That poor guy. He has the respect of the players that he has cared for over the years, and that is the reason many of them will call to ask his advice even after they have left the organization. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. 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. Ill see you in the morning. And that morning, we went in and he looked at me, and we just lost it. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The Broncos announced Wednesday that longtime trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has been promoted to the team's director of sports medicine, where he will oversee all. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. During his time as a trainer, the Denver Broncos posted a 438-311-1 record. He was the team's head trainer for 37 seasons and spent the past four seasons as the director of sports medicine. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. 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.. Veteran free agentRussell Okung, the starting left tackle, was signed during the offseason while recovering from shoulder surgery. The Broncos announced on Monday, June 7, 2021, that Antonopulos will retire after more than three decades as the team's trainer. Anthopoulos successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars. No one cared more about the players than Greek. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. Antonopulos spent 45 years with the Denver Broncos and was the athletic trainer to over 1,500 NFL players. Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who arrived to the Broncos as a rookie . In addition to praising fifth-year veteran Jarek Crick, Kubiak also said that the team expectsa lot of Adam Gotsis, who is less than ten months away from tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. It wasnt really an injury. You have to understand he tore the long head of the bicep which is located in the shoulder joint. Antonopulos graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. The next, crippled. 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. Register now! Longtime head athletic trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos is retiring after 45 years with the club, the team announced Monday. Greek also saidthat Elway was one of the best players at injury recovery. The team announced the long-time athletic trainer's retirement on Monday. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. Antonopulos called working for the Broncos a lifes dream., A lot of people say that, but it was the reality for me, he said. Athletic trainers often work more than 12 hours a day and are required to travel with the team for away games and/or training camp. @Broncos celebrating head trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos tonight. In all he was on the sideline for 941 games (preseason, regular season and postseason) and worked for 13 different head coaches. Athletic training is also one of the first NFL staff positions to be held by women. Marshall had several screws to hold together a foot while Travathan had major reconstruction surgery on his knee cap. He was to make $61.8 million after two years with the Colts,. ", Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 30, 2016. All three are full training camp participants. Head Athletic Trainer We had a few of those guys, but he was to the hilt. 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. According to the organization, Antonopulos' 45-year tenure is believed to be the longest ever spent with a single NFL team. 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. 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. 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. Broncos Athletic Trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos is retiring after 45 seasons with the team. Championships are made on practice fields; championships are also made in training rooms and rehab gyms. During his 45-year career with the Broncos, Steve Antonopulos treated more than 1,500 players. @Grindin_59 never saw this happening: https://t.co/62EHR6aweP pic.twitter.com/2ns3HQOWc3. Rainy. The Broncos will have a new person as the head of their training staff for the first time in a long time. 1 draft pick, Report: Derek Carr wants $35 million per year, The Raiders are the betting favorites to land Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy: Kellen Moore wants to light the scoreboard up, I want to run the damn ball, Arrest warrant issued for Jalen Carter for reckless driving, racing, ESPN reiterates report that Lamar Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed deal, Aaron Rodgers says hell make a decision soon enough, Competition Committee begins to explore the quarterback push play, Players say Chiefs discourage them from reporting injuries, have NFLs worst training staff, Bryce Young is just over 5-10 and 204 pounds. Quarterback Mike White said he'd like to return to the New York Jets, but knows it might not happen as he heads toward free agency. View Steve Antonopulos's record in Limon, CO including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. In July 2016, Antonopulos began the road to retirement when he took on a new role and Vince Garcia was promoted to head athletic trainer. Could they look to sign a veteran? I was blessed to be a part of the elation of that. Those things are unbelievable and the number of great people and great minds of technology was phenomenal with what you can do for the medical care of football players., Without question, it was our second year here (1984) and he had to go in the offseason to Boston for a Lloyds of London insurance policy. