1997 JOHN ELWAY DENVER BRONCOS GAME WORN HELMET FROM HIS FIRST SUPER BOWL WINNING SEASON (NEWPORT SPORTS MUSEUM)

For the first 14 of John Elway's 16-year remarkable career, the Denver Broncos charged through the regular season only to fall just short of their ever elusive goal: hoisting the Lombardi trophy as world champions. This all changed in 1997. Loser of three Super Bowls in the late 80's, the team was finally able to provide their rocket-armed signal caller, in the twilight of his career, with one of the league's top running games. This balance along with Elway's leadership proved to be the perfect winning combination for Mike Shanahan's squad. On January 25, 1998, the Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-24 to complete the mission. Elway was named Super Bowl MVP to cap another Pro Bowl season (one of nine) and put the icing on the cake to his Hall of Fame career. During the 1997 regular season, he threw for 3,635 yards with 27 TD passes and just 11 INT. The following season, the Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions as Elway retired on top and rode off into the sunset.

This Riddell size 'L' helmet was worn by Elway during the 1997 season. It shows great wear, with scratching and rubbing marks throughout the navy shell. The Broncos' orange, white & blue decal is featured on each side with more evident game use on the left side in the form of a white paint mark. "Riddell" is lettered across the custom front bumper and "BRONCOS" is stamped along the back bumper. The NFL shield and warning label appears on the back of the helmet, along with his jersey number '7' sticker. The helmet is complete with the VSR-2 padding inside and Velcro next to each earhole to station the headset from which he received plays. It comes with Elway's original facemask (color slightly faded) and Riddell chinstrap, all completely intact. Overall, this awesome game-used helmet is largely as-issued and problem-free.