Prior to his arrival in Denver, the Broncos were one of the historically bad teams in the AFC West division. It didn't take long before his prowess to rise to prominence took over and he became one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. John Elway's evasiveness and willingness to make a daring throw is partially the reason for his success. While names like Terrell Davis were huge contributors to the Broncos success, the Broncos might not have been as successful without John Elway leading the way.
After having an All-American collegiate career at the University of Standford, Elway was drafted 1st overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. Controversary surrounding Elway's unwillingness to play in Baltimore led him to be traded by the Denver Broncos where he would play all sixteen seasons of his NFL career. In those sixteen years, Elway would throw a total of 51,475 yards with a passer rating of 79.9 while leading the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. Elway has notched one NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 and nin Pro Bowl invitations.