Elway: A Relentless Life
Elway: A Relentless Life
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Overview
John Elway's historic moments are known by two-word phrases. Before his NFL career even started, he was at the center of the craziest play in college football history, which is simply known as "The Play." Before he signed a pro contract, there was "The Trade." His career included "The Drive" and "The Fumble," and, of course, "The Helicopter," a play so iconic in Super Bowl lore that it's played on highlight reels every January in the lead up to the game. There are so many memorable comeback victories and heroic plays that people make lists rather than consider Elway in the context of any singular event.
Elway's role in the ascendance of quarterbacks to the summit of sports culture was as a dynamic athlete possessed of seemingly limitless talent. In the face of all the talent, Elway's story is filled with one challenge after another. In college, Stanford never went to a bowl game during his four years there and his college career ended with Cal returning a kickoff for a touchdown ... through the Stanford band. Elway was ripped for being petulant after refusing to play for the Baltimore Colts when he was drafted No. 1 overall, and later for his failure to get along with coach Dan Reeves. Over the first 10 years of his career, Elway led Denver to three Super Bowls, but lost in progressively worse fashion each time. Finally, after 15 years of perseverance, Elway led the Broncos to back-to-back championships, including the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. He won the Most Valuable Player award in his final Super Bowl game and then walked away from football.
Retirement was no joy. Within four years of quitting football, his father and twin sister both died, and he went through a difficult divorce from his college sweetheart. In search of redemption, Elway returned to football ... at the bottom. He spent eight years running the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League. He prepared and waited more than a decade to return to his beloved Broncos, at a moment when the franchise had reached an all-time low. While many people doubted Elway initially, he navigated the Broncos through massive changes and won from the start. Denver made the playoffs in each of Elway's first five years, appeared in two Super Bowls, and capped that run with a win in Super Bowl 50, making Elway the rare Hall of Famer to win a title both on and off the field.
Through it all, Elway has put his passion for competition on display in a way only a handful of other NFL greats have ever done. Elway is the most complete look ever at one of the most accomplished competitors in the history of American sports.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781549148927 |
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Publisher: | Hachette Books |
Publication date: | 09/15/2020 |
Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Peter Larkin has lent his voice to over a dozen audiobooks, including works by Michael Savage and Neil Gaiman. He has won AudioFile Earphones awards for many of his narrations, including Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach and Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook. Larkin has worked as a DJ, as a host of both a radio and a television show, and as a producer of many industrial films for many of the country's top companies, corporations, and governmental agencies.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Prologue xix
Chapter 1 Jack 1
Chapter 2 The Barracuda and the Sheriff 15
Chapter 3 From a Chevy 25
Chapter 4 An Odd Way to L.A. 33
Chapter 5 Happy Jack's Flying Circus 39
Chapter 6 High School 46
Chapter 7 The Recruiting Trail 53
Chapter 8 Number One Versus Number One 57
Chapter 9 Early Signs of Trouble 67
Chapter 10 Elway Versus Elway 74
Chapter 11 Ups, Downs, and An Awful Ending 79
Chapter 12 Kill Or Be Killed 89
Chapter 13 George Steinbrenner's Dream 98
Chapter 14 Pete Rozelle's Quandary 104
Chapter 15 Edgar Kaiser and the Pursuit of Elway 116
Chapter 16 Arm of Gold, Knee of Tin 132
Chapter 17 Dan Reeves and the QB Culture War 140
Chapter 18 Driving the Browns Out of Cleveland 150
Chapter 19 Super Misery 161
Chapter 20 Bradshaw Pours it On, 49ers Reign 168
Chapter 21 Pat Bowlen, Red Teeth, and Reeves 175
Chapter 22 The End With Reeves 183
Chapter 23 The Wade Years 190
Chapter 24 Don't Be Afraid to Manage 196
Chapter 25 Sunflower Seeds 207
Chapter 26 Beating the Packers 219
Chapter 27 1998 227
Chapter 28 Retirement 237
Chapter 29 The Arena Challenge 254
Chapter 30 Paige 261
Chapter 31 Tebowmania 261
Chapter 32 Peyton 273
Chapter 33 Fox Trots, Manning Dances 285
Chapter 34 Miracle On 13655 Broncos Parkway 296
Chapter 35 Super Bowl 50 310
Chapter 36 The Next Challenge 315
Acknowledgments 331
Index 333