Did John Elway play for New York Yankees? Baseball career of NFL legend explored

John Elway is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback to have played for the Denver Broncos. He spent 16 years playing in the NFL with the AFC West franchise, leading them to five Super Bowls, winning two.

But did you know that before Elway rose to fame in the pro football league he pursued a baseball career?

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A glimpse into John Elway's baseball career

Elway took to baseball at a young age and played in the Chicago White Sox system from 1969 to 1973. He continued with the sport through school and committed to Stanford in 1979, where he also played football.

Elway played two years of baseball with the Cardinal before the New York Yankees selected him in the second round of the 1981 MLB draft. Although he couldn't climb up the ladder to play for the New York Yankees in the MLB, he made 42 appearances for the Oneonta Yankees of the Class A New York–Penn League.

Elway made 95 appearances for Stanford in two seasons, racking up 95 hits and 10 home runs with a .321 average, which initially garnered interest from the Yankees.

Elway couldn't make it to the MLB but he made a lasting impression in the NFL.

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John Elway's NFL career was a rollercoaster with a perfect ending

Former Denver Broncos QB John Elway

The then-Baltimore Colts drafted John Elway with the top pick in the 1983 NFL draft, but the signal-caller was traded to the Denver Broncos.

Elway led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1987 and 1988, but they lost on both occasions, to the New York Giants and then-Washington Redskins respectively. Denver made it to the Super Bowl again in 1990 but lost to the San Francisco 49ers at the final hurdle.

Nonetheless, Elway and the Broncos ended their drought for a Super Bowl win in 1998, when Denver beat the Green Bay Packers in the big game. The Broncos also defended their Super Bowl title in 1999, taking down the Atlanta Falcons in the postseason finale, where Elway won the MVP award.

Elway announced his retirement from the NFL after winning his second Super Bowl. The legendary quarterback finished his career with 51,475 passing yards and 300 touchdowns on 4,123 passes, earning nine Pro Bowl honors and winning the MVP award in 1987.