Jack Elway

John Albert "Jack" Elway, Sr. (May 30, 1931 – April 15, 2001) was an American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at California State University, Northridge from 1976 to 1978, at San Jose State University from 1979 to 1983, and at Stanford University from 1984 to 1989, compiling a career college football record of 80–60–4. Elway also served as the head coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football (WLAF) from 1991 to 1992, tallying a mark of 10–10. He was the father of John Elway, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback.

Early life

Elway was a native of Hoquiam, Washington, and played quarterback at Washington State University in Pullman for one season until a knee surgery ended his playing career. He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from WSU.

Early coaching career

Elway then taught and coached at Port Angeles High School; all three of his children were born in Port Angeles. In 1961 he was hired as the head coach at Grays Harbor College, a junior college in Aberdeen, near his hometown of Hoquiam in southwestern Washington. Following the 1966 season, he became an assistant coach in the Big Sky Conference at the University of Montana under head coach Jack Swarthout. After five seasons in Missoula with the Grizzlies, he moved to the Pac-8 at his alma mater following the 1971 season, as an assistant under head coach Jim Sweeney, and stayed in Pullman for four seasons. Sweeney abruptly resigned after the 1975 season and went to Fresno State, so Elway joined the staff at neighboring Idaho under head coach Ed Troxel in February 1976. Elway replaced Dennis Erickson, who had joined Sweeney at Fresno in December. Elway didn't stay long as an assistant in Moscow; he left in late March after only five weeks on the Vandals' staff to accept a Division II head coaching position in southern California.