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Magnificent Seven
02-02-2009, 07:56 PM
TAMPA, Fla. — The large crowd of Super Bowl fans rushed toward the blond quarterback with the toothy smile as he quickly made his way through the Florida hotel lobby.

"John! John!" they yelled, begging for pictures, autographs. Even a handshake probably would have sufficed.

But a team of hotel security ushered John Elway and his entourage through the crowd. The fans would have to settle for just a glimpse of the star quarterback.

It was a scene that easily could have taken place 10 years ago, yet it was at a downtown Tampa hotel Saturday night.

Even a decade removed from his final game and amid the spectacle of Super Bowl weekend, Elway remains one of the NFL's biggest stars.

Sure, Elway is an icon in Denver, the city where he played for 16 seasons and has lived since retiring, after leading the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl title.

Yet he is clearly one of the biggest names league-wide. Today, he will participate in the coin toss before Super Bowl XLIII along with Joe Namath, Roger Craig and Lynn Swann.

Elway has not been officially linked to the NFL since he played in his last game.

But Elway recently told ESPN's Rick Reilly, as part of Reilly's show called "Homecoming," that his dream job is to own an NFL team in Los Angeles.

When Broncos owner Pat Bowlen fired Mike Shanahan a month ago, the idea of Elway returning to the Broncos in some sort of front-office role was mentioned in media circles. At a joint news conference the day after Shanahan was fired, Bowlen and Shanahan each said Elway would be a welcome addition to the franchise.

Bowlen, though, speculated that Elway was probably too busy with his other business ventures to commit to a new job in the NFL.

Elway has been co-owner of the Colorado Crush, an Arena Football League team, since the league expanded to Denver in 2002. The AFL canceled the 2009 season because of financial trouble.

Other than the Crush, most of Elway's post-football ventures have been in the local and online business worlds.

Elway's most recent online endeavor is with opensports.com, a sports site. Elway has been writing blogs there about the NFL, including about the Broncos, since last fall. On that site, he made his only public comments since Shanahan was fired Dec. 30.

"He's been a great coach, and I appreciate everything he's done for Denver and my career, which he's played a big role in," Elway wrote on Jan. 1. "He's responsible for bringing those two Super Bowls to Denver, and it would not have been without him."

Elway was 38 when he retired from football. At the time, he was married and the father of four school-aged children.

His divorce from Janet, his wife of 18 years, was finalized in 2003, and last fall he became engaged to Paige Green.

Now he is 48, and all but one of his children has left home for college. His only son, Jack, was a redshirt freshman quarterback this fall at Arizona State.

Green and one of Elway's three daughters are with him in Tampa.

Current Denver quarterback Jay Cutler was able to walk through the Tampa Convention Center on Friday with a few close friends and he lives somewhat of a normal life in Denver. He said Elway once told him that as the quarterback in Denver, he should be careful because there is an extra spotlight.

"Whenever you go out in public, you've got to be prepared," Cutler said. "People are going to come up and ask for autographs."

And if you're Elway, they'll never stop.

Spotlight still shines

John Elway's life since retiring from the NFL:

May 2, 1999:Voice choking, eyes brimming with tears, Elway, 38, announces his retirement. "You have to put John up there with Halley's comet — something that comes along once in a lifetime," teammate Shannon Sharpe said.

April 2001:Jack Elway, John's father, longtime mentor and best friend, dies of a heart attack in Palm Springs, Calif. He is 69.

June 19, 2002:Elway formally unveils the Colorado Crush Arena Football League team. Elway, a co-owner and team president, said: "I didn't want to lose my competitive juices when I retired. I wanted to get close to the game again. This is how I can do it."

August 2002: Elway's twin sister, Jana Elway-Sever, dies at age 42 after a long battle with cancer.

December 2003: Elway and his wife, Janet, divorce. The couple initially separated in June 2002 after 18 years of marriage.

Jan. 31, 2004: Elway elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the first Broncos player elected.

February 2007: Elected chairman of the Arena Football League's executive committee. Almost two years later, the league announced it would cancel the 2009 season.

May 2008: Joins with hockey great Wayne Gretzky in purchasing a share of the company that owns the Pueblo- based Professional Bull Riders association.

September 2008: Elway gets engaged to former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Paige Green. The couple met in 2005 at a golf tournament.

January: ESPN airs an interview with Rick Reilly in which Elway says he aspires to one day own an NFL team in Los Angeles.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_11600766

Shazam!
02-02-2009, 08:01 PM
Great read 7. Thanks.

Magnificent Seven
02-02-2009, 08:02 PM
Check it out

http://www.opensports.com/community/user/641478

John Elway's blog. Pretty cool!

Magnificent Seven
02-02-2009, 09:14 PM
John Elway is still an amazing person. I wish that they could write a book about John Elway's life.

Superchop 7
02-03-2009, 02:41 AM
John Elway ......still spends time with Janet and her new man, they enjoy each others company, they hang out.

Love is love, it changes......but....if your truly honest....it never ends.

John is a man in my eyes......for how he has carried himself.

Dirk
02-03-2009, 06:42 AM
Pretty cool read. Thanks 7. And BTW there are several books out on Elway. Bio type books. Just check Amazon.

broncofaninfla
02-03-2009, 08:47 AM
John Elway ......still spends time with Janet and her new man, they enjoy each others company, they hang out.

Love is love, it changes......but....if your truly honest....it never ends.

John is a man in my eyes......for how he has carried himself.


They still hang out?

jrelway
02-03-2009, 11:32 AM
i miss his ugly face on the sidelines. i also miss those wide open eyes when hes scrambling for his life in his early years.

broncofaninfla
02-03-2009, 11:33 AM
I miss the swagger and knowing the game was never out of reach