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). It wasnt really an injury. If you dont have passion, you are in the wrong field. The Broncos accurate confidence about Gotsis recovery greatly depended on the assessment and follow-through bythe mancalled Greek at the clubs UCHealth Training Center. Antonopulos has been an athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos for a total of 941 games. Greek watched over the knee helping to make it stronger than most, according to Matt Christopher in his book In the Huddlewith John Elway. For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. I dont have an exact set deadline on when Im coming back. Odds & lines subject to change. Ill always be a Bronco.. Rainy. 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. His Bronco days started in 1976. 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. Counting players on training camp roster, Steve Antonopulos treated more than 1,500 players. That was a tremendous victory in Broncos history. The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos. pic.twitter.com/QngbUDNhEI. San Diego: Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos glances at the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the locker during the post-game celebration. 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. He was obviously an astute trainer, but also an arrive-early, leave-late, stay-in-his-lane employee. From Left to Right: Dustin Little, Josh Hartman, Steve Antonopulos, Michael Sundeen, and Billy-Joe Voltaire. Please check your email for a confirmation. I woke him up. pic.twitter.com/VZ4LHDGcb7, Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) April 30, 2016. Rather respecting them in their most important roles as sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands. There are a hundred athletic trainers currently employed in the NFL and the average salary for those trainers is about $75,000, a figure that can rise to $100,000 depending on experience. In Antonopulos' second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The award is given annually to a NFL trainer who best exemplifies a long-term commitment to the NFL, as well as exemplary performance. 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. We went a day early and went to see the Celtics play the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/MB6he9cRUp, Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 4, 2016. Over that time, Antonopulos worked all eight Super Bowls that the Broncos have appeared in. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! Call 1-800-GAMBLER. The worst locker room in the NFL to a point where we had to tape our athletes in the bathroom if you could imagine that, the locker room was so small. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. In fact over his NFL career Elway ran for3,407 yards and 33 touchdowns. Greek was there to give head coach Mike Shanahan continual updates as he worked to treat TDs migraine. He is the only individual to be part of all eight Broncos Super Bowl runs. Broncos Athletic Trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos is retiring after 45 seasons with the team. A look at Steve "Greek" Antonopulos' 41 years as the Broncos' head athletic trainer. Antonopulos became head trainer in 1979 making him what is believed to be the longest-tenured trainer in NFL history. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. After treating nearly 1,000 different players during the past 45 years, Steve Greek Antonopulos has retired as Broncos trainer. Pat Bowlen's family has chosen Steve "Greek" Antonopulos to serve as the owner's presenter at the Hall of Fame . Is the job worth the derision? There were 983 players who played at least one regular-season game for the Broncos in his tenure. Example video title will go here for this video. I love my job. They see their players physical and emotional fragility. My wife deserves this and we need to move on, Antonopulos said in a phone interview Sunday with The Denver Post. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. He told me after the fact he was going to take a half-hour (for the interview) and be on his way, Antonopulos said. He was Bowlen's presenter when Bowlen was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2019. He is believed to be the longest-tenured trainer with one team in NFL history, and Greek is the. pic.twitter.com/uwM5i7YAAm. The players arrive for treatment at 6:30 a.m., and the player meetings start around 8:15 a.m. We have long-term rehabs while players are in meetings. A native of North Dakota and graduate of Kansas State, OHalloran previously covered the Washington Redskins for eight years, primarily at The Washington Times, and the Jacksonville Jaguars for six years at The Florida Times-Union. Denver Broncos longtime trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos retired Monday after 45 years with the team. He worked 941 total games, during which Denver went 438-311-1 in the regular season/playoffs. Applauding him as "an institution with the Broncos for the last 45 years," Denver bid farewell Monday to director of sports medicine Steve Antonopulos, who retired at 72 years old. The Denver Broncos hired Steve Antonopulos as their assistant trainer in 1976. At the moment it is week-by-week. Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos with Jim Gillen talk being head athletic trainers https://t.co/nTFo5XtbrK, R. David Mullin (@RD_Mullin) August 17, 2016. * A guy we think can get better and better. As one of six female athletic trainers in the @NFL, Allison Miner is living her dream. Genuine compassiondoes not stokepipe dreams but conveys the everyday dignity owed to any man, especially for the players attempting to secure a livelihood for their families to leap from ongoing poverty to sustained prosperity. Antonopulos grew up in Hugo, Colo., 105 miles southeast of Mile High Stadium. I was making good money on the highway and going to college. When the Broncos open training camp next month, Antonopulos wont be on the sidelines for the first time since 1975. Steve Antonopulos, a.k.a. Smith runs second-fastest 40 by DL since 03, Saleh compares Carr to Stafford pre-Rams trade, Allen to be ready to roll for offseason program, How to maximize leverage of No. 13655 Broncos Parkway Englewood, CO 80112. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. We allowed the soft tissues to heal and put him on a strengthening program and he played in about 10 days. Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson is "fired up" to work with Washington's new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. We thought it would be (quick). He took a year off from football, resuming play without an ACL for the remainder of his career. pic.twitter.com/6YiWPEJddX, David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) February 8, 2016. Not a member? Denver Broncos athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos, who recently retired this offseason, was the longest tenured athletic trainer in the NFL. Denver Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos has retired after 45 years with the franchise, the team announced Monday. Even before taking his first snap with the Broncos, he tore his left knees ACL in high school. More Videos Download the 9NEWS APPiTunes:http://on9news.tv/itunesGoogle Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n. I thought I would be (at Fort Hays) my whole career, Antonopulos said. After the 1980 season, he was elevated to head trainer and split his old salary in half to hire two assistants. April 12, 2017 at 10:38 a.m. I love the relationships I have developed over the years. Ryan OHalloran covered the Broncos for The Post from 2018-22 and has covered the NFL since 2004. Here are his assistants at Super Bowl 50 in February: Congrats to @broncos and the athletic training staff. Antonopulos treated 983 players who appeared in at least one regular season/playoff game for the Broncos. Its just a cool place., Oh boy, a couple of those. It didnt matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookiehis standard never changed. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years. Broncos president Joe Ellis saidthis to Daniel Petty of the Denver Post about the announcement of owner Pat Bowlens retirement due to Alzheimers in 2014: The night before, I thought of people who were so close to him in the organization and needed to know before the announcement came out the next day. Antonopulos, whose office was routinely owner Pat Bowlen's first stop each morning when Bowlen arrived to work, is the longest-tenured employee in the franchise's history and is the only employee to have been with the Broncos for each of the team's eight Super Bowl trips. Steve Antonopulos announced his retirement on Monday. Antonopulos joined the Broncos as assistant athletic trainer in 1976 and retired in 2021 as the teams director of sports medicine. I always thought that might zing me one day.. Be the first one to comment on this story. Please logout and login again. Elway mentioned Greeks help in his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He had a fear of flying. John Elways pro football career had bookends of torn up body parts. In my mind -- like I told him the other day -- I don't think he's retired. I have always respected the fact that Steve is the kind of person that will look you in the eye and tell you what he is thinking and commit to his word. The Broncos paid an ode to Antonopulos' hard work by naming their training room after him. We thought it would be (quick). As a proud native Coloradoan, Greek loved the Broncos and gave everything he had to the job, arriving most days before 4:30 a.m. and keeping that same passion throughout his entire career. Vince Garcia, Denvers head athletic trainer, will presumably be a strong candidate to replace Greek. "We congratulate Greek and thank him for a truly remarkable, special run with the Denver Broncos. If youre doing something you love, you dont watch the clock or think about it, he said. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. 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.. Please logout and login again. Less than a decade after winning the Super Bowl MVP he had left knee replacement surgery. Instead of cutting the tackle, Denver traded him and gaineda future fifth-round draft pick. No one cared more about the players than Greek. "As a proud native Coloradoan, Greek loved the Broncos and gave everything he had to the job, arriving most days before 4:30 a.m. and keeping that same passion throughout his entire career. Antonopulos joined the Broncos as an assistant trainer in 1976, became head athletic trainer in 1981 and was promoted to the role of director of sports medicine in 2016. A good trainers room is filled with the mundane, bathed in the light of here-and-now reality. Six of Pat Bowlen's children and presenter Steve Antonopulos at the longtime Broncos owner's inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. 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. It was pretty much a no-brainer when somebody puts in that amount of time, Ellis said. The longest-tenured employee in Denver Broncos history is hanging them up. 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. Antonopulos joined the Broncos as assistant athletic trainer in 1976 . 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. Discussing his knee rehabilitation, Gotsis at the time said. He served as the head football trainer at his alma mater in 2009 before becoming one of Greeks assistant trainers from 2010-13. 