By Darin Back on April 26, 1983, we discussed the 1983 NFL Draft, in which Stanford University quarterback John Elway was the first pick by the Baltimore Colts.
The Colts were unable to work out a deal with their player of choice before the Draft, allegedly turned down multiple trade offers for the spot, and still chose Stanford QB. Elway made it no secret that he did not want to play for Baltimore, as evidenced by multiple quotes. He even threatened to play baseball instead of playing with the Colts unless he was traded to a West Coast team. The Colts kept trying to work out a deal with Elway, and finally, on May 2nd, over a week after the Draft, this headline appeared in the St. Joseph News-Press via the New York Times News Service:
“Colts send Elway to Broncos.”
The article says that, in exchange for Elway’s rights, the Colts received the Broncos’ top pick in the Draft, Chris Hinton, a guard from Northwestern who was the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The Blue Horseshoe also took 3rd-year quarterback Mark Hermann from Denver, as well as the Broncos’ 1984 1st-round pick. Elway was excited to be headed to Denver and, with the trade, devoted himself to the NFL, forgoing earlier threats from MLB.
What a career he had with Denver. Elway led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances, winning two titles, and was selected to the Pro Bowl 9 times. Elway was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in the 2000 class and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.