Simply the Best

Geoffrey Horn, known as “No Hands Horn” for dropping so many potential interceptions, was on the field Sept. 24, 1976, when a sophomore quarterback named John Elway made his debut for Granada Hills High.

Horn, an outside linebacker for El Camino Real, intercepted an Elway pass on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter to preserve the Conquistadores’ 13-0 victory.

“While I had other interceptions, that certainly was the most historic,” Horn said.

Anyone who played high school football in the San Fernando Valley from 1976-78 and went against Elway cherishes the memory. If they were fortunate enough to make an interception or even tackle him, it’s something they’ve probably bragged about to their children.

After all, how many teenagers get the chance to face perhaps the greatest quarterback ever?

“He was the best,” Coach Darryl Stroh of Granada Hills said.

Elway helped Stroh’s Granada Hills baseball team win consecutive City championships. Stroh also was an assistant football coach. From work ethic to mental toughness, from natural talent to a competitive drive second to none, Stroh said he could find few faults in Elway.

“He was a great basketball player and there are some who would tell you that was his best sport,” Stroh said. “He could have been a professional baseball player with no problem. He had the whole package.”

Elway moved to the Valley from Pullman, Wash., in the summer of 1976 after his father, Jack, was named football coach at Cal State Northridge. The elder Elway searched for a high school that would best fit his son’s needs, settling on Granada Hills because of Coach Jack Neumeier’s innovative passing scheme.

“It was a great high school experience for him, not only in football but in baseball and academically as well,” Jack Elway said. “He still cherishes the friendships he had at Granada Hills.”

Elway’s powerful arm, scrambling ability and knowledge of the game made him a remarkable quarterback. He passed for 3,039 yards as a junior, then the second-best in Valley history.

As a senior, his season was cut short by a knee injury in late October, 1978. Still, Elway was the most sought-after prep quarterback in the nation, signing with Stanford.

In the spring, he led Granada Hills to the City baseball title, earning most valuable player honors in the tournament by collecting nine hits in 13 at-bats.

His final high school appearance came in the Shrine All-Star Classic, when he completed 23 of 37 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns.

This year, Elway retired after 16 years in the NFL, two Super Bowl victories and 51,475 yards passing.

He said that his three-year experience at Granada Hills helped put him on the path to success not only in athletics but life.

“I really respect him for what he’s accomplished, how hard he’s worked and the pressure he’s endured from the time he left Granada, through Stanford and his pro career,” Jack Elway said. “He’s a very humble person and I think that’s one of his strengths. He’s always had great relationships with his teammates.”

Jack Elway coached football for 42 years. He has a bias, being John’s father, but he swears, “In my mind, he’s the best I ever saw play quarterback.”

Those who played against Elway in high school will never disagree.