Fangio also added that "I have hard time believing that Greek is really retired. He took a year off from football, resuming play without an ACL for the remainder of his career. He leaves big shoes to fill at the organization. (Kicker) Jim Turner caught a (25-yard) touchdown pass on a fake field goal (from holder Norris Weese) and (linebacker) Tom Jackson went over and gave the bird to (coach) John Madden. Hes been here north of 37 years, and every day, Mr. Bowlen started his day, by parking in the garage, coming up through the steps and stopping by Greeks office and chatting with him. He served as the head football trainer at his alma mater in 2009 before becoming one of Greeks assistant trainers from 2010-13. If you do not acknowledge the unique importance of Greek, then you chronically underestimate the Broncos. Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II is the early leader for fastest player at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine after posting a time of 4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash on Friday. Coach Gary Kubiaks unflappable reaction to the season-ending knee injury of starting defensive end Vance Walker on Tuesday was based on his confidence of the Denver Broncos reserve depth at the position. 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. They see their players physical and emotional fragility. Once I get up to Denver and visit with the team doctors, they can check out my knee and do all of that, and then we can go from there. The elation and what historically happened there for the Broncos was unbelievable., The old Kingdome in Seattle was a great place because of the crowd noise and it was a good place to travel. Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis had this to say about Antonopulos during a phone interview with the Denver Post. Example video title will go here for this video. In fact over his NFL career Elway ran for3,407 yards and 33 touchdowns. He told me after the fact he was going to take a half-hour (for the interview) and be on his way, Antonopulos said. Antonopulos called the honor breathtaking.. Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency, The most memorable pre-NFL draft workouts ever: Coaches, scouts, execs make their picks, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader. "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. Antonopulos forged strong relationships with coaches and players alike and had a particularly close bond with late owner Pat Bowlen, who bought the Broncos in 1984. Less than a decade after winning the Super Bowl MVP he had left knee replacement surgery. The award is given annually to a NFL trainer who best exemplifies a long-term commitment to the NFL, as well as exemplary performance. @Broncos celebrating head trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos tonight. The Broncos accurate confidence about Gotsis recovery greatly depended on the assessment and follow-through bythe mancalled Greek at the clubs UCHealth Training Center. 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.. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! The Denver Post caught up with Steve Antonopulos, and during the interview, Antonopulos explained his reasoning behind his retirement. His motto was defend your desk. And the only way to defend your desk, Antonopulos would say, is to be at your desk. 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. According to the organization, Antonopulos' 45-year tenure is believed to be the longest ever spent with a single NFL team. Awesome was Antonopulos longevity in the often-unstable world of the NFL. 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For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. All three are full training camp participants. A look at Steve "Greek" Antonopulos' 41 years as the Broncos' head athletic trainer. Since it happened in 1978,reconstructive techniques were not available for Elway. Tedious repetitions of arm pulls and leg lifts. "Steve has been an institution with the Broncos for the last 45 years and became one of the most respected athletic training professionals in all of sports," said team President and CEO Joe Ellis. When I committed to come back for this past season, I told John (Elway), This is it. His salary is around $10 million and his main source of income is from his career as a business executive. And he played the whole game. He worked 941 total games, during which Denver went 438-311-1 in the regular season/playoffs. Broncos head trainer Steve Antonopulos, who is in his 40th season with the team, was presented with a painting created by noted artist Gabe Richesson. Steve Antonopulos gave the Denver Broncos 45 incredible years as their athletic trainer, having trained the likes of Peyton Manning and Shannon Sharpe, among others. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I just think Pat trusted Greek more than any other employee he ever had working for him, Ellis said. The Broncos will honor Antonopulos at a home game this season and the team will rename their training room after the longtime trainer. If they are working in an NFL medical facility it can be even more. 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. The livelihood of their families depend on the high body performance. There are no set work hours for an athletic trainer in the NFL. He depended on him for help recovering from injuries, advice on health concerns when evaluating players and, often, simply the friendship that they cultivated over . His career is still going as the team's director of sports medicine. He arrived most days at 4:30 a.m. and was often the last to leave team headquarters at night. The one other was (running back) Rob Lytle back in the day. 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. Here's a list of accomplishments that Steve Antonopulos earned with the Denver Broncos. Antonopulos graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. After the 1980 season, he was elevated to head trainer and split his old salary in half to hire two assistants. I went and got a summer job on the state highway back home that summer and I was getting married. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years. Denver's tale of the tape under Antonopulos: 941 total games (incl. 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. 2023 NFL Scouting Combine results: Defensive linemen and linebackers. Antonopulos, 72, has worked with the Broncos for nearly 50 years, making his the longest career with one team in NFL history. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Be the first one to comment on this story. My philosophy was if you do your job and do a good job, theyll get to you. When the Broncos open training camp next month, Antonopulos wont be on the sidelines for the first time since 1975. #NGWSD. The team announced the long-time athletic trainer's retirement on Monday. His career with the team began in 1976 and spanned all eight of the teams Super Bowl appearances, 10 general managers, and three and a half team owners. From there, we went to Cheers bar and ran into some Denver people and had a couple cold ones. