FANS FLOCK TO SALUTE ELWAY POPULAR QB PLUS THREE ENTER HALL.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

CANTON, Ohio - There was one man wearing nothing but a 10-gallon hat, cowboy boots and an orange barrel that was held up with suspenders. There was another whose hair was dyed blue with an orange No. 7. Never mind men with Broncos tattoos - there was a woman who decorated her chest with them.

And everywhere there were blue, white and orange jerseys.

For a day, the sleepy red-brick neighborhood around the Pro Football Hall of Fame was transformed into Elway-ville.

John Elway, Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown were enshrined into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, but there was a reason that a record crowd of 21,900 packed Fawcett Stadium for the induction ceremony.

``The NFL realizes whose day it is,'' said Keller Knutson, who has a room at his Denver home painted orange. ``It's not the other three guys' day, it's John Elway's day.''

If that wasn't clear by surveying the scene, it was when Elway's eldest daughter, Jessie, introduced the Class of 2004's final inductee. While the others before him received polite applause, and cheers from family and friends, the stadium rose as one as Elway stepped to the podium.

After he embraced his daughter, Elway waved to the crowd and pulled his speech out of the pocket of his gold Hall of Fame blazer. But before he could began, chants of ``El-way'' circled the stadium.

``Thank you, thank you, thank you,'' Elway said before noting that Cleveland, the site of his signature NFL moment, The Drive, was less than an hour away. ``I have to be totally honest. I've never heard that in Ohio before.''

That quip aside, it was one of the few times in a career marked by remarkable poise that Elway was overwhelmed on center stage.

His voice cracking, he took a moment to gather himself before embarking on his 15-minute speech. But it wasn't easy when he began to think of two people who weren't in the crowd - his father, Jack, and his twin sister, Jana. Both have died in the past three years.

When Elway described his father as not just his best friend but his hero, he had to gather himself. ``Phew,'' he said, pausing in his speech.

``He was a keeper of my reality check and the compass in my life and my career,'' Elway said of his father, who brought his family to Granada Hills when he became the head coach at Cal State Northridge. ``Now that he's gone, I thank God every day for letting him see the Broncos win two Super Bowls.''

It was also emotional talking about the people who were there.

Elway thanked Dan Reeves, his first coach in Denver with whom he had a public falling out. They hadn't spoken in years before Elway invited him to the ceremony. He thanked his mother for excelling at the world's worst job: a coach's wife.

He was also touched by the presence of his football coach at Granada Hills High, Jack Neumeier, who is ill with cancer.

``I know it wasn't easy for you to be here, but I'm glad you are,'' Elway said to Neumeier, 86. ``Thanks for showing me what I could be and how to get there.''

He also thanked his baseball coach at Granada Hills, Darryl Stroh, for teaching him about leadership. Stroh and Neumeier were joined by about 25 former classmates and teammates from high school.

If Elway is known for the strength of his right arm and unwavering competitiveness, his daughter presented a different picture: a dad.

Elway's four children used to tease him about his haircuts and late in his career, they reminded him that he was too old to be calling everyone ``dude.''

Jessica, who will follow her father to Stanford on a basketball scholarship, says she learned never to make excuses to her father, who would smile away his ever-present bruises and scrapes. When Jessica stubbed her toe one day, her dad said: ``Uh, oh. Better call 911.' ''

``It was funny,'' Jessica said. ``Until my little sister, Juju, called 911.''

Elway, who became the first Bronco to enter the Hall of Fame, also became the first of 225 members to be introduced by his daughter.

The whole day was a family affair.

Brown, an offensive tackle with the Eagles, Rams and Raiders, was introduced by his son, Robert, a lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office. Eller, who starred for the Vikings' Purple People Eaters, was introduced by his son, Regis, and Sanders by his father, William.

Eller, who has worked as a drug counselor since his retirement, passionately spoke of the need for young African-American men to participate in society, for them to be in college classrooms instead of jail.

Brown reflected on his journey from an overweight, oversized kid who didn't play football until eighth grade to one of the NFL's most feared lineman.

``He'd kill a mosquito with an ax,'' said Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones, who battled Brown in practice for two years with the Rams.

Sanders, who walked away from the game at age 31, seemed happier than he was while playing the game. He giggled at every turn - especially when speaking about his father, who introduced him as the third-best running back ever.

The other two? Jim Brown and himself.

The day, though, belonged to Elway.

To understand what he means in Denver, consider that newspapers once reported on what type of candy he handed out on Halloween.

Elway's presence caused tickets for the event to be sold out days after they went on sale in March. When the ceremony was moved to Fawcett Stadium - rather than on the steps of the hall - for just the third time, more tickets went on sale. Requests jammed all 23 of the Hall of Fame's telephone lines.

Sunday's crowd dwarfed the previous largest crowd from two years ago, when Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly was inducted, by nearly 5,000.

``It's like being Red Sox or Cubs fans,'' said Kevin Dougherty, who drove his wife and young boys from St. Charles, Ill., near Chicago. ``When he arrived, there was no Avalanche, no Rockies and the Nuggets had just come from the ABA. The Broncos were the only game in town. To go through all those years of disappointment, there was a real connection with him.''

To others, like Pixie Morin, who was sporting an Elway jersey and an orange felt hat with Broncos' ticket stubs rimming the brim, this was her way of saying thank you to Elway.

Morin and her brother, from Glenwood Springs, Colo., promised after the Broncos were routed by San Francisco in the 1990 Super Bowl that they'd be here for this day.

As he surveyed the crowd near the conclusion of his speech, Elway returned their thanks. He said Denver had the best NFL fans and told them this day was for them.

He then sent everyone away with a gesture that, if it wasn't accurate, was apt: a Mile High salute.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) IT'S ELWAY'S DAY...

Record crowd cheers former Granada Hills and Denver Bronco quarterback's induction into the Hall of Fame

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

(2) From left, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Carl Eller and Bob Brown pose with their Pro Football Hall of Fame busts during induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio on Sunday.

Scott Heckel/Associated Press

(3) Fans hold up signs showing their appreciation for the Hall of Fame inductees.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press