Elway
A Relentless Life
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3.9 • 9 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The unauthorized biography of John Elway, Hall of Fame Quarterback, two-time Super Bowl Champion, now President of Football Operations and General Manager of the Denver Broncos.
John Elway's historic moments are known by two-word phrases. He was at the center of the wildest play in college football history, simply known as "The Play." Before he signed a pro contract, there was "The Trade." His NFL career included "The Drive" and "The Fumble," and, of course, "The Helicopter," one of the most iconic highlights in Super Bowl lore. There are so many memorable comeback victories and heroic plays that people have to make lists rather than consider Elway in the context of any singular event.
Yet Elway's story is filled with one challenge after another. At Stanford, he never played in a Bowl game. He was ripped for being petulant after refusing to sign with 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 fifteen years of perseverance, Elway led the Broncos to back-to-back championships, including the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. Elway won the MVP award in his final Super Bowl and then walked away from the game.
Within four years, Elway's father and twin sister both died, and he went through a difficult divorce. Reeling in his post-retirement, he returned to football . . . at the bottom, running the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League. He waited more than a decade to return to his beloved Broncos. While many people doubted him initially, Elway navigated the Broncos through massive changes and to victory in Super Bowl 50, making Elway the rare Hall of Famer to win a title both on and off the field. Elway has put his passion for competition on display in a way that only a handful of other NFL greats have ever done, and Elway is the most complete look at one of the most accomplished legends in the history of American sports.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sportswriter Cole (Giant, coathored with Plaxico Burress) delivers an in-depth, entertaining biography of one of football's greatest quarterbacks, John Elway. Cole painstakingly details Elway's life, beginning with his Port Angeles, Wash., childhood and his move to Los Angeles when his father became head football coach of Cal State Northridge. In high school, Elway excelled at both football and baseball, and competed against Darryl Strawberry in the 1979 Los Angeles baseball championship. But it was football that took Elway to Stanford in 1979. Cole details Elway's college career, including his reaction to "The Play" at Stanford one of Elway's best drives that nevertheless resulted in a loss and, according to Elway, "ruined my last game as a college football player." The Denver Broncos picked him at number one in the 1983 draft, and he went on to play his entire 16-year career there, taking the team to Superbowl victories in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. After his retirement in 1999, he became co-owner of the Colorado Rush arena football team and returned to the Broncos in 2011 to become general manager. Cole smoothly takes readers from on-field action to back-office decision-making as Elway drafted University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, with mixed results, before signing veteran Peyton Manning. Cole shows Elway's nervousness during his job interview for the general manager position, as well as the Super Bowl triumph that came after Manning was signed. This is a must-read for Elway and Broncos fans.
