On This Date in Sports September 11, 1983: Elway Comes to Baltimore
The fans at Memorial Stadium let John Elway have it as boos rain down upon the Denver Broncos' rookie quarterback. Elway was drafted first overall by the Baltimore Colts but refused to sign, leading to a trade after the NFL Draft. Playing in his second game, John Elway struggles, leading to his benching by coach Dan Reeves. Steve DeBerg takes over and leads the Broncos to a 17-10 win in Baltimore's.
With the Colts backed into a corner, they were forced to trade John Elway after the draft. The Colts sent Elway to the Denver Broncos on May 2nd, receiving offensive lineman Chris Hinton, backup quarterback Mark Herrmann, and a first-round pick in the 1984 Draft, which turned into offensive lineman Ron Solt. Hinton would have a solid career with the Colts, but the failure to land a quarterback led Mike Pagel to be the starter in 1983.
Fans in Baltimore circled the date as fans looked to release a summer's worth of scorn on John Elway. The crowd was hostile, and the game was ugly, as the game was knotted 3-3 as the fourth quarter began. Elway struggled again as the Colts took the lead on a 41-yard fumble return by Larry Anderson. Not wanting his rookie quarterback to suffer longer, coach Dan Reeves pulled Elway in the fourth quarter following the fumble. Steve DeBerg, trying to show he was still a reliable quarterback, tied the game with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Steve Wilson. He then led a game-winning drive culminating with a two-yard sneak to give Denver a 17-10 win and a 2-0 start.
The Denver Broncos would post a 9-7 record and an appearance in the AFC Wild Card Game. This included a 21-19 win over the Colts in Week 15 at Mile High Stadium. The Colts, meanwhile, finished 7-9 in their final season in Baltimore, as Robert Irsay decided to move the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984. John Elway would lead Denver to five Super Bowl appearances and two Lombardi Trophies before retiring after winning Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999. The Colts, meanwhile, struggled much of the next 16 years. John Elway would not play a second game in Baltimore, as the Ravens' arrival in 1996 came at the tail end of his career.