Jack Elway

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John Albert "Jack" Elway, Sr. (b.1932, d. April 15, 2001) was a football coach and the father of the Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

Jack Elway was a native of Hoquiam in southwestern Washington and played quarterback at Washington State in the 1950s in Pullman, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees.

Elway then taught and coached at Port Angeles High School. From 1961-1966 he was the head coach at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, near his hometown of Hoquiam. In 1966 he became an assistant at the University of Montana in Missoula, then moved to his alma mater at Washington State under Jim Sweeney, staying through the 1975 season.

[edit] Head coach

In 1976, Jack Elway became a head coach, serving at Cal State Northridge in the San Fernando Valley from 1976-78. At that time, his son John was impressing college scouts while playing quarterback at Granada Hills High School, inviting scores of scholarship offers. John selected Stanford, enrolling in 1978.

After three seasons at Northridge, Jack Elway moved up the coast to San Jose State from 1979-83, where his first offensive coordinator was Dennis Erickson. San Jose State had considerable success, especially against the other local I-A teams, Stanford and California. Elway compiled an overall record of 35-20-1.

After John's graduation from Stanford, Jack Elway moved the few miles up the peninsula to be the Stanford head coach for five seasons, from 1984-88, where he compiled a less than satisfying 25-29-2 record (.446). He later coached the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football during the team's first two years of competition (1991-92). Elway later worked as a scout, then consultant, to the Denver Broncos. He died in April 2001, following an apparent heart attack in Palm Springs, California.

Jack Elway was survived by his wife Jan, daughters Lee Ann and Jana, son John, and eight grandchildren. Jana, a non-smoker and twin sister of John, died of lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 42.

Preceded by Lynn Stiles	San Jose State University Head Football Coach 1979–1983	Succeeded by Claude Gilbert
Preceded by Paul Wiggin	Stanford University Head Football Coach 1984–1988	Succeeded by Dennis Green

v • d • e San José State Spartans Head Football Coaches

Addicott • McKay • Woods • Whitemeger • Yost • Wooster • McDonald • Knolln • Crawford • DeGroot • Winlkeman • Hartranft • Hubbard • Bronzan • Titchenal • Anderson • McMullen • King • Rogers • Stiles • Elway • Gilbert • Shea • Turner • Ralston • Baldwin • Hill • Tomey

v • d • e Stanford Indians/Cardinal Head Football Coaches

Camp • Bliss • Cross • Brooke • Chamberlain • Yost • Fickert • Clemans • Lanagan • Evans • Powell • Van Gent • Kerr • Warner • Thornhill • Shaughnessy • Schwartz • Taylor • Curtice • Ralston • Christiansen • Walsh • Dowhower • Wiggin • Elway • Green • Walsh • Willingham • Teevens • Harris • Harbaugh