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DENVER -- John Elway always had good timing.

In his final game on Jan. 31, 1999, Elway led the Denver Broncos to their second straight Super Bowl championship with a 34-19 win over Atlanta. He passed for 336 yards and a touchdown, and was named the game's MVP.

On Saturday -- five years later to the day -- Elway was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Elway dazzled fans and confounded defenses for 16 years, missing only 15 starts because of illness or injury. When he retired in 1999, he was No. 1 in NFL history in fourth-quarter, game-winning or game-saving drives (47) and the winningest quarterback in league history with 148 victories.

"He was a great athlete, and his arm strength was second to none," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "He could make all the throws. He would make plays when plays broke down, and he was very intelligent."

Elway, a nine-time Pro Bowler, is still the only player in NFL history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 200 yards each season for seven straight years (1985-91). He trails only Dan Marino in career passing yards (51,475), attempts (7,250), completions (4,123) and total offense (54,882). He also leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing attempts (774).

It didn't come easy. Denver didn't win a playoff game during Elway's first three years, then lost badly in three Super Bowls. Afterward came seven seasons with just one playoff victory.

"People told him for a long time that he couldn't win the big game," said Shanahan, who was Elway's offensive coordinator for years. "For 14 years he didn't win a Super Bowl, but he never wavered. He never lost his desire. He won one, and then won another when he also was MVP."

Elway wept when he quit at age 38, blaming the wear and tear of the NFL for taking him away from the game he loved. Over 256 games, he was sacked 559 times -- more than any other quarterback ever.

He was poised on and off the field and won the adoration of millions. He is easily the most popular sports figure in Denver, where he put his Stanford economics degree to use in running a chain of car dealerships.

Not bad for a guy who went 1-for-8 for 14 yards and an interception in his first pro game against Pittsburgh in 1983. Elway still remembers Jack Lambert snarling at him with no teeth.

Others remember his last Super Bowl when he sacrificed his body on a scramble, spinning through the air for a key first down.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen called Elway's determination to win unprecedented.

"That's why he was the comeback king and won so many games in the fourth quarter," Bowlen said. "For 16 years, John Elway was the Denver Broncos. They're picking the best guy who ever played football in Denver, that's for sure."

Elway is perhaps best remembered for "The Drive," when he engineered a 98-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drive en route to a 23-20 overtime win over Cleveland in the AFC championship game in 1987.

Life away from the game has been good and bad for Elway.

In 1998, he sold his seven auto dealerships for $82.5 million and still earns a handsome income making sales pitches. Several subsequent business ventures weren't as successful.

Elway, 43, keeps busy these days as president, chief executive and co-owner of the Colorado Crush, an Arena Football League franchise.

His private life, however, has featured more than his share of sorrow.

His father, Jack, died in 2001. His twin sister, Jana, died in 2002. And last year, the father of four was divorced from his wife, Janet.

Elway remains a spectacular athlete. A two-sport star at Stanford, he played baseball in the New York Yankees farm system in 1982. He threatened to stick with baseball after the Baltimore Colts drafted him in 1983, but a trade to Denver ended the threat. He currently is a scratch golfer.

"Any guy who can play pro baseball and pro football has tons of ability," former Broncos running back Steve Sewell said. "What made him different is he worked hard to get better."

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press