Club Shay Shay - John Elway Part 1
Club Shay Shay
Shay Shay Media & Playmaker
4.8 • 7.5K Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2025
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, joins Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay for an unforgettable conversation about football royalty, comeback greatness, and life after the NFL. Elway opens by reflecting on being the most feared and gifted QB of his era, the only player to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 200 yards in seven straight seasons, retiring as the NFL’s winningest quarterback with 148 wins and a league-record 47 fourth-quarter game-winning drives.
The Hall of Famer walks through his legendary résumé — NFL MVP, AFC Offensive Player of the Year, five Super Bowl starts, back-to-back championships, Super Bowl XXXIII MVP, and becoming the first person to ever win a Super Bowl as both a player and general manager. He shares why Denver made him “The Duke of Denver” and “King of the Comeback.”
Elway and Shannon reminisce about the origins of Club Shay Shay at Broncos training camp, their card-playing days, favorite memories as teammates, and the infamous Seattle touchdown. Elway explains why Shannon was always his second-favorite receiver — right after the open one — and how patience helped Sharpe grow into a Hall of Famer.
The episode dives into Elway’s toughest Super Bowl losses to the Giants, Redskins, and 49ers, how he handled depression, death threats, and the pressure that followed. He details the devastating Jacksonville playoff loss that led to the famous “It ain’t in the game plan, go get open” moment — and how those failures fueled Denver’s underdog victory over the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.
Elway recounts the Helicopter Run, winning back-to-back Super Bowls, retiring at 36 as a champion and MVP, and why he walked away instead of chasing a three-peat. He compares eras, explains how many seasons he could play today, and revisits his “welcome to the NFL” moments, worst injuries, and legendary arm strength.
The conversation shifts to Stanford, missing the Heisman, refusing to play for the Colts, Terry Bradshaw’s criticism, and the full-circle moment of Bradshaw handing him the Lombardi Trophy. Elway opens up about being drafted by the Yankees, choosing football, and his Mount Rushmore of NFL players who also played baseball.
Finally, Elway reflects on his years as Broncos GM — drafting Von Miller, recruiting Peyton Manning, building the 2015 championship defense — along with regrets like passing on Josh Allen, thoughts on today’s young quarterbacks, the “Elway Rule,” money advice, investing, business ventures with Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, and the lessons of sacrifice that shaped his life.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We got to set this up. |
| 0:01.0 | Okay. |
| 0:02.0 | So this is the AFC championship. |
| 0:03.0 | Less than two minutes to go. |
| 0:04.0 | We're third and six, and we need this first down. |
| 0:06.0 | Because I believe if we don't get the first down, we're going to lose this game. |
| 0:09.0 | We're going to lose the game. |
| 0:10.0 | We're going to lose the game. |
| 0:11.0 | And it isn't in the game plan. |
| 0:13.0 | It ain't the game plan. |
| 0:15.0 | And I said, it is now, so go down seven yards. The turn. Over 150 plays, how do I know one play? That's not in the game player. It is now. Now go get open. All my life. They're grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Want a slice. Not to roll a dice. That's why all my life. I've been grinding on my life. Hello, welcome to another episode of Club Shethe. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proud of Club Shaysay. Stopping by a very special guest, stopping by for conversation on the drink today, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, one of the most feared and gifted quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL. He's the only player in NFL history to pass for more than 3,000 yards, rush for more than 200 yards in the same season, seven consecutive He's one of the winning ex-quarterbacks in NFL history toward 148 victories when he retired. |
| 1:14.6 | He's ranked number one in NFL history and fourth quarter comebacks, game-winning drives or game-saving drives, with 47 when he retired. |
| 1:21.6 | He's an NFL MVP in 1987, offensive player of the year in 1993, a member of the NFL all-decade teams of the 1990s. He is also a member of the various prestigious 100th anniversary team, which means he's one of the hundred greatest players to ever play in the NFL. He's the first quarterback to start five Super Bowls. He won back-to-back Super Bowls as a player helping the Broncos win their first ever Super Bowl. He's the Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl 33. |
| 1:45.0 | He also won the Super Bowl as a GM and executive of Denver Broncos. He's the first person to win a Super Bowl as a player and a GM, a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's in the College Football Hall of Fame, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Denver Bronco Ring of Fame. This number seven is one of three retired by the Denver Broncos. A nine-time Pro bowler, a five-time all-A-L-C, three-time |
| 2:05.1 | all-pro, greatest and most accomplished player in Broncos history. A Broncos legend, |
| 2:10.3 | football royalty, Denver's favorite son, the King of the Comeback, the Duke of Denver. He's |
| 2:14.7 | the third greatest trivia player in Broncos history behind myself |
| 2:18.3 | and Duke, Barney Chavis, my teammate, my quarterback, here you, the living legend, John Elway. |
| 2:24.3 | Tell you what he did. |
| 2:25.3 | Can you follow me around with all that introduction? |
| 2:28.3 | Wow, that's a nice introduction. |
| 2:30.3 | When you hear all those things, and obviously you've been retired over two decades, |
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