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. We certainly wouldnt have gone to Cheers had we known it would take that long. It was dreary. Tedious repetitions of arm pulls and leg lifts. It paid $25 a week plus room and board, he said with a laugh. In all those years, I never tried to figure out how many hours I worked.. It didnt matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookiehis standard never changed. In announcing the retirement of the man everyone called Greek, the Broncos said he treated 980 different players in the regular season and playoffs. What a run. Awesome was Antonopulos longevity in the often-unstable world of the NFL. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 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. The Denver Post caught up with Steve Antonopulos, and during the interview, Antonopulos explained his reasoning behind his retirement. It was pretty much a no-brainer when somebody puts in that amount of time, Ellis said. Fangio also added that "I have hard time believing that Greek is really retired. You'll now receive the top Broncos Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. Antonopulos called the honor breathtaking.. 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. An interesting couple days and we had a great time.. June 9, 2021 6:00 am MT. The 2023 NFL Combine is underway. | . 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. Forty-five years is a long time. Steve Antonopulos is retiring from the Denver Broncos after 45 years with the team. 41-yrs! The Moving can be an exciting experience. Five hours later, he was driving me 80 miles an hour down I-25 so I could get to the basketball game that night. Professional athletic trainers are required to be certified so that they can diagnose injuries and determine treatment plans for injuries. "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. Our organization wishes him the very best in his retirement. 1. 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. Denver will also honor Steve Antonopulos at one of their home games during the 2021 season. His physical was first thing in the morning. Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos retires after 45-year Broncos career Counting players on training camp roster, Steve Antonopulos treated more than 1,500 players. FILE - Denver Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos, center, talks with staff members during drills at the team's NFL football training camp in Englewood, Colo., in this July 19, 2019, file photo. No other NFL trainer has treated a teams general manager, head coach, offensive coordinator and current roster of players. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos in a move CEO Joe Ellis called a no-brainer given his long run with the franchise. It is still early in the process. And then Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City has always been one of my favorites. Among his career accolades are the Fain-Cain Memorial Award (2011), an honor bestowed to trainer who exemplifies long-term commitment to the NFL, the NFL/PFATS Athletic Training Staff of the Year Award (1987), the National Athletic Trainers Association Athletic Trainer Service Award (1996) and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award (2006). From there, we went to Cheers bar and ran into some Denver people and had a couple cold ones. The Drive was so special. He served as President of PFATS from 2003 to 2008. View Steve Antonopulos's business profile as Head AT at Denver Broncos. pic.twitter.com/N8K1CSmUdg, Kami Carmann (@KamiCarmann) August 4, 2016. We always worked with Craig Hospital and the concussion experts and developed our protocols, which are similar to some that are used today. And then Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City has always been one of my favorites. 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.. Steve Antonopulos reaches out to injured linebacker Nick Greisen in Englewood, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. cant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right, Players given Kratom by Colorado coach, police say, Skier Shiffrin's quest for 86th win extended after downhill, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, 'Greek' Antonopulos: Presenting Bowlen for HOF has been emotional time, 'Greek' on man he will present to HOF: 'Mr. If youre doing something you love, you dont watch the clock or think about it, he said. Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. During the season, Antonopulos would often arrive at the facility around 4 a.m. and stay as late as required. 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. The Dallas Cowboys will place the franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard if the two sides cannot reach a long-term deal before March 7's deadline, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per sources. Greek does sustained hard work with players that benefits in indirect ways. Steve (Greek) Antonopulos was the first one. However, Anthopoulos served as an advance scout for the Greek National Baseball Team for the . 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. How did Antonopulos survive so many regime changes? Steve Antonopulos is the only Denver Broncos employee that has been with the team through all eight Super Bowl appearances, which included three title victories. The Denver Broncos have leaned toward acquiring injured players during the offseason.Three of the top five draft picks had injuries that prevent them for full athletic participation in the rookie mini camp on May 6-8.
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