ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The quarterback known for being so cool in the final minutes of a game showed plenty of emotion this time.
John Elway had shown the natural poise that made him one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks. Standing in a crowded conference room where his family, friends and fans waited for official word of his retirement, Elway joked about having his car towed the night before and prepared to reflect upon his remarkable 16 years with the Denver Broncos.That's when the enormity of it all blindsided him. Elway's husky voice started to crack and his eyes welled up with tears. Taking a final knee was not going to be so easy.
"I really don't look at it as retirement," the 38-year-old Elway said Sunday during an emotional news conference. "I look at it as graduation. We graduate from high school. We graduate from college. I'm just graduating from football."
With that, Elway paused for the second time in two minutes, choking back tears and trying to regain his composure. His wife, Janet, cried as she sat in the front row with their four children and John's father, Jack.
At one point, Janet walked up to the podium and handed her husband a box of tissues.
"It chokes you up," Jack Elway said. "I've got a lot of friends. I like people, but that's my best friend."
Elway has been Denver's adopted son since the Broncos acquired him from the Baltimore Colts on May 2, 1983. It was fitting that he would walk away from football exactly 16 years later.
Tight end Shannon Sharpe, running back Terrell Davis, defensive end Neil Smith and Elway's heir apparent, Bubby Brister, were teammates who showed up on Elway Day, listening intently as Elway explained that he could no longer endure the rigors of NFL life.
"It's time for me to move on," Elway said, breaking up again. "I can't do it physically anymore, and that's really hard for me to say."
During his career, Elway's play often left opponents speechless.
He guided his team to more victories (148) than any other quarterback in NFL history. He threw for 51,475 yards and accounted for 54,882 total yards -- second only to Miami's Dan Marino.
Elway also rallied his team to 47 game-saving drives -- more than any other quarterback. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was named the NFL's MVP in 1987.