The Broncos accurate confidence about Gotsis recovery greatly depended on the assessment and follow-through bythe mancalled Greek at the clubs UCHealth Training Center. Sign up for the Broncos Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. 1. Denver Broncos trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos, who has served 45 years in the Broncos organization and was a part of the franchise's three Super Bowl victories, is retiring. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Awesome was Antonopulos longevity in the often-unstable world of the NFL. His physical was first thing in the morning. Antonopulos called the honor breathtaking.. Jun 07, 2021 at 08:45 AM. With unmatched dedication and loyalty to the Broncos, Greek became a trusted confidant for so many coaches, staff members and especially Pat Bowlen. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Over the past 45 years, Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has been a welcoming presence in the Broncos' training rooms at the team's practice facilities, home and road stadiums and training camp locales none more so . If you dont have passion, you are in the wrong field. Its just a cool place., Oh boy, a couple of those. We had a few of those guys, but he was to the hilt. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. 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. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years.. A look at Steve "Greek" Antonopulos' 41 years as the Broncos' head athletic trainer. Rainy. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years. The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos. He embodies the principles of the Fain-Cain Award, and he continues to impact all of those who have been around him. He closed the door and he went nuts again. I was making good money on the highway and going to college. A native of Hugo and graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, Antonopulos first joined the Broncos in 1976 as assistant trainer to Allen Hurst. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was dreary. More Videos 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. He was obviously an astute trainer, but also an arrive-early, leave-late, stay-in-his-lane employee. 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. He was special the way he handled it., The continued advancement of therapeutic exercises and the concussion protocols and the NFL hiring medical liaisons has been crucial in advancement of doing things the right way. When I committed to come back for this past season, I told John [Elway], This is it. We had to put him on injured reserve because he couldnt travel. With the Broncos, Greek transitioned to specialize in rehabilitation and was promoted to head trainer in 1980. Steve Greek Antonopulos, head trainer for the Denver Broncos, has announced his retirement from the NFL after 45 years with the team. A motto for Antonopulos was Defend My Desk., When a new owner or coach was hired, he said: They come in and have 100 things going on and what they dont need is somebody trying to make an appointment and promote themselves. 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. He took a year off from football, resuming play without an ACL for the remainder of his career. Kentucky's Will Levis, a likely top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spoke Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine and -- in under 15 minutes -- presented himself as arguably the most self-assured QB in this year's class. Sign up for the Broncos Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. 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Their bones, cartilage, and ligaments bear theburden of these familial expectations. Practice is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. From 1:30 to 3 p.m. we work on post practice treatments. 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.. And he played the whole game. Before the 2020 season, Steve told John Elway that the 2020-2021 season would be his final one as an athletic trainer. Is the job worth the derision? I went and got a summer job on the state highway back home that summer and I was getting married. The Drive was so special. Gambling problem? Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. Download the 9NEWS APPiTunes:http://on9news.tv/itunesGoogle Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n. Rather respecting them in their most important roles as sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands. Athletic trainers have one of the more important jobs on a professional sports team, especially in the NFL. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose size has been a matter of conjecture in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, officially measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds on Saturday. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Over that time, Antonopulos worked all eight Super Bowls that the Broncos have appeared in. Players are not treated as replaceable pieces of football productivity. An interesting couple days and we had a great time.. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Elways competitive drive helped him work through the mental challenges of rehabilitation. There are no set work hours for an athletic trainer in the NFL. From Left to Right: Dustin Little, Josh Hartman, Steve Antonopulos, Michael Sundeen, and Billy-Joe Voltaire. The team announced the long-time athletic trainer's retirement on Monday. Antonopulos was the longest-tenured employee at the franchise. 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. The Denver Post caught up with Steve Antonopulos, and during the interview, Antonopulos explained his reasoning behind his retirement. Athletic training is also one of the first NFL staff positions to be held by women. Denver will rename the training room at UCHealth Training Center the Steve "Greek" Antonopulos Training Room and will recognize the trainer at a home game this season. The best thing is stay in your domain, stay at your desk and work your rear end off.. The Raiders plan to place the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs if the sides cannot come to a deal on a long-term extension by Tuesday's deadline, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. 