CANTON, Ohio — Vic Fangio led the parade.
Garett Bolles and Joe Flacco weren’t far behind. One by one, the Broncos filled the Hall of Fame Gallery where 318 bronze busts of pro football’s very best were polished and displayed.
Finally, John Elway walked through.
He is the Broncos’ general manager now and the first Bronco to be inducted into the Hall of Fame then. For the first time since he was enshrined 15 years ago, Elway saw his bust in person.
"There he is," Elway said with a smile. "Good-looking young guy right there. Back when I was younger, I had a lot more hair."
Some busts are better than others. Elway can’t complain about his.
"First time I’ve been in the Hall since … it looks all right," he said. "Lots of hair."
It took until 2004 for Elway to become the first Bronco to receive a bust and then starting in 2008 with left tackle Gary Zimmerman, six more Broncos have been immortalized in the past 11 years. Zimmerman was followed by running back Floyd Little (2010), tight end Shannon Sharpe (2011), running back Terrell Davis (2017) and now owner Pat Bowlen and cornerback Champ Bailey (2019).
"We kind of kicked the doors down," Elway said. "But we still have a lot left."
What does Elway remember about his enshrinement?
"I remember wanting to get the speech over with," he said with a smile. "My oldest daughter (Jessica) presented me and she did a tremendous job. She was only 18 years old and when she got done, I remember giving her a hug and I didn’t want to let her go because when she was done I was going to have to speak."
Once he left the bust room, Elway became the Broncos’ general manager again. His team will play the Atlanta Falcons in the Hall of Fame Game here Thursday.
"It’ll be good," he said. "We’ve been working hard, there’s been a lot of practice, and guys get to get out there and hit somebody else.
"We’ll see how we do and see how the young guys react going against guys with a different colored helmet and that’s always a big step. I remember that step."
Everybody takes the occasional nostalgic walk through yesteryear. Elway is one of the few who can go back 15 years, and go 150 years in the future and have his likeness never move.
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