901-754-9404
My List0

We've now made it easier for you to research and save your favorite keynotes speakers. Click on the + sign to add a speaker to your Speaker List and email your favorites to colleagues and friends.

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
John Elway, Teambuilding Speaker

John Elway

    • NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback
    • General Manager & President of Football Operations, Denver Broncos 
Full Bio
In Person-Fee 🛈

Over $100,000

Virtual Fee:

Please Inquire

Travels From

Colorado

No videos found.

John Elway Speaker Biography


The numbers never told John Elway's story. His overall statistics are impressive, but his true measure as a player ran straight to his heart.

It took two championships at the end of his career to certify his stature, to soften the mark of three Super Bowl losses. After 16 seasons, Elway retired as the starting quarterback with the most wins in NFL history with a 148-82-1 record. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August of 2004.

A renowned scrambler, Elway led 47 winning or tying drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, more than any quarterback. "In tight situations I stop worrying about turnovers," he said.

Elway became the first quarterback to start five Super Bowls, was selected for the Pro Bowl nine times and in 1987 was voted the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press. By taking risks as a passer, he made plays other quarterbacks couldn't.

John Elway closed his career with an MVP performance in the 1999 Super Bowl.

Elway was born in Port Angeles, Wash. Growing up, Elway participated in several sports. After moving to the Los Angeles area, Elway starred in baseball and football at High School. Batting .491 as a senior, he led his team to the city baseball championship. As a quarterback, he was a prep All-American, receiving scholarship offers from 60 colleges before choosing Stanford University.

While at Stanford Elway set Pac-10 career passing records for completions, yardage and touchdowns. Said Stanford coach Paul Wiggin: "Every team we play puts up a picture of John and says, 'That's our battle cry.' "Elway was a consensus All-American as a senior in 1982, when he passed finished second to in the Heisman Trophy voting. The Baltimore Colts made Elway the No. 1 pick in the 1983 draft. He used baseball as leverage. The Yankees drafted him in the 1st round.

Fearing Elway might turn to baseball, the Colts traded his rights to Denver. After signing a five-year, $5-million contract with Denver, Elway became a much-admired starter.

In the AFC championship game in Cleveland, Elway did something remarkable when he took Denver on "The Drive," a tying, 98-yard, 15-play march late in the game. The Broncos defeated Cleveland in overtime, but then lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants despite Elway's best effort. He became the first quarterback since Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw (1978-79) to lead a team to consecutive AFC titles. Elway got his chance in 1997 when the Broncos team rode to the Super Bowl as a wild card.

Facing the defending champion Green Bay Packers, Denver ended the AFC's Super Bowl slide with an upset. "That was the ultimate win," Elway said. In January 1999, the Broncos were again in the Super Bowl, this time against Atlanta and his former coach. Reeves' game plan: Stop Davis and let Elway beat us. By throwing for 336 yards and one touchdown-and running for another score-Elway led Denver to triumph. "I don't think there's any doubt now that he's a winner," said his father Jack.

Three months later, keynote speaker John Elway retired at 38 after considering the decision for weeks. "The pressure's all gone," he said to his wife the next day. "I can't believe how happy I am."

For 16 amazing seasons-234 games that included a NFL-record 148 wins-John Elway was the undisputed leader of the Denver Broncos. He will be forever remembered for his 47 game-winning or game-tying drives in the fourth quarter (another NFL record), his spectacular passing statistics, and his enduring competitive spirit, which led him to ultimate professional and personal triumph in the Super Bowl.

In 2004, in his first year of eligibility, John Elway was elected on the first ballot to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On August 8, 2004, John will be officially inducted in Canton, Ohio, along with fellow superstar classmates, Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown.

John Elway resides in Englewood, Colorado. He keeps very busy, dividing his time between his family, business interests, and the Elway Foundation, a nonprofit organization John started in 1987 to assist in the prevention and treatment of child abuse.

Since his rookie year, John Elway has been very active in the Denver community. In 1987 John decided to start his charity foundation, the Elway Foundation, to join with the community's efforts to eliminate the dreadful crime of child abuse. John recognized that child abuse was a growing issue in our society and was affecting more and more lives. He made the decision to concentrate the Elway Foundation's efforts in the area of the treatment and prevention of child abuse and to hopefully prevent future generations from becoming victims of this horrible crime.

John Elway's second charity is The Heroes Foundation. Heroes Foundation was created to provide support and funding to America's heroes and their families. Heroes exist everywhere. The Foundation strives to encourage American pride and assist those Heroes, past and present, who contribute to improving society and defending our country's freedoms. The Foundation will fund numerous programs which recognize the extraordinary sacrifices people make to in order to keep our country great.

*In Partnership with Octagon Speakers Group

Leadership

Teamwork

Motivation

Risk Taking

Related Speakers

Jim Bearden, Change Speaker

Jim Bearden

Unleashing Heroes at Work

Lori Pace keynote speaker

Lori Pace

Multicultural Strategist - "The Eager Black Woman"

Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury

#1 New York Times Bestselling Novelist;

Katara McCarty keynote speaker

Katara McCarty

Corporate Culture Speaker

Jason Ma Speaker

Jason Ma

Chief Mentor of Next-Gen Leaders

Rachel Sheerin

Rachel Sheerin

Burnout Expert & Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst

David Nelson, speaker

David Nelson

Crucial Conversations & Crucial Confrontations Subject Matter Expert

Jeff Civillico Speaker

Jeff Civillico

Philanthropist

Todd Dewett, Speaker

Todd Dewett

Two time #1 Worldwide Best Selling Author

Tim Irwin, Speaker

Tim Irwin

New York Times Best-Selling Author & Leadership Consultant

Giuliana Rancic, keynote speaker

Giuliana Rancic

Winner of the Fan Favorite Award at the 2014 Daytime Emmy Awards

Troy Aikman, Speaker

Troy Aikman

Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame Quarterback

Reviews

Testimonials

Everyone on the ESB team has been great to work with for our events. Looking forward to keep working with ESB!

Plexus Worldwide

We had a positive experience with ESB. Matt Meyer is a great communicator and easy to get a hold of. His helped us through the process to mak..

BNSF

ESB was patient, thorough, and responsive during the planning process. Thank you for making this such a great experience for us!

ConnectWise

ESB supported our needs and the needs of our speaker throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with ESB to find your next spe..

DogWatch

"It's always a pleasure to work with ESB. Very professional and personable staff. Thanks!"

Testimonial | Texas Society of Architects

"Excellent! Thank you for being a true partner to our organization and its development."

HCA Healthcare

"They are the only speakers bureau I will even consider using!"

Testimonial | Youth Villages

A wonderful bureau to work with! Big ups to everyone who helped make our event a success. Fingers crossed we get the chance to collaborate fo..

MDRT | Testimonial

"As always, you are the best most responsive speaker bureau I've ever worked with!"

Image Media

Angela Schelp was a great partner in finding the right kick-off speaker for our conference. This was my first conference identifying the keyn..

CubeSmart
Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Call to discuss how we can you help find the right speaker(s) for your organization.

© 2024 Executive Speakers Bureau. All Rights Reserved.

Design and Developed by eBiz Solutions

Get Ideas in 1 hour or less

Executive Speakers Bureau consistently receives praises about our speed and efficiency. From the beginning of your event planning, our extensive online speaker database and resourceful staff allow us to quickly equip you with the best speaker for your event.

Need a last minute speaker? No worries. Our speed and efficiency help us give you ideas for speakers in one hour or less.

Please fill in information below