Featured Golf News
John Elway Receives Brodie Award
National Football League Hall-of-Famer John Elway has received the "Brodie Award." The award is given in recognition of an individual's accomplishments in both a chosen profession and in the sport of golf. The Brodie honoree is selected by a panel of tournament officials and is awarded at the event, held this year July 11-13.
The award is named for former National Football League Most Valuable Player (1970) John Brodie, the one-time San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Senior PGA Tour player. It is given each year by organizers of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. Previous winners include Brodie, Mario Lemieux, and Rick Rhoden.
Since retiring after the 1998, Super Bowl-winning season, Elway has managed to spend more time on his golf game while pursuing myriad post playing career interest. He has made a name for himself in the American Century Championship by registering eight top-10 finishes.
Maintaining his amateur status through the years, he has also claimed 11 club championships as a member of Castle Pines Golf Club (four) in Castle Rock, Colo.; the Vintage Club (five) in Palm Springs, Calif.; the Black Rock Golf Club (two) in Coeur d'Alene, ID. In addition, he was victorious at the 2007 ATD Skills Challenge with partner Natalie Gulbis.
As host of the Sun Microsystems John Elway Golf Classic for five years, he was instrumental in raising $3.5 million for charity and has contributed to fundraising efforts at scores of Celebrity Players Tour competitions. Over $75,000 has been donated in his name the American Century Championship charities as a result of his amateur status prize money donations.
The two-time Super Bowl Champion reached great heights in his 16-year playing career with the Denver Broncos. After being drafted in both the NFL and MLB drafts in 1983, Elway chose football, a decision that would bring him to the heights of his profession. He is one of only three quarterbacks to pass for over 50,000-yards in a career and he made six Super Bowl appearances. In his final season he became the third quarterback with 300 career touchdowns and had his 36th career 300-yard passing game. That same year, he was voted as the Super Bowl MVP.
Elway was also honored by being named to six Pro Bowls and taking home the league MVP for the 1987 season and AFC MVP for the 1993 season. Over the course of his career, his leadership and determination created a name for the Denver Broncos franchise. He has since re-entered professional football through the Arena Football League as the co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Crush.
Brodie, the former Stanford All-American, switched his focus from football to golf after retirement and qualified for the Senior PGA Tour in the mid-1980s. He found success among the best competitive players over the age of 50 and captured the title at the 1991 Senior Pacific Championship, defeating Chi Chi Rodriguez and George Archer in a playoff.
