John Elway
John Elway is a former NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos. In college, Elway was a star in both football and baseball for the Stanford Cardinal (he would later be drafted by the Yankees). In his last ever game at Stanford, he was on the losing end of one of the most dramatic endings in college football history, nicknamed “The Play.” Stanford had taken a one point lead over the rival Cal Golden Bears with four seconds left, but after a controversial series of lateral passes, Cal scored on the kickoff return as the Stanford band rushed the field (thinking the game was over). That heartbreaking loss may have cost Elway the Heisman, as he finished second in the voting to University of Georgia running back and future Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Elway was drafted first overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, ahead of fellow future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. In what is now known as “The Drive,” Elway led the Broncos 98 yards to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. Denver won in overtime, putting the team in Super Bowl XXI against the New York Giants, which they lost 39-20. Elway and the Broncos again made the Super Bowl the following year (he was NFL MVP that season), but this time they were blown out 42-10 by the team now known as the Washington Commanders, led by Doug Williams (the first Black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl). Elway was back in the big game two years later, facing the defending champion San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV, but once again he and the Broncos were badly beaten (losing 55-10, the most lopsided result in Super Bowl history). Elway only managed to win one playoff game over the next seven seasons, but he led the Broncos to Super Bowl victories over the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII before announcing his retirement in 1999. Known for his rocket arm and for being dangerous on his feet (his 4 rushing touchdowns in Super Bowl Games are a record for a quarterback), Elway is widely considered one of the 5 or 10 best quarterbacks of all time. After his playing career, he won one more Super Bowl during his tenure as general manager of the Broncos.