Football Hall of Fame
Canton, Ohio: August 9, 2004

The entrance: The floors of the building spiral up and the football-shaped part is open.

In the first part of the building, they have mementos and write-ups of significant things, regardless of whether the people doing those things had been inducted. One of the displays was for "The Drive".

The text in the white sign reads:

January 11, 1987 - The Drive -
One of John Elway's Super-Strikes

John Elway, who joined the Denver Broncos as the No. 1 pick in the 1983 draft, quickly developed a unique ability to rally his team to last-minute victories...He even surpassed the record of Roger Staubach, who rallied his Dallas Cowboys to fourth-quarter victories 23 times.

However, the superb 98-yard drive he engineered in the closing seconds of the 1987 American Football Conference Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns ranks as pro football's prototype performance in the clutch. The Browns had jumped to a 20-13 lead and the Broncos had muffed the ensuing kickoff when Elway took over. first and 98 (on their own 2-yard line) with 5:32 to play.

Elway's drive tied the score at 20-20 as regular time expired. On Denver's first possession in overtime, Elway marched the Broncos 60 yards in 9 plays and the game ended on Rich Karlis' 33-yard field goal with 5:48 elapsed. Elway had delivered the American Football Conference championship to his Denver Broncos teammates with his brilliant leadership that created what will always be known as "The Drive".

"The Drive"

5 Plays - 98 Yards 4:55 Time Elapsed 7 First Downs 3 Third-Down Conversions

Elway on Drive: 20 yards Rushing 78 Yard Passing 98 Total Yards (8 Yards Lost On Sack)

Next stop is the room with the bronze busts of all those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Here's the view from the line to get in.




1963


1971


1987


2004 with part of 2003


2004

The next set of rooms contained memorabilia from teams of Hall of Fame Enshrinees. Here are the displays for the Detroit Lions (Barry Sanders and others) and the Denver Broncos (John Elway was the first Bronco to be inducted).

Here are some other memorabilia displays from other players who had significant achievements, including 2 Denver Broncos running backs - Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson.

We found the Fantastic Finishes display, which carries a bit of nostalgia for Mike....

The last thing we came across was the "Hall of Fans", which included two famous Broncos fans - Barrel Man and Orange Man.