Of course, John Elway would never play for the Baltimore Colts, but for a few days, he was a member of the team. On April 26, 1983, the Colts selected Elway out of Stanford with the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.
April 26, 1983, John Elway was the 1st player selected in the NFL Draft by Baltimore. #80s Later traded to Denver. pic.twitter.com/5G96LKddWU
— Old School 80s (@OldSchool80s) April 26, 2017
34 years ago, the Colts were really bad (as evidenced by them owning the first overall pick). Frank Kush was their coach. Not only were there questions whether the Colts could turn it around, but there were questions whether Elway could thrive under Kush, a stringent disciplinarian.
One week later, Elway would be traded to the Denver Broncos for offensive lineman Chris Hinton, quarterback Mark Herrmann, and a first-round selection in the 1984 NFL Draft.
The rest, of course, is history.