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett spoke with media members on Friday for the first time since his arrest for public intoxication in late January. He told me after the fact he was going to take a half-hour (for the interview) and be on his way, Antonopulos said. Five hours later, John went through everything you could imagine and he ended up vomiting all over the place. My wife deserves this and we need to move on, Antonopulos said in a phone interview Sunday with The Denver Post. Antonopulos called working for the Broncos a lifes dream., A lot of people say that, but it was the reality for me, he said. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years.". A typical day for me starts at 4 a.m. As he would watch games with his father and neighbors, he would say to himself, Someday, somehow, someway, Im going to work for the Denver Broncos.. He had the fingernail on his thumb totally torn off and was bleeding all over the place. He had the fingernail on his thumb totally torn off and was bleeding all over the place. Steve Antonopulos has accomplished a lot over the past 45 years. Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTERto getcant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered righttoyour inbox. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years.. pic.twitter.com/MB6he9cRUp, Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 4, 2016. They required him to go there for a physical. The best thing is stay in your domain, stay at your desk and work your rear end off.. preseason), 438 total wins, 13 head coaches, 983 players with at least one game appearance. Greek is ever present when scary injuries occur, such as the incident with defensive end Derek Wolfe in the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on August 17, 2013. Denver Broncos longtime trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos retired Monday after 45 years with the team. For 45 years, athletic trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos has been the epitome of what the Denver Broncos are all about.Greek, there arent words to describe the impact youve had on our organization, and we wish you nothing but the very best in retirement!#ThankYouGreek pic.twitter.com/HAKN6t7S7P. 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. 13655 Broncos Parkway Englewood, CO 80112. During the season, Antonopulos would often arrive at the facility around 4 a.m. and stay as late as required. Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who arrived to the Broncos as a rookie quarterback in 1983 and spent well over two decades with the franchise himself, has joked that Antonopulos was with the Broncos before the orange and blue in the uniforms. In announcing the retirement of the man everyone called Greek, the Broncos said he treated 980 different players in the regular season and playoffs. In 2005, Greek said: The initial treatment wasicing, compression, and elevation (ICE). The Broncos will have a new person as the head of their training staff for the first time in a long time. Jun 07, 2021 at 08:45 AM. 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. He was a fixture on our sidelines for the greatest moments in team history, the first person running on the field to care for an injured player and the one who supported them through every step of their recovery. "the Greek" and considered by many of his peers as tops in his profession, has worked for coaches Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips and Mike Shanahan as the Bronco. From Left to Right: Dustin Little, Josh Hartman, Steve Antonopulos, Michael Sundeen, and Billy-Joe Voltaire. Ill see you in the morning. And that morning, we went in and he looked at me, and we just lost it. Your login session has expired. View Steve Antonopulos's record in Limon, CO including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. We had to put him on injured reserve because he couldnt travel. John Elways pro football career had bookends of torn up body parts. What a run. Greek also saidthat Elway was one of the best players at injury recovery. Rick Massie was a receiver from Kentucky. Antonopulos called the honor breathtaking.. Now hes walking away for good as hes going to retire where he grew up on the eastern plains. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! June 9, 2021 6:00 am MT. Antonopulos spent 45 years with the Denver Broncos and was the athletic trainer to over 1,500 NFL players. Disputed loan at center of Commanders probe, James to join Ravens, files grievance vs. Broncos, Ranking the 25 biggest position upgrades of the NFL offseason, NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus which players benefited most from the draft, Covered Broncos for nine years for Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, Previously covered Steelers, Bills and Titans, Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame Board. If youre doing something you love, you dont watch the clock or think about it, he said. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. He is the only individual to be part of all eight Broncos Super Bowl runs. But according to those who know him well, Greeks domain also contains a rare element in the Not For Long professional football league: an endless supply of unsentimental, deep compassion. Yet behind closed doors they respond to the ordinary, commonplace maladies of bruises, lacerations, soft tissue tears, and broken bones. He is the teams 12th man. "No one cared more about the players than Greek," Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. but it can also be stressful. Greek was there to give head coach Mike Shanahan continual updates as he worked to treat TDs migraine. Running back could be a sneaky priority need for the Denver Broncos. Whether movers in Fort Collins are helping you Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), 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. What is your favorite memory of the Broncos long-time head trainer? As the only person in the history of the Broncos to be part of all eight Super Bowls, Greek made a profound impact on this organization. I am an early person, and I learned years ago I need some time by myself before anyone gets here. Antonopulos grew up in Hugo, Colo., 105 miles southeast of Mile High Stadium. Discussing his knee rehabilitation, Gotsis at the time said. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. It is still early in the process. Antonopulos, 72, started working for the Broncos on St. Patricks Day 1976 as an assistant trainer, was promoted to director of rehabilitation in 80, to head athletic trainer in 81 and was director of sports medicine since 2016. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After a career that spanned 45 years with the Denver Broncos, director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos has retired. But athletic trainers, as well as strength and conditioning coaches, also seem to be the first staff members to be blamed when an NFL team suffers numerous injuries. It didn't matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookie -- his standard never changed.