Jack Elway, former SJSU football coach, dies of heart attack at age 69

Jack Elway, head coach of the San Jose State University football team from 1979 through 1983, died at his Palm Springs home of a heart attack on April 14 according to reports compiled by the Associated Press and espn.com.

Elway was 69-years-old at the time of his death and was just over a month away from his 70th birthday.

The native of Hoquiam, Wash., was named the Spartans' head coach in December 1978 after spending three seasons at Cal State Northridge. In his five seasons at San Jose State, the Spartans compiled a 35-20-1 win-loss record, finished first in the 1979 and 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association standings and participated in the 1981 California Bowl against Toledo. He was named the conference's "Coach of the Year" after the 1979 and 1981 season.

Able to rally the Spartans to major upsets, San Jose State was 9-8 against Pac-10 member schools and won three consecutive games at Stanford from 1981 through 1983. Perhaps, the Spartans' biggest upset during his tenure was a 30-22 comeback win in Waco, Texas over then-unbeaten and #10-ranked Baylor in November 1980 - the first time in school history San Jose State beat a top-10 ranked team.

Under Elway's tutelage and direction, wide receiver Mark Nichols, tailback Gerald Willhite and and cornerback Gill Byrd were first round draft choices in the 1980 through 1982 National Football League drafts. Fifteen players received All-America recognition and more than 40 earned all-conference honors.

Besides guiding the careers of outstanding players, he surrounded himself with top-notch assistants. Dennis Erickson, now head coach at Oregon State; Claude Gilbert, who succeeded Elway at San Jose State; Rick Rasnick, who was at Eastern Michigan; and Dave Baldwin, formerly at San Jose State, were his Spartan assistants who went on to head coaching jobs at the major college level. Larry Kerr, currently defensive coordinator at Colorado State, and Greg McMackin, defensive coordinator at Texas Tech, also were on Elway's staff at San Jose State. Sonny Lubick, head coach at Colorado State, was an Elway assistant at Stanford.

A voting member of the United Press International coaches' poll, Elway was the head coach for the Blue team at the 1982 Blue-Gray All-Star Classic and the West team at the 1983 East-West Shrine Game.

After the 1983 season, Elway moved to Stanford as the Cardinal head football coach. He coached the Pac-10 school for five seasons and led Stanford to the 1986 Gator Bowl. Elway had a 25-29-2 coaching record at Stanford.

His last head coaching assignment was with the Frankfurt team of the World League of American Football in 1989 and 1990. Elway's last football job was with the Denver Broncos as the director of professional scouting. He retired from the position in 2000.

Last year, Jack Elway was inducted into the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998, his name was mounted into the Ring of Honor at Spartan Stadium, the home field for the Spartan football team.

Elway graduated from Washington State in 1953 and earned his master's degree in 1955. He was an assistant coach at the University of Montana and at Washington State before becoming a major college head coach.

While at San Jose State, his wife, Jan, was a secretary in the industrial studies department and his daughter, Jana, twin sister of Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, was a member of the Spartans' women's tennis team.