"No one cared more about the players than Greek," Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/08/denver-broncos-news-steve-greek-antonopulos-retires-as-trainer/, 17 Broncos players set to become unrestricted free agents, 5 players Broncos might consider trading this offseason, 8 players Broncos should let walk during NFL free agency, 5 Broncos players who could become cap casualties this offseason, Broncos want to re-sign free agent LB Alex Singleton, Every time the Broncos have used a franchise tag in the past, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Antonopulos applied for the job and Hurst reached out to have breakfast in Denver when Fort Hays was coming through town between basketball games at Northern Colorado and Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). A native of North Dakota and graduate of Kansas State, OHalloran previously covered the Washington Redskins for eight years, primarily at The Washington Times, and the Jacksonville Jaguars for six years at The Florida Times-Union. Please logout and login again. Steve Antonopulos announced his retirement on Monday. When I committed to come back for this past season, I told John (Elway), This is it. We certainly wouldnt have gone to Cheers had we known it would take that long. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Over the past 45 years, Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has been a welcoming presence in the Broncos' training rooms at the team's practice facilities, home and road stadiums and training camp locales none more so . His Bronco days started in 1976. It was phenomenal. The fans are incredible and it was the first of the modern stadiums in the old days. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. We allowed the soft tissues to heal and put him on a strengthening program and he played in about 10 days. My philosophy was if you do your job and do a good job, theyll get to you. Greek received both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, and began his athletic trainer career at Fort Hays State University in Kansas in 1973, working there until 1976. I always thought that might zing me one day.. A motto for Antonopulos was Defend My Desk., When a new owner or coach was hired, he said: They come in and have 100 things going on and what they dont need is somebody trying to make an appointment and promote themselves. In the playoffs after the 1986 season, the Broncos traveled to Cleveland to win the AFC championship game in overtime, highlighted by The Drive to end regulation. Is the job worth the derision? The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos in a move CEO Joe Ellis called a no-brainer given his long run with the franchise. Antonopulos, 72, whom most everyone with the team and in the league knows simply as "Greek," has been with the Broncos since 1976. You have to understand he tore the long head of the bicep which is located in the shoulder joint. With unmatched dedication and loyalty to the Broncos, Greek became a trusted confidant for so many coaches, staff members and especially Pat Bowlen. His influence on this franchise, the athletic training profession and throughout sports is far-reaching, mentoring countless interns and staff who went on to accomplish great things. Rick Massie was a receiver from Kentucky. The Moving can be an exciting experience. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Athletic trainers have one of the more important jobs on a professional sports team, especially in the NFL. Greek also saidthat Elway was one of the best players at injury recovery. His first chance came in the summer of 1969 when trainer Allen Hurst offered him an internship. The Broncos will have a new person as the head of their training staff for the first time in a long time. Their grandparents often move better in that instant. It didnt matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookiehis standard never changed. When I committed to come back for this past season, I told John (Elway), This is it. They see their players physical and emotional fragility. He worked 941 total games, during which Denver went 438-311-1 in the regular season/playoffs. My philosophy was if you do your job and do a good job, theyll get to you. Those things are unbelievable and the number of great people and great minds of technology was phenomenal with what you can do for the medical care of football players., Without question, it was our second year here (1984) and he had to go in the offseason to Boston for a Lloyds of London insurance policy. Greek was there to give head coach Mike Shanahan continual updates as he worked to treat TDs migraine. During the past four years, Antonopulos oversaw the Broncos training and medical treatment from on high, leaving Vince Garcia in charge of the day-to-day responsibilities. Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos with Jim Gillen talk being head athletic trainers https://t.co/nTFo5XtbrK, R. David Mullin (@RD_Mullin) August 17, 2016. Greek watched over the knee helping to make it stronger than most, according to Matt Christopher in his book In the Huddlewith John Elway. Greek in his own words,as told to the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers: The worst part of the job is seeing players devastated by being injured. That way, we are either working with them or doing administrative work. The one other was (running back) Rob Lytle back in the day. He had a fear of flying. Steve Antonopulos has accomplished a lot over the past 45 years. The weather was awful. You have the passion to do it. A look at Steve "Greek" Antonopulos' 41 years as the Broncos' head athletic trainer. Denver Broncos longtime trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos retired Monday after 45 years with the team. He leaves big shoes to fill at the organization. Smith runs second-fastest 40 by DL since 03, Saleh compares Carr to Stafford pre-Rams trade, Allen to be ready to roll for offseason program, How to maximize leverage of No. Greek does sustained hard work with players that benefits in indirect ways. A fellow trainer at Fort Hays was Jim Gillen, who later became the head athletic trainer for the Denver Nuggets. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. So I called him. We were taxing to take off and he just went nuts and jumped out of his seat and was screaming and the pilot pulled up, opened the door and let him get a breath. We had a few of those guys, but he was to the hilt. Over that time, Antonopulos worked all eight Super Bowls that the Broncos have appeared in. The best thing is stay in your domain, stay at your desk and work your rear end off.. We were taxing to take off and he just went nuts and jumped out of his seat and was screaming and the pilot pulled up, opened the door and let him get a breath. Pat Bowlen's family has chosen Steve "Greek" Antonopulos to serve as the owner's presenter at the Hall of Fame . ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After a career that spanned 45 years with the Denver Broncos, director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos has retired. He is also fully practicing. Denver's tale of the tape under Antonopulos: 941 total games (incl. pic.twitter.com/uwM5i7YAAm. Then in 1996 he received National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Athletic Trainer Service Award, and in 2006 Greek was given the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. Allen called me the first week of July. > Above video: Steve Antonopulos introduces Pat Bowlen at NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Five hours later, he was driving me 80 miles an hour down I-25 so I could get to the basketball game that night. He is one of the richest baseball managers in Canada. Since he started setting up the training room, the Broncos have been to the playoffs 22 times. View Steve Antonopulos's record in Limon, CO including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Antonopulos, who called Bowlen the ultimate owner, was selected by the Bowlen family in 2019 to present Pat at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Over that time, Antonopulos worked all eight Super Bowls that the Broncos have appeared in. Or does the salary serve as a salve to those wounds? Your login session has expired. I have always respected the fact that Steve is the kind of person that will look you in the eye and tell you what he is thinking and commit to his word. Rainy. Antonopulos called the honor breathtaking.. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors seven times for his work. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Applauding him as "an institution with the Broncos for the last 45 years," Denver bid farewell Monday to director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos, who retired at 72 years old. A typical day for me starts at 4 a.m. Six of Pat Bowlen's children and presenter Steve Antonopulos at the longtime Broncos owner's inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Antonopulos treated 983 players who appeared in at least one regular season/playoff game for the Broncos. Marshall had several screws to hold together a foot while Travathan had major reconstruction surgery on his knee cap. Steve Antonopulos has been the head trainer for the Broncos ever since. He closed the door and he went nuts again. Tedious repetitions of arm pulls and leg lifts. He was very straight forward, he was very honest and he was a really good communicator in that he has a good bedside manner in a position where that is obviously required.. They required him to go there for a physical. Steve Greek Antonopulos, the only person to work for the Broncos during each of their eight Super Bowl appearances, announced Monday he is retiring after 45 seasons of service. 20 in NFLPA ranking of clubs based on locker rooms, food service, travel and more, From DreMont Jones and DeShawn Williams to mining the mid-rounds, DL a big offseason work area for Broncos, Broncos podcast: New coaching staff, impressions from NFL Scouting Combine, Sean Payton very excited to have Vance Joseph as Broncos DC after four years in Arizona, Colorado property owners to face astronomical tax increases next year, After School Satan Club launching first Colorado chapter, but organizer promises "we are not devil worshippers", PHOTOS: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado landlords say eviction-protection proposal could make dropping problem renters too hard, 5 can't-miss menus for Denver Restaurant Week, No more greasy pizza boxes, paper towels or takeout containers in Front Range compost bins come April 1, After teen's death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation, Boulder house where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Metro Denver housing market crosses firmly into negative territory in February, Kiszla: With Brendan Rodgers down and out, Kris Bryant could become $182 million face of worst team in Rockies history, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. He told me after the fact he was going to take a half-hour (for the interview) and be on his way, Antonopulos said. Steve Antonopulos, known as "Greek," has retired from his position as athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos after 45 years with the team. Greeks success there was evident as TD would go on to dominate the second half and lead Denver to its first Super Bowl championship. 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He is believed to be the longest-tenured trainer with one team in NFL history, and Greek is the only person to be a part of all eight Broncos Super Bowl appearances. Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos retires after 45 seasons with franchise, As Broncos wrap up stay at NFL Combine, busy offseason of change churns toward free agency, draft, Broncos check in No. Now hes walking away for good as hes going to retire where he grew up on the eastern plains. Our organization wishes him the very best in his retirement. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Their bones, cartilage, and ligaments bear theburden of these familial expectations. Since the former Fort Hays head athletic trainer launched his NFL career, a lot has changed in the sport and in the world of athletic training, but Antonopulos' career had such remarkable longevity because he constantly worked to keep up with updating practices and help shape the evolving field.
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