The reigning Super Bowl champions will visit President Barack Obama on Monday sans former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler. Osweiler announced earlier this week he's skipping the trip to the White House (and reunion with his former team).
For Broncos general manager John Elway, the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. brings up some ... ahem ... fond memories. Elway hopes Monday's visit ends better than his last.
Prior to the Broncos' Monday Night Football duel against the Washington Redskins in 1989, Elway dined at the White House that morning.
"I got so sick, it was like food poisoning," Elway said per The Denver Post. "So I couldn't play. Chipped beef on toast. I've not had it since.
"Gary and I were on the only quarterbacks, so we ended up winning the game, Gary won the game. (Running back Steve) Sewell was the backup quarterback and he didn't work out very well in warmups so I was laying on the table -- they dressed me laying on the table -- and said, 'You got to go if something happens to go to Gary.' So I'm laying on the table, and they had a little TV. And it had a coat hanger stuck in for the antenna. I didn't care who won or who lost. All I wanted was Gary to make sure he got up every time. There was no way I could go."
Here's other notable facts about White House visits, courtesy of NFL Media Research:
» The tradition of inviting Super Bowl champions to the White House began in 1980 during Jimmy Carter's last year in office. Carter hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, both of whom won their respective championships during the 1979-1980 seasons.
» The Broncos' visit will mark the 10th NFL team that President Obama has hosted. Obama welcomed the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1972 Miami Dolphins to the White House in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
» During Obama's presidency, no team has won the Super Bowl twice.
»Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger are the only two notable quarterbacks to attend championship ceremonies hosted by multiple presidents (George W. Bush and Barack Obama). Peyton Manning will join that list on Monday. (Tom Brady had the opportunity to do so with the Patriots in 2014, but declined President Obama's invitation due to a prior family commitment.)
» The Dallas Cowboys (1992, 1993, 1995) and New England Patriots (2001, 2003, 2004) are the only two teams to meet the same president (Clinton and Bush, respectively) three times.
