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 Though the Broncos were charter members of the fledgling American
Football League when they were founded in 1960, it wasn't until the
late 1970s that they established themselves as one of the sport's
elite teams.
Led by aging quarterback Craig Morton, Denver enjoyed a
franchise-best record of 12–2 in the 1977 regular season before
reaching their first Super Bowl, losing 27-10 to Dallas.
Since then, they have very rarely not produced winning seasons but
it was the arrival of Elway, who was selected as the first overall
pick by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL Draft before being
traded, that made the biggest impact.
With quarterback Elway at the helm from 1983 to 1998, the Broncos
developed a ruthless edge and piled up five American Football
Conference titles, along with long-awaited Super Bowl triumphs in
1997 and 1998.
With running back Terrell Davis taking some of the pressure off
Elway as the key figure in a potent running attack, Denver claimed
their first NFL championship with a 31-24 victory over the defending
champion Green Bay Packers.
The Broncos repeated the following season, defeating the Atlanta
Falcons 34–19 as Elway was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable
Player after completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards.
Elway retired after winning his second Super Bowl and got involved
in various business activities until being named the Broncos'
executive vice president of football operations in January 2011.
Bolstered by Elway's return to the Mile High City, the franchise has
continued to make big strides.
MANNING COURTED
Elway courted future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning after
he was cut loose by the Indianapolis Colts following the 2011 season
when he was sidelined because of two neck surgeries.
Manning flourished in his first three seasons in Denver, and guided
the team back to the Super Bowl two years ago after he set single
season records for touchdown passes (55) and passing yardage
(5,477).
Though the Broncos ended up being routed 43-8 by the Seattle
Seahawks in the NFL's championship game, the team has clearly
benefited from Elway's reshaping as he brought in several top
defensive players through free agency and the draft.
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Once known for a high-octane offense under the quarterbacking of
Elway, the Broncos are now renowned for their ferocious defense
which has become the best in the league under head coach Gary Kubiak
and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
Led by Manning, they booked their place in Sunday's Super Bowl by
ousting the defending champion New England Patriots 20-18 in the AFC
championship game, though Elway's guiding hand has played a pivotal
role.
"Obviously John is the architect of this football team," five-time
NFL Most Valuable Player Manning said during this week's Super Bowl
Opening Night.
"John has been successful in everything he has been involved in. It
is not a surprise and he has tremendous football knowledge. He is a
very competitive."
Elway himself paid tribute to the role played by his father Jack, a
former college football coach.
"I'm proud that we're able to compete and have had good teams since
I've been back (in Denver)," said Elway. "A lot of it can go to my
dad.
"Understanding him as a coach and getting to spend that time and
learning about the game, not only from a player side of it, but also
from a coach's side of it, that's helped me tremendously."
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by San
Francisco)
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