Jason Elam
A kicker whose right foot launched a record-tying 63-yard field goal and helped power the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl victories.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American football player·Birthday: March 8·Generation X
Biography
Jason Elam arrived in the NFL with a quiet confidence that belied the pressure of his position. Drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos in 1993, a rarity for a kicker, he immediately became a cornerstone of a team built for championships. His tenure in Denver spanned 15 seasons, a period defined by remarkable consistency and clutch performances under the thin Colorado air. Elam’s leg was a reliable weapon for the high-octane offenses led by John Elway and later Mike Shanahan, contributing directly to the franchise’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the late 1990s. Beyond the trophies, he secured his place in league history by splitting the uprights from 63 yards out in 1998, a distance that tied the NFL record at the time and captured the league’s imagination. After his long run with the Broncos, he finished his career with two final seasons in Atlanta, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most accurate and powerful kickers of his era.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jason was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jason Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Jason's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Tied the NFL record for longest field goal at 63 yards, achieved in 1998 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Won two Super Bowl championships (XXXII, XXXIII) as a key member of the Denver Broncos.
- Played in 250 regular season games over 17 seasons, amassing 1,983 points.
- Earned three Pro Bowl selections (1995, 1998, 2001) and was a First-team All-Pro in 1995.
Did You Know?
He is a published author of Christian thriller novels, including the "Riley Covington" series.
Elam is an accomplished pilot who has flown humanitarian missions.
He once attempted an extra point while suffering from a ruptured appendix.
“My job was simple: put it through the uprights when they called my number.”