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. I just think Pat trusted Greek more than any other employee he ever had working for him, Ellis said. I woke him up. Antonopulos and his wife, Susan, have a blended family of five kids and seven grandkids and will split their time between homes in Limon., and Tucson, Ariz., and driving their RV to visit family. A good trainers room is filled with the mundane, bathed in the light of here-and-now reality. Elway mentioned Greeks help in his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004. I dont have an exact set deadline on when Im coming back. Denver's tale of the tape under Antonopulos: 941 total games (incl. It was embarrassing, the whole concept. He was special the way he handled it., The continued advancement of therapeutic exercises and the concussion protocols and the NFL hiring medical liaisons has been crucial in advancement of doing things the right way. It wasnt really an injury. "No one cared more about the players than Greek. The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos. He had the fingernail on his thumb totally torn off and was bleeding all over the place. At the moment it is week-by-week. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett spoke with media members on Friday for the first time since his arrest for public intoxication in late January. That was a tremendous victory in Broncos history. 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! preseason), 438 total wins, 13 head coaches, 983 players with at least one game appearance. https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/08/denver-broncos-news-steve-greek-antonopulos-retires-as-trainer/, 17 Broncos players set to become unrestricted free agents, 5 players Broncos might consider trading this offseason, 8 players Broncos should let walk during NFL free agency, 5 Broncos players who could become cap casualties this offseason, Broncos want to re-sign free agent LB Alex Singleton, Every time the Broncos have used a franchise tag in the past, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. ThenBroncos head team physician, Ted Schlegel M.D., said when presenting the award: Greek is nothing short of a consummate professional. Toward the end Elways ripped bicep. We allowed the soft tissues to heal and put him on a strengthening program and he played in about 10 days. You'll now receive the top Broncos Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. Steve Greek Antonopulos, the only person to work for the Broncos during each of their eight Super Bowl appearances, announced Monday he is retiring after 45 seasons of service. @Broncos celebrating head trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos tonight. His first chance came in the summer of 1969 when trainer Allen Hurst offered him an internship. Broncos long time trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos retires, Horse Tracks: Potential Broncos Cap Casualties in 2023, 3 players the Broncos should consider cutting to make more cap room for the 2023 free agent class. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Denver Broncos headlines, game previews and interviews with our 9NEWS insider Mike Klis. Greek received both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, and began his athletic trainer career at Fort Hays State University in Kansas in 1973, working there until 1976. Running back could be a sneaky priority need for the Denver Broncos. 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 called working for the Broncos a lifes dream., A lot of people say that, but it was the reality for me, he said. That poor guy. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. Vince Garcia, Denvers head athletic trainer, will presumably be a strong candidate to replace Greek. I was blessed to be a part of the elation of that. And then Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City has always been one of my favorites. Greek does sustained hard work with players that benefits in indirect ways. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Probably the most loyal employee the team has had and will ever have, Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a phone interview. In all he was on the sideline for 941 games (preseason, regular season and postseason) and worked for 13 different head coaches. #NGWSD. In all those years, I never tried to figure out how many hours I worked.. Antonopulos and his wife, Susan, have a blended family of five kids and seven grandkids and will split their time between homes in Limon., and Tucson, Ariz., and driving their RV to visit family. When the Broncos open training camp next month, Antonopulos wont be on the sidelines for the first time since 1975. Adhesive bandages, electrodes, ice bags, and kinesiology tape. 41-yrs! 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. It was pretty much a no-brainer when somebody puts in that amount of time, Ellis said. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Allen called me the first week of July. Anthopoulos successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars. 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. 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. 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.. Five hours later, John went through everything you could imagine and he ended up vomiting all over the place. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. He served as President of PFATS from 2003 to 2008. Longtime head athletic trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos is retiring after 45 years with the club, the team announced Monday. He closed the door and he went nuts again.