Top 5 John Elway Moments in Broncos History

Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway is celebrating his 56^th Birthday today. I take a look at some of his greatest moments during his time with the Denver Broncos.

Whenever you ask me the first player I can think of when it comes to the Denver Broncos, I automatically will say John Elway. Even though I caught the tail end of his career, I have heard stories of what a great player he was for the Denver Broncos organization.

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Today, John Elway celebrates his 56^th Birthday. He has played such a huge part in getting the Denver Broncos on the map not just as a player, but a member of the front office. From the Helicopter Run, to the numerous comebacks, and the work he has done to bring in some top talent to the Broncos. I mean, what has this man not done?

I do wish that I caught the majority of his career because from the stories I have heard from friends and from watching some of his games on YouTube. He has done so much for this organization, there is not one moment that I can choose from his many. So, I decided to attempt to do five of them.

Keep in mind that I will be including moments of him from his days as the Denver Broncos quarterback and his time in the front office. So, let us get right to it. Here are my Top 5 John Elway moments in Broncos history. Also, these moments are in no particular order.

Next: Broncos vs. Chiefs- 1998

#5- Elway’s Comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998

If there was one game that sticks out in my mind, the late season battle between the 12-0 Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs is that game. The Broncos were attempting to go 13-0 but ran into quite the buzzsaw that is the Chiefs.

With less than 10 Minutes to go in the 4^th quarter, the Broncos were trailing 31-21 and appeared to be at the danger of losing their first game. However, we got to see one of John Elway’s final comebacks in his career. Who would think that at 38 years old that he would still have it in him?

First it started out with a Terrell Davis touchdown to bring the score to within three points just minutes after the Chiefs’ 31^st point. The Denver defense kept the Chiefs from scoring on the next possession and were forced to punt.

Shortly after, John Elway delivered a strike to Shannon Sharpe for a 24 yard touchdown to give the Broncos their first lead of the game. They would never relinquish it and won the game 35-31 to move the team to 13-0.

Next: The Peyton Manning Era Begins

#4- Denver Broncos Sign Peyton Manning

This was perhaps the biggest signing of the John Elway era. In 2012, the Indianapolis Colts had released Peyton Manning after missing the entire 2011 season. John Elway saw a chance to begin building a team that could win not only now, but from now on.

Granted, Tim Tebow did give the Broncos their second playoff win since Elway retired, it appears as if the general manager was not sold on Tebow as the long term answer. In perhaps the most shocking moment I have ever seen, the Broncos were able to sign Manning to a deal, But it came at a cost of trading away Tebow.

Despite the move, John Elway got the start needed to show the rest of the NFL that the Broncos were not going to be pushovers anymore. It also was just the start to the how great he was to picking up key free agents. First Manning, then Wes Welker, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, Demarcus Ware, and the Bronco fan favorite Emmanuel Sanders.

Every season, Elway was able to build off of last year, see what went wrong, and adjust the team to obtain the ultimate prize, winning a world championship.

So, the signing of Peyton Manning began the journey to winning Super Bowl 50.

Next: This One's For Pat!

#3- This One’s For Pat!

Fast forward four years after signing Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos were able to complete the four year long task and hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara, California. The Broncos defense were able to shut down the Carolina Panthers’ offense and won Super Bowl 50.

John Elway played a part in getting the Broncos their third Lombardi Trophy. However, there was one person missing from the celebration. Pat Bowlen, the long time Broncos owner had Alzheimer’s and had to step down in 2014 shortly before the start of training camp that year.

When it was time for John Elway to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, Jim Nantz asked him if he had anything to say about this accomplishment. And well, let him tell you…

The reason that this moment is so huge to me is that Pat Bowlen did so much for the organization, it pulled at the strings of fan’s hearts, including mine.

So, while it may only be four words, it was the biggest four words that Broncos fans could ever hear.

Next: The Drive

#2- The Drive

The Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns met in the AFC Championship Game that would decide who would go to Super Bowl. It was the most entertaining game in Broncos history (I never saw the game, but I did watch the drive that I will be talking about)

Trailing 20-13 with a little over 5 minutes to go in the game, the Broncos muffed the kickoff and were pinned at their own two yard line. Then the magic would begin. John Elway, like a surgeon, was able to drive the team down the entire 98 yards in small bits. The biggest play of the entire drive was 22 yards.

What probably impressed me the most of the drive was that the Cleveland defense could not force a 4^th Down at all. Plus, Elway was cool and collected (from my eyes) for that entire drive.

The Broncos offense knew that they had the Browns and took full advantage. The Broncos would go on to win the game in overtime by the score of 23-20.

Next: The Helicopter Spin

#1- The Helicopter Spin

Super Bowl 32 between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers was the first game I ever watched. It was my first experience at how a quarterback who has been playing the game for 16 years would perform on a big stage after falling short the first three times.

With the game tied at 17 each, the Broncos drove down the field, getting to the Green Bay 12 yard line. On third down and eight, John Elway scrambled out and ran towards the first down. As he dove for the sticks, he was hit by a couple of Packers defenders and spun in the air and ended up getting enough for the first down.

That play just proved to me how much he wanted to win this game. He has been long searching for a Super Bowl title and he was not going to let anything prevent him from obtaining that ultimate goal.

The Broncos would score two plays later to take the 24-17 lead. After exchanging scores, the Broncos defense made one final stop to win Super Bowl 32 by the score of 31-24.

During the post game celebrations, Pat Bowlen was presented with the Lombardi Trophy and said four words that Elway would never forget. “This One’s For John!”

The Helicopter Spin will be remembered by Broncos fans for a long time.