A Hugo, Colorado, native, Antonopulos began his career with the Broncos as an assistant trainer in 1976. At the moment it is week-by-week. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. John Elways pro football career had bookends of torn up body parts. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett spoke with media members on Friday for the first time since his arrest for public intoxication in late January. Denver Broncos laud retiring trainer Steve Antonopulos, 72, 'a fixture 20 in NFLPA ranking of clubs based on locker rooms, food service, travel and more, From DreMont Jones and DeShawn Williams to mining the mid-rounds, DL a big offseason work area for Broncos, Broncos podcast: New coaching staff, impressions from NFL Scouting Combine, Sean Payton very excited to have Vance Joseph as Broncos DC after four years in Arizona, Colorado property owners to face astronomical tax increases next year, After School Satan Club launching first Colorado chapter, but organizer promises "we are not devil worshippers", PHOTOS: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado landlords say eviction-protection proposal could make dropping problem renters too hard, 5 can't-miss menus for Denver Restaurant Week, No more greasy pizza boxes, paper towels or takeout containers in Front Range compost bins come April 1, After teen's death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation, Boulder house where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Metro Denver housing market crosses firmly into negative territory in February, Kiszla: With Brendan Rodgers down and out, Kris Bryant could become $182 million face of worst team in Rockies history, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. We sincerely thank his wife Susan and the entire Antonopulos family for sharing Greek with us for so many years.. Denver Broncos headlines, game previews and interviews with our 9NEWS insider Mike Klis. The team announced the long-time athletic trainer's retirement on Monday. He served as President of PFATS from 2003 to 2008. I woke him up. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Marshall had several screws to hold together a foot while Travathan had major reconstruction surgery on his knee cap. He is the teams 12th man. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. After treating nearly 1,000 different players during the past 45 years, Steve Greek Antonopulos has retired as Broncos trainer. Since he started setting up the training room, the Broncos have been to the playoffs 22 times. Rick Massie was a receiver from Kentucky. 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. "No one cared more about the players than Greek," Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. 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. Antonopulos grew up in Hugo, Colo., 105 miles southeast of Mile High Stadium. Broncos honor longtime trainer Steve Antonopulos The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos. With unmatched dedication and loyalty to the Broncos, Greek became a trusted confidant for so many coaches, staff members and especially Pat Bowlen. Steve Antonopulos - Head Athletic Trainer - Denver Broncos - LinkedIn The Broncos announced on Monday, June 7, 2021, that Antonopulos will retire after more than three decades as the team's trainer. Antonopulos grew up in Hugo, Colo., 105 miles southeast of Mile High Stadium. Elway mentioned Greeks help in his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004. (photos via Broncos photo archive, unless noted) 1 / 24. 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. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. We had to put him on injured reserve because he couldnt travel. Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , 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. Their athletic body movements express their identity. 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. Running back could be a sneaky priority need for the Denver Broncos. Your login session has expired. It didnt matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookiehis standard never changed. The Broncos accurate confidence about Gotsis recovery greatly depended on the assessment and follow-through bythe mancalled Greek at the clubs UCHealth Training Center. Steve Antonopulos is retiring from the Denver Broncos after 45 years with the team. 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 applied for the job and Hurst reached out to have breakfast in Denver when Fort Hays was coming through town between basketball games at Northern Colorado and Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Denver Broncos trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has retired after 45 years with the franchise, the team announced Monday. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Aftersigning his $24.5 million contract with the Chicago Bears during the offseason,the NFL tweeted this about Trevathan: Knee injury.Knee injury.Knee injury.Big contract? Toward the end Elways ripped bicep. Sleeting. Greek in his own words,as told to the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers: The worst part of the job is seeing players devastated by being injured. How did Antonopulos survive so many regime changes? No one cared more about the players than Greek. Broncos trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos retires after 45 seasons with franchise - The Denver Post Sports NFL Denver Broncos News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by. Connor McGovern had a hamstring problem. It was embarrassing, the whole concept. He earned the head trainer position in 1979. I use the time to work out and do administrative tasks. Its just a cool place., Oh boy, a couple of those. Rainy. 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. Antonopulos called working for the Broncos a lifes dream., A lot of people say that, but it was the reality for me, he said. Fangio also added that "I have hard time believing that Greek is really retired. No other NFL trainer has treated a teams general manager, head coach, offensive coordinator and current roster of players. 'Defend My Desk' How did Antonopulos survive so many regime changes? Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis told Ryan OHalloran of The Denver Post, Broncos free agent profile: Dalton Risner, Broncos give behind-the-scenes look at the NFL combine. The fans are incredible and it was the first of the modern stadiums in the old days. Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who arrived to the Broncos as a rookie quarterback in 1983 and spent well over two decades with the franchise himself, has joked that Antonopulos was with the Broncos before the orange and blue in the uniforms. Veteran free agentRussell Okung, the starting left tackle, was signed during the offseason while recovering from shoulder surgery. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. pic.twitter.com/N8K1CSmUdg, Kami Carmann (@KamiCarmann) August 4, 2016. Manning has "lot of work to do" on neck, but Broncos know Through the Years: The illustrious career of Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos We had to put him on injured reserve because he couldnt travel. I told him that, and he said. During John Elway's 16-year playing career and his decade leading the Broncos' front office, he was able to rely on Director of Sports Medicine Steve "Greek" Antonopulos for a lot. The best thing is stay in your domain, stay at your desk and work your rear end off.. "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. Greeks relationship with him was very personal he helped Pat on a lot of different matters, but he was very helpful giving Pat help throughout the season on where his team was at and it was an honest assessment at all times, which was important to Pat.. My wife deserves this and we need to move on,' Antonopulos told Ryan OHalloran of the Denver Post. The Denver Broncos head trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos has retired from the NFL after 45 years with the team. In the days of the Orange Crush defense, Greek earned a customized can: . 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. Of . Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson put on a show Saturday at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, making history during his highly anticipated workout. But according to those who know him well, Greeks domain also contains a rare element in the Not For Long professional football league: an endless supply of unsentimental, deep compassion. Broncos to rename training room for Steve Antonopulos - Denver Broncos He closed the door and he went nuts again. Here's everything we know, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Sources: Patriots tell QB Hoyer he's being cut, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Jones: Not fixated on Cowboys' drought, just '23, Sources: Raiders plan franchise tag for Jacobs, WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Top QB prospect Levis eager to unleash 'cannon', Everything you need to know about Geno Smith's contract negotiations. 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. We thought it would be (quick). Denver Broncos | PFATS Here are those results. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. Head Athletic Trainer Antonopulos service was rewarded in 2019 when the Bowlen family named him as presenter to longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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. He depended on him for help recovering from injuries, advice on health concerns when evaluating players and, often, simply the friendship that they cultivated over . 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. Included in the Broncos' draft room is trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos, who is working his 41st NFL Draft. Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson is "fired up" to work with Washington's new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. "the Greek" and considered by many of his peers as tops in his profession, has worked for coaches Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips and Mike Shanahan as the Bronco. 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.. All three are full training camp participants. Vince Garcia, Denvers head athletic trainer, will presumably be a strong candidate to replace Greek. After the 1980 season, he was elevated to head trainer and split his old salary in half to hire two assistants. What a run. The Drive was so special. Our organization wishes him the very best in his retirement. 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. (Coach) Dan Reeves made the decision to have him drive to San Diego for the game. Greek goes to bed early because he gets here about 4 in the morning or 4:30 in the morning. It was phenomenal. Steve Antonopulos Head Athletic Trainer at Denver Broncos Parker, Colorado, United States 7 connections Join to connect Denver Broncos University of Northern Colorado Report this profile. Could they look to sign a veteran? Ill have to say, back in the day, we always felt we were on the cusp of the concussion stuff. Antonopulos joined the Broncos as assistant athletic trainer in 1976 and retired in 2021 as the teams director of sports medicine. ThenBroncos head team physician, Ted Schlegel M.D., said when presenting the award: Greek is nothing short of a consummate professional. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Tonight, we celebrated head athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon. Here are his assistants at Super Bowl 50 in February: Congrats to @broncos and the athletic training staff. Steve Antonopulos has been the head trainer for the Broncos ever since. Visit NFL.com's transaction hub for a daily breakdown. Ill have to say, back in the day, we always felt we were on the cusp of the concussion stuff. We went a day early and went to see the Celtics play the Bulls. In all those years, I never tried to figure out how many hours I worked.. He was a fixture on our sidelines for the greatest moments in team history, the first person running on the field to care for an injured player and the one who supported them through every step of their recovery. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. I just think Pat trusted Greek more than any other employee he ever had working for him, Ellis said. "No one cared more about the players than Greek. Steve Antonopulos has accomplished a lot over the past 45 years. 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. Awesome was Antonopulos longevity in the often-unstable world of the NFL. Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos retires as Denver Broncos' head trainer Its just a cool place., Oh boy, a couple of those. Although there are many female coaches in the NFL, athletic training and strength and conditioning were among the first positions to be filled by women. We certainly wouldnt have gone to Cheers had we known it would take that long. Longtime head athletic trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos is retiring after 45 years with the club, the team announced Monday. 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.