Granada Hills Stadium Dedication Takes Elway Down Memory Lane

The phone rang once.

“L.A. Times, sports,” I answered.

“Eric, this is John Elway.”

I was expecting Elway’s call for several weeks, but it still caught me by surprise. Was it an impostor?

It took me a minute to realize it was Elway’s voice. Then the memories came rushing back from the days I covered him from 1976-79 when he was a student at Granada Hills High.

“How do you feel about coming back to Granada Hills to celebrate John Elway Day?” I asked.

“It seems like only yesterday I was going to school there,” he said. “It’s very flattering. It was the start of my whole career in football and baseball. It put me on the map. It’s a special place in my heart because it’s where I started.”

On Thursday at 10:30 a.m., Valley residents are invited to drop by Granada Hills High and celebrate Elway’s return. The school is naming its football stadium in Elway’s honor. Tickets are $5 to help defray costs of the ceremony.

When the history of the Valley in the 20th century is fully written, Elway’s name will be prominent not just because he’ll be an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback. People will remember his special qualities as a person.

He lived here only for his three high school years, but he has not forgotten the people who influenced his life during that time. He has returned to play in Granada Hills alumni baseball games, something unthinkable for most athletes of his stature. He does so to visit with former teammates and friends and to honor the man who helped mold his value system, longtime Granada Hills Coach Darryl Stroh.

There’s much to admire about Elway’s choices in life. He earned a degree in economics from Stanford. He’s a dedicated family man with four children. He has made millions of dollars not just from sports but from wise business decisions. He has raised more than $1 million for the Elway Foundation, a Denver-based non-profit organization that works for the prevention and treatment of child abuse.

In 1992, he was selected the NFL Man of the Year, an award that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community contributions. He won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in January, the most thrilling moment of his 15-year professional football career.

Elway’s return to Granada Hills is more than a triumph of natural talent. There never has been a quarterback in this region that possessed Elway’s combination of a magical arm and unmatched leadership qualities. But sometimes forgotten is Elway’s intelligence. He planned for the future by studying hard and refused to let celebrity status change his outlook on life.

“There’s too many variables involved with sports to put all your eggs in one basket,” he said. “At some point, you’re going to have to rely on your education. One freak deal can end your athletic career, but you’re always going to have to fall back on your education. Sports is short term; education is long term.”

Elway said he is looking forward to visiting with Granada Hills faculty and students and reminiscing about old times.

“It will be great memories,” he said. “The pep rallies, where we hung out at lunch . . . “

Elway fondly remembers high school football. There was the great comeback win against San Fernando, the rivalry games with Kennedy, the upset over Banning, the overtime playoff victory over Palisades and future NFL quarterback Jay Schroeder.

He cherishes his last high school game, the 1979 City 4-A baseball championship at Dodger Stadium. Stroh summoned him to the mound in relief.

“It’s probably my best baseball story,” Elway said. “I was horrible. I didn’t pitch for [one month] before that game. I had this funny feeling as he [Stroh] walked to the mound that he’s going to give me the ball. I wanted to hide. I didn’t want to be pitching because the last time I was so bad.”

Stroh’s instinct paid off. Elway allowed three hits and one unearned run in 4 2/3 innings of relief as the Highlanders beat Crenshaw, 10-4. Elway was selected most valuable player of the tournament after collecting nine hits in 13 at-bats.

For John Elway Day to take place, Stroh, Principal Kathy Rattay and former Granada Hills receiver Chris Sutton deserve credit. They organized the event and dealt with the controversy surrounding former principal Bryce Schurr, whose name was attached to the stadium.

Now the entire Granada Hills sports complex will be named after Schurr in a ceremony scheduled for Oct. 2. There will be a bust of Schurr in the gym foyer and his name will be painted in large lettering across the front of the gym.

“Bryce Schurr has been around that stadium for a long time and the last thing I wanted to do is diminish his name,” Elway said.

Elway and Schurr will find their names intertwined. Every day, Granada Hills students standing in the quad area will see Schurr’s name rising above the gym and be reminded of his importance to the school’s history. A new $8,000 football scoreboard, with “John Elway Stadium” written above, will remind the next generation of Granada Hills football players that Elway once wore the same uniform.

Elway turns 38 on June 28. He still hasn’t decided whether to return for a 16th season with the Broncos, but the fact Stroh has come out of football retirement at 59 offers inspiration.

“Heck, he’s making it tough on me,” Elway said.

No one is more deserving to be saluted by his alma mater. Granada Hills students will be excited when they get to meet the school’s most famous graduate. They’ll learn that Elway’s teenage years weren’t much different from their own. He worked hard, learned from his coaches and teachers and made the most of his talent.

Elway may have moved to Denver long ago, but he has never forgotten his teenage years in the Valley. They helped shape his life. And what a life it has been.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.