My mother was a devout Denver Broncos fan, although she seldom watched the games. She took a nap while my father and my brothers gathered around the TV, and then listened intently as we reviewed the game. She loved the way the Broncos could make the state of Colorado happy or sad on a Sunday afternoon.
But, mostly, she loved John Elway. She loved everything about him, but especially his marriage to Janet. The story was so heartwarming. The couple met at Stanford, where both were superlative athletes. John proposed on bended knee. They had four athletic children. Mom talked all the time about John and Janet. You would have thought they were her own children. It was, in her mind, a virtually perfect marriage.
Maybe too perfect. The Elways divorced in 2003. I miss my mother, but I’m glad she wasn’t around to see their union crumble.
And I don’t think she would be too thrilled about Elway’s new fiance. Paige Green is - heaven forbid - a former Raiderette. She once danced while encouraging the Raiders - those mangy marauders of the West - to defeat the Broncos.
Paige, 41, is now an actress, kind of. I checked out her acting resume on the IMBD web site. My favorite of her handful of movies is “Gory, Gory, Hallelujah.” It’s the story of four acting hopefuls - a black revolutionary, a bi-sexual hippie, a Jew and a woman - who try out for the movie role of Jesus. After being rejected, they decide to tour the country, but, and I’m quoting here, “when a run-in with a gang of Elvises ends in murder, they find themselves stranded in a little town.”
I am not making this up.
So this union is not quite so perfect, but I still wish Elway the best. He’s seemed to wander through much of this decade, hurting after the collapse of his marriage and the death of his father and sister. Maybe he’s finally found a safe shore.
“I’m very lucky to find Paige,” Elway told Penny Parker, my favorite gossip writer. “I’m looking forward to a long life together.”
Best of luck, John.
Jake, it’s always interesting to read about things that touch others. Passing judgment on a person’s love life is a slippery slope. We only have a tiny fraction of the information and know nothing about the interpersonal dynamics between the parties. I have an Academy classmate who was divorced from his wife when he was 52 after 30 years of marriage and married a 25-year old. He is an M.D. He tells me that his decision has subjected him to some mistreatment by friends and others. This is sad, becausehe and his new wife are both exceptional people. Like you, I hope that John has the best of luck and that his new marriage is fulfilling.
Stating that someone is an NFL cheerleader brings to mind certain stereotypes. However, one of my friends who is an Air Force Academy graduate has a daughter who was a Houston Texans cheerleader the last three years (not this year). She was fourth in a class of 700 in high school and had a scholarship to Stanford. She graduated from Stanford with a double major before becoming a Texans cheerleader. You just never know.
Sorry, David, I meant to preface that remark with “Dave” instead of “Jake.”
The “Heaven Forbid” has nothing to do with Paige being a cheerleader.
It had everything to do with her being a Raiders cheerleader.