With Andrew Luck ’12 as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, The Stanford Daily took a look back at the last time a Stanford player was in a similar position–legendary quarterback John Elway ’83 in the 1983 NFL draft.

“One thing is for sure…Elway will be a millionaire soon. Be it baseball or football, the 22-year-old economics major will probably sign the largest professional contact ever offered to a rookie athlete,” reported The Daily on April 25, 1983.

Elway was to be Stanford’s first No. 1 draft pick since 1972, when the New England Patriots selected Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett.

In 1983, Elway, a two-sport star at Stanford, had hinted that he preferred to play football over baseball, but would think twice if offered a position on the Baltimore Colts or another East Coast NFL team.

Elway was drafted by the Colts and was, predictably, unhappy about the arrangement. The Daily reported on April 27, 1983.

“Mr. Kush, I don’t want to be a jerk or anything, but we’ve told you for three months that I don’t want to play for Baltimore,” Elway informed Colts head coach Frank Kush in The Daily. “And I know for a fact that you were offered three one’s and a quarterback and you turned it down. And right now you’ve got nothing.”

Elway threatened to switch sports entirely and join a professional baseball team instead. His rumored choice was the New York Yankees.

Although in baseball he had an impressive a .318 batting average in 42 games, his football record was far more spectacular. He set 17 Pac-10 Conference records and passed for a career total of 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns.

On May 3, 1983, The Daily reported that Elway would be playing football with the Denver Broncos instead, after the Colts finally relented and traded him.

“John Elway ended his Cold War with the Baltimore Colts last night,” read the article. “But he broke off his year-long romance with the New York Yankees.”

-Natasha Weaser