Celebrated former NFL player John Elway and his twin sister, Jana Elway, attended Stanford University and were active in collegiate sports.
John Albert Elway Jr. is a former NFL quarterback who spent 16 years with the Denver Broncos.
Even after his retirement, he spent 11 years with the Broncos in various front-office positions, eventually being promoted to general manager.
Many believe Elway to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL’s history.
Moreover, he retired in early 1999 with the most victories by a starting quarterback and the second-most prolific passer in NFL history.
From an Early Age, John and His Twin Sister, Jana, Were Enthralled by the World of Sports!
Former NFL quarterback John Albert Elway Jr. and his twin sister, Jana Elway, were born on June 28, 1960, to parents Janet and Jack Elway.
The twins also had an older sister, Lee Ann, who was a year older than them. Their father, Jack, was the head coach at Port Angeles High School.
Moreover, Jana was born 11 minutes before her brother. She attended Stanford University along with her twin brother.
John and his twin sister, Jana, developed a passion for sports from a young age.
While John was in the Stanford Cardinal football and baseball teams, Jana played tennis at Stanford.
After graduating, she embarked on the journey to become a school teacher.
Later, she married Al Sever, and they had two children, Joe and Dana. In comparison to her twin brother, Jana led a relatively private life.
Hence, there is no public information regarding her married life and her husband, Al Sever.
Sadly, she passed away on July 23, 2002 at just 42. The reason behind her premature demise was lung cancer. Jana never smoked but became succumbed to a deadly disease.
Furthermore, she passed away just 15 months after her father, Jack Elway, died from a heart attack.
The family donated to Stanford University in Jana Elway Sever‘s memory to help Dr. Charlott Jacobs‘ Lung Cancer Research.
John and Jana shared an unbreakable bond and were very close to each other.
“We were never in the same class. I’d have like to have been. She was always keeping me out of trouble, pointing my thermometer and compass to make sure I was going in the right direction.”
“I think with Jana, it was something. It had an effect, because she was probably my closest friend, she was my twin sister”
John Elway
Moreover, he often referred to Jana as his wombmate. Losing his twin sister to lung cancer was overwhelming for him and the family.
He was beyond devastated and experienced an inconsolable loss. In less than two years, John has lost two of the most important people in his life.
Despite his professional accomplishments, John Elway endured excruciating suffering over his life.
“I can still remember the day that she died. She whispered in my ear, she was having a very difficult time, went through tremendous pain through the whole thing. She just whispered in my ear, ‘I just wanna live.'”
“You look at how fragile life is, for us to live it to the fullest and have our health, to be able to find that special thing in life we’re all looking for and that’s true joy.”
John Elway
He also recalled his twin sister’s desire to live, which still bothers him today.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- John Elway married Janet Buchan, a Stanford University swimming team member, in 1984.
- He has four children: Jessica, Jordan, Jack, and Juliana.
- After divorcing Janet in 2003, Elway tied the knot with the Oakland Raiders cheerleader Paige Green in 2009.
