John Elway: The Baseball Player and His Baseball Cards

Twenty-four years after being drafted by the New York Yankees, John Elway has finally appeared on a Topps baseball card. The two-time Super Bowl winner is among the 120 current and former baseball players and executives featured in Topps 2005 Fan Favorites. The series also includes general managers Brian Cashman, Walt Jockety, and Brian Sabean, former Player’s Union head Marvin Miller, and Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, and George Brett among others.

The Yankees drafted Elway out of Stanford University in 1981. In his first season of pro baseball, the athletic outfielder hit .318 and a team-high 25 RBI in 42 games. In the late ’70s Elway was one of the most sought-after high school athletes in the country. At 6’-3”, 215 pounds, Elway had the size and speed (4.7 40) craved by baseball and football coaches. He could throw a football 85 yards with the flick of a wrist and a baseball 92 miles per hour. He threw a football better on the run than most college quarterbacks and a baseball with exceptional accuracy. The son of San Jose State’s football coach chose Stanford over many more high-profile football and baseball programs.

Elway was wearing pinstripes two decades before Yankees tried to turn former Michigan Wolverine and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Henson into a major league third baseman. Elway was exactly what George Steinbrenner lusted after -- the high-profile, All-American athlete that every football and baseball team wanted. The strong-armed outfielder hit .321 at Stanford. Scouts witnessing Elway’s sophomore season at Stanford (.361-9-50 in 49 games) insist he would have been as successful in baseball as he was in football. While starring on the college diamond, Elway became Stanford’s all-time leading passer with 9,349 and 77 touchdowns, surpassing Jim Plunkett and Steve Dils. (Steve Senstrom has since passed Elway in yards passing.)

As a collegiate athlete, Elway was known for his smarts and toughness as much as his athleticism, steering him toward a quarterbacking career. After being drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Colts, Elway demanded a trade, using a potential baseball career with the Yankees as bargaining leverage. After forcing a trade to the Denver Broncos, Elway became one of the top quarterbacks ever, finishing his career as the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback.

The 2005 Fan Favorite isn't Elway’s first baseball card. His 1999 Just Minor League baseball card can be had for $5. His 1984 Topps football rookie (#63) is selling for $33 in mint condition.