John Elway – Life of Dad Champion

Art Eddy
September 18, 2012

Art Eddy

Lives in: Stanhope, NJ
From: Hampton, NH
Birthday: May 6, 1979
Occupation: Stay at Home Dad, Podcast, Writer
Web: http://www.mastersofnone.com
Twitter: @DadatworkNJ

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John Elway had a great football career as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.  He was able to finish his historic career on top.  He won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Broncos and was the MVP for Super Bowl XXXIII.  Elway went from playing for the Broncos to now making decisions for the organization as the executive vice president of Football Operations.  He was able to sign Peyton Manning this offseason to try to put Denver in the playoffs once again. Recently, John and another great quarterback, Doug Flutie, teamed up with Dove Men+Care for the Journey to Comfort campaign.  I was able to speak with John about playing football, the transition to management, and fatherhood.

Which is tougher: Being the No. 1 pick as a player when you got drafted or now as an executive vice president having to draft someone in the first round?

Well, obviously, I am happy that I don’t have to do both at once. I think taking one step at a time, it was difficult. There were a lot of expectations coming out as a No. 1 draft pick. Then, getting traded here to Denver and the expectations of competing for Super Bowls. We went to three Super Bowls in my first seven years, and so the expectations were very high.

Now, coming back in my role as the EVP of football operations, the expectations again are very high. The Broncos fans that we have here [who] have loved their Broncos, as well as our owner Pat Bowlen, expect to win. I am excited about being where I am. I had more control as a quarterback than I do as someone picking somebody in a draft. I liken it to the fact that when I was the first pick in the draft, I was a piece in that puzzle. Now, I have to pick the pieces to fit that puzzle and find the right coaches to put that puzzle together.

At any point in your career, did you think that you would not win a Super Bowl?

I think that always enters in the back of your mind. We went to three in seven years. Then, we had a dry spell for eight years before we went back and finally beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. I think it always enters in the back of your mind. There is always that hope that you are on a football team good enough to win a world championship. Just very fortunate to finally get there in my 15th year and also back it up with a win in Super Bowl XXXIII in my 16th year.

After your first Super Bowl victory, how tough was your decision to keep on playing, or did you think you might retire?

I think the decision to retire for any athlete is always difficult, because you are smarter in your mind, and you think you can always do it. The body does not want to follow the mind nearly as much the older you get as it does when you are young. Plus, the injuries and the ability to heal is the most difficult thing, as you get older in your career. It is always difficult, because the mindset of an athlete never changes once you retire and walk away. That competitive nature still burns, and so it is always a very difficult decision to walk away from the sport you love.

Of course, last year, you had Tim Tebow and Tim Tebowmania. He was making headlines everywhere, and you guys also went to the playoffs. In the off-season, you guys picked up Peyton Manning to be your quarterback, and you let Tim Tebow go to the Jets. How tough of a decision was that for you as the executive vice president of Football Operations, and was that the toughest decision you had to make so far?

I think it is always tough any time you have to trade a player. Tim Tebow meant so much to the Denver Broncos. We acquired Peyton Manning in the off-season and were able to have him sign with us as the biggest free agent of all time. With the history that Peyton has and the feeling he has that he has a lot more left in his tank, to acquire him was a great plus for us, but the difficult thing was having to trade a guy like Tim Tebow, who did so much for us last year. But in the situation that we were in, it was the best for both sides.

As a father, what is the best advice you have given to your children?

Elway: Well, I’m blessed with four beautiful kids. I think the best advice that I have tried to give to them is one that was passed down to me from my mother and father. It is to treat others they way you would want to be treated. I think if you go with that mindset throughout life, you will have a lot of good things happen to you. I believe in luck, and I believe in a positive mindset. If you have that, good things will happen. My kids are hard workers, and I am very proud of them. They do have that positive mindset that good things will happen to them.

Tell me how you got involved in the Dove Men+Care and the Journey to Comfort campaign.

Elway: Well, I am excited to be part of that campaign with Dove Men+Care just in the fact that Magic Johnson [and] Shaquille O’Neal have been involved, but also where I have been in my life. The career that I have had and the journey that I am starting with my second career, where my kids are in their lives, and I am comfortable in my skin, so I am excited to be part of the campaign.

Read other Life of Dad Champion interviews with Tom Glavine and Henry Winkler.

Photo courtesy of Julio Enriquez

This interview was first published by Art Eddy for Yahoo!

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