Denver boasted franchises in every single major professional sport.”
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Last fall – I found myself in Rome, Italy searching for a place to watch the Broncos game. After several Google searches, I found a bar that showed American Football. Upon my arrival, I sat down, wearing my Broncos hoodie, and ordered a beer. What happened next both shocked and inspired me – the bartender, in broken English, made a comment about John Elway and pointed to the Broncos logo on my hoodie. In that moment, I realized the impact that one John Albert Elway has made on the City of Denver and the State of Colorado.
As a lifelong Broncos fan, I have grown up watching the Denver Broncos. In fact, I haven’t missed a game – either been there in person, watched on television, or listened on the radio – since the 1996 season. One of the constants in my life has been the Denver Broncos. During the Super Bowl years of the late 90’s, my bedroom transformed into a shrine for the Broncos with John Elway as the most represented player on the walls of my bedroom. I still remember my dad telling me that John Elway was going to retire, I cried as if I had lost a family member.
My favorite childhood memory is watching Super Bowl XXXII with my dad and sister. I should note that my dad is also a lifelong Broncos fan; he was at the first home game with my late grandfather in 1960. On that glorious night in January of 1998, I witnessed my dad and John Elway both get monkeys off their backs. When Brett Favre’s pass was knocked to the ground by John Mobley, I remember the cameras flashing to John Elway jumping up and down – in that moment, dad picked me and my sister up and started jumping up and down, while hugging both of us, with the joy of a five year old little kid. Without a doubt, that was a special night for anyone that was associated with the Denver Broncos.
John Elway is synonymous with Denver and Colorado. In a lot of ways, #7 put our little old cow town on the map. In 1983, when Elway arrived, Denver wasn’t exactly on the map of professional sports. In 1999, when Elway retired, Denver boasted franchises in every single major professional sport. Perhaps it is outlandish to suggest that Denver and Elway grew up together; however, if one takes a look at the growth of the two – side by side- it becomes impossible to not see the correlation of Elway putting the Broncos on the map; and, as a result, the City of Denver being put on the map.
This will always be John Elway’s town. If you don’t believe me, let me use a recent example. When the Nuggets traded for hometown legend Chauncey Billups, in 2008, he was given the number seven – instead of his usual number one. That season Billups helped lead the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals – you know what happened there, lost in six games to the Lakers. After the season, Chauncey switched back to #1 – when he was asked why, he responded: “John Elway is the only person in Denver who should wear that number.” And Chauncey, I have to agree with you.
Whether or not people want to admit it, as the Broncos go so goes Denver. In short, the Broncos are the State of Colorado’s religion; and the pope of the state religion is John Elway. From 1983 to 1999 – John Elway put the Broncos on his back and carried the franchise to two super bowl victories, five AFC championships, and seven AFC West Division Championships.
In the franchise’s darkest hour, Elway was called in to clean up the mess of the Shanahan and McDaniels regimes. By accepting the job, Elway put his legacy on the line. There was absolutely no reason for John Elway to take over the day-to-day operations of the Denver Broncos – except for the fact that he loved the Denver Broncos, just like you and I do. Two years later, the Broncos have won back to back division championships and look poised to make a Super Bowl run this year.
Make no mistake – the Broncos are not the Broncos without John Elway the player and John Elway the executive. If possible, Elway is still building his legacy as both a football guy and businessman. People often look past Elway’s success as a businessman. However, he built a successful car sales franchise from the ground up; and now, he is successfully building a chain of fine dining restaurants around this great state of ours. And now, as an executive – Elway looks poised to make the Broncos relevant in the NFL for years and years to come.
About year ago, I had the pleasure of running into John Elway. He came into my work and bought a golf driver. I noticed a man, dressed in a business suit, standing in a corner. Naively, I went over to him and asked him if was finding everything alright – when he turned around and asked me to help him, I nearly dirtied my pants out of shock. In that moment, a lifetime of memories flashed through my head, and I forced myself to get it together. After helping Mr. Elway find what he was looking for, I walked him to the checkout and helped him slip out of the store, unnoticed and unbothered. Upon payment, I said this: “Thank you for coming in. Have a great day, Mr. Elway!” and in a moment straight out of my dreams, the Duke of Denver flashed his infamous grin, reached out his hand, and said: “Thanks for your help. You have a good one, Luke” – I’ll never forget that moment.
On the surface, sports are a waste of time. Yet, the non-sports fan must look underneath the surface to understand why sports mean so much to so many of us. Under the surface lies the lucky jersey, autographs, football cards, ticket stubs to games with dad, and, above all, the memories associated with sports.
And, I don’t think that John Elway is done producing great memories for me, you, and Broncos fans around the world. After all Denver, when has John Elway ever disappointed us?
