How many times do you get to hear that a player gets drafted for both the MLB (Major League Baseball) and the NFL (National Football League), and he has to choose what sport he wants to play because he is wanted by prime teams in both places? Well, that is how great an athlete John Albert Elway Jr. was. Elway, the Netflix documentary, takes us through the highs and lows of his professional life and gives us a glimpse into his personal life. I don’t watch American football, and neither do I have any knowledge about it, but I know what great players are made of. After watching the Netflix documentary, I can safely say that not only was John Elway one of the legends of the game, but he was an extremely kindhearted and affectionate human being too. I mean, he is one of those rare individuals who didn’t let fame get to his head. His values, which he inherited from his parents, made sure that he was a good father and husband. Elway was an extremely disciplined man, and he was passionate about his game. But like every other player, he too had to face many challenges, and at times he felt that he wouldn’t be able to achieve what he set out to. But then Elway got up and showed the world what he was made of time and again. So let’s get to know the real John Elway, behind those mesmerizing football stats, and try to understand his motivation and the rationale behind several key decisions he took in his life.
How did Elway get drafted for the Denver Broncos?
Since his school days, Elway had been an extremely good thrower of the football. His coach once told his father that either his son was the greatest thrower in his age group or the other players were just too weak. Elway’s father, John Elway Sr., was also a football player and then a coach after he retired due to a knee injury. Elway’s father made sure that he harnessed his son’s potential, gave him the best guidance possible, and nurtured him to become a good football player. Elway excelled in both baseball and football in high school, and he was already considered a child prodigy when he went to Stanford University in 1979. John received the “unanimous All-American” honors when he graduated college, and to top it off, he was the first player to be drafted into the NFL in 1983. But that’s where things became a bit controversial, and for the first time, Elway saw the impact negative publicity could have on somebody’s life. He was picked by the Baltimore Colts, but he didn’t want to play for them. He had told his manager very clearly what the teams he was more comfortable with were, and even spoke his mind publicly at many public events. So at that stage, Elway took the decision to not pursue the sport and choose baseball instead. This was something that was unheard of. People talked about how he should have joined the Colts and worked with them to win the Super Bowl and how his decision of quitting the sport was an example of how early success could make somebody arrogant. Things changed after that, and Elway got a call from the Denver Broncos. He joined the team, and that’s when he realized that things were not going to be very easy for him. I believe that switching from playing for your university to suddenly playing with professionals at a much higher level is always difficult for any player. In his first match against the Colts, Elway was literally thrashed by his rivals. The crowd booed him, and the Colts made him their target. It was as if they had come with the goal of hurting him, and Elway took all the heat and realized that it wouldn’t be an easy journey. In the next few matches, Elway found it hard to adapt, and in fact, in one of the matches, he was benched. But being off the field helped him analyze the game. He realized where he was going wrong. And then when he came back, he was a force to reckon with. In his second encounter with the Colts, he made sure that his rivals didn’t overpower him, and showed the world a glimpse of why experts believed him to have the potential to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
What challenges did Elway face before winning the Super Bowl?
The Denver Broncos played in the Super Bowl, i.e., they were one of the nation’s top two teams in 1986, 1987, and 1989, but each time, Elway came back disappointed. In fact, their performance got worse with time, and Elway didn’t know what he or his teammates could do to win the title. Elway knew that no matter how good he was, he wouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame if he didn’t win the Super Bowl. But more than anything else, he wanted his team to be called champions, and nothing else mattered to him more. Everybody can find the motivation to come back on the field when they are winning, when the world is praising them. But living with the tag of “chokers” is not easy. Though people didn’t explicitly say it, every Broncos player knew that the people of Colorado didn’t want them to even go to the Super Bowl because of the disappointment they had to deal with every single time. Elway’s journey reminded me of the great cricket player Sachin Tendulkar, who had achieved everything in his sporting career but for the longest time he hadn’t won the World Cup, i.e., cricket’s equivalent of the Super Bowl, the only difference being it’s played between different countries and not clubs. Both players waited patiently for their turn to arrive, and then one day the odds did turn in their favour.
Some changes were needed and so Denver Broncos’ coach Dan Reeves was removed from his position by the owner of the club, Pat Bowlen, in the year 1992. It was known to everybody that Dan and Elway didn’t see eye to eye. They had different styles of play, and they just couldn’t resolve their conflicts. Dan, in fact, didn’t approve of any of Elway’s strategies, and he didn’t think that they would lead them anywhere. Removing Dan was an act that proved that Pat chose his star player over the coach. But once the inner conflicts of the club were resolved, they got right back on track. Elway’s hard work paid off, and in 1997 the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl. It was undeniably the happiest day of his life, and he knew that he would remember that moment till the day he died.
Why did Elway and Janet Buchan part ways?
Being great at anything comes at a cost. It was rightly said in the documentary that working 9 to 5 never made anybody achieve greatness. For Elway, football came first, and Janet Buchan knew all about it. She was the best woman he could have asked for. Janet was one of the best swimmers at Stanford University, but she didn’t pursue it because one of the couple, i.e., Elway or her, had to take a step back. She supported Elway through his lows and highs, but then after a point in time, they started to drift apart. Buchan and Elway got a divorce in 2003; they felt it was the best thing for them and their kids. They realized that they were no longer bringing out the best in each other when they were together. They also were aware that the environment of the house was getting affected by their arguments and their children were getting impacted by it. Both of them eventually got remarried, and I believe at the end, through that decision, they were able to give their kids the happiest life. I have always believed that people need to be happy in their lives, as otherwise it is impossible to be there for others. They took the decision to part ways, and at that time they must have felt horrible about it. Elway accepted that when he married Janet, he had felt that he would be married for life. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but in retrospect I would say it was a necessary one.
What is Elway up to now?
John Elway became the only person in the history of the game to win a Super Bowl as a player and also as a general manager. He became the GM in 2014, and the team won in the 2015 season. After serving as the GM, Elway transitioned to the role of the club consultant, and then later retired in 2023. I think that apart from being extremely talented and hardworking, Elway was a very lucky man too. He achieved what he wanted to in life, and everything just came full circle for him. He was a happy man when he said his goodbyes to the sport that had given him so much. He regretted nothing, as he knew that he had everything that one could ask for. John Elway owns a Dealership Group, a chain of restaurants and a wine manufacturing business.
John resides in Englewood, Colorado, and he spends most of his time with his kids and grandkids. He knows that, due to his profession, he missed out on being there for his kids at their big moments. The kids too feel a bit detached from him, but now I believe they are all bridging that gap. Today the kids know their father a little better, and they understand the choices he made in his life.
