Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players.

He credits his coach there, Mike Russell, as serving as a mentor for him both as a football player and becoming an exemplary citizen.

[3] During his senior year, Atwater helped the 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team finish the season at 10-2 and win the Southwest Conference championship outright, but lost to UCLA and QB Troy Aikman in the 1989 Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day.

1988 bookended his college career since Arkansas also finished 10–2 after beating Arizona State 18–17 in the 1985 Holiday Bowl during Atwater's freshman season.

Helping Atwater's stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, where he logged two interceptions.

The additions of rookies Atwater and Bobby Humphrey, along with key free agent signings, helped Denver rebound from 8–8 in 1988 to AFC Super Bowl representative in 1989.

One of Atwater's career highlights happened on September 17, 1990, during a Monday Night Football telecast from Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado.

The resulting collision stopped Okoye in his tracks, with Atwater standing over him, taunting the proclaimed "Nigerian Nightmare", while he lay on the ground stunned.

His sack and forced fumble resulted in three critical points in the second quarter when the Broncos offense had stalled without star running back Terrell Davis.

Atwater knocked down a critical pass on a blitz where the receiver was left wide open, forcing the Packers to punt.

Then on Green Bay's final drive, Atwater's vicious hit (which nearly knocked out three players, including Atwater, Packers wide receiver Robert Brooks, and his teammate, Broncos cornerback Randy Hilliard) with less than a minute remaining left the Packers in 4th and 6 situation without any remaining timeouts, due to NFL rules regarding injuries to players in the final two minutes of a game.