[1][2][3][4][5] At the time of his retirement in early 1999, Elway had the most victories by a starting quarterback and was statistically the second most prolific passer in NFL history.

[6][7] While playing college football at Stanford, Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions and also received unanimous All-American honors.

After his retirement as a player, Elway served as general manager and executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos, which won four division titles, two AFC Championships, and Super Bowl 50 during his tenure, making Elway a three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Broncos – two as a player and one as an executive.

In February 1976, Jack joined the staff at Palouse neighbor Idaho,[9][10] but a month later became the head coach at Cal State-Northridge,[11] a Division II program in Southern California.

[12][13] Despite missing five games with a knee injury as a senior,[14] he ended his high school career with 5,711 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns,[15] and was named to the Parade All America High School Football Team, along with future NFL stars, quarterback Dan Marino and running back Eric Dickerson.

[16] Known as a dual-threat quarterback, meaning he was accomplished at running and escaping pressure with an impressive passing ability, he was amongst the top recruited high school players in the country, receiving numerous scholarships.

[20][21] Rod Gilmore recalled that the football team expected Elway to be a backup quarterback for three years before starting, like Turk Schonert and Steve Dils.

[22] Elway spent his freshman season as backup to future NFL quarterback Schonert, playing in nine games as the team went 5–5–1.

After Schonert graduated, Elway became the starting quarterback as a sophomore, threw 27 touchdown passes (2nd in the NCAA), and led the team to a 6–4 record heading into the final week of the season.

Elway completed a 29-yard pass and drove the ball downfield to the 35-yard line, where Mark Harmon kicked what appeared to be the winning field goal.

What followed is now simply known as "The Play", in which Cal players lateraled the ball, rugby-style, five times – two of them controversial – and scored a touchdown to win the game, 25–20.

While Elway preferred football, his agent Marvin Demoff later stated that baseball was "a true option" for him at the time.

[28] After unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate a private agreement with the Colts in which Elway would cite his alleged desire to remain on the West Coast to explain the team trading him, Elway publicly threatened to join the Yankees full-time if the Colts did not trade him; Demoff wrote in his journal, published three decades later, that "he would be a garbage collector before he'd play for Baltimore."

[28] Worried that the Colts would waste their pick, team owner Robert Irsay began negotiating with the Denver Broncos before the draft.

On May 2, Irsay and Accorsi agreed to trade Elway for Hinton, backup quarterback Mark Herrmann, and a first-round pick in the 1984 draft, which turned into offensive lineman Ron Solt.

He debuted for the Broncos in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, and was sacked for the first time in his NFL career at the hands of linebacker and fellow Hall of Famer Jack Lambert.

[33] In early October, DeBerg was named the starter by third-year head coach Dan Reeves for the remainder of the season,[34] but a shoulder injury brought Elway back a month later.

[35][36] In the 1986 season, Elway led the Broncos to Super Bowl XXI, after defeating the Cleveland Browns on a famous possession at the end of the fourth quarter that became known as "The Drive".

However, the Broncos lost five yards on their next three plays and came up empty after kicker Rich Karlis missed the field goal attempt.

In the 1987 season, Elway was selected to start in the American Football Conference's (AFC) Pro Bowl team and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

He went on to once again lead the Broncos to a victory over the Browns in the AFC title game, earning their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, this one against the Washington Redskins.

But in the second quarter, the Redskins suddenly stormed back with a record 35 points, and ended up winning Super Bowl XXII 42–10.

During the preseason American Bowl game in Mexico City, Elway ruptured his right (throwing arm) biceps tendon.

It was treated non-surgically, and he returned to play 19 days later, and the team advanced to Super Bowl XXXII, Elway's fourth, where they faced the Green Bay Packers, the defending champions.

[41] Elway ended his career with a record 148 victories, since surpassed by Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady for most wins by a starting quarterback.

He finished his career with 774 rushing attempts, currently fourth in league history behind Cam Newton (934), Michael Vick (873), and Randall Cunningham (775).

[68] Xanders left the team after the 2012 season, and Elway assumed the role of general manager which gave him complete control over the football side of the Broncos operation.

Elway responded to the Super Bowl loss by signing defensive end DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib, and safety T. J.

Elway hired Gary Kubiak, his former backup quarterback and former Broncos offensive coordinator, as the new head coach for the 2015 season.

Elway and Kubiak also brought back Wade Phillips, a former Broncos head coach, for his second stint as the team's defensive coordinator.