John Elway’s No. 7 Will Be Retired By Stanford

John Elway’s No. 7 jersey will finally be retired by Stanford University this season. The honor comes 30 years after Elway last played football for the school.

The former Cardinal quarterback was also the No. 1 overall pick during the 1983 NFL Draft. During his time at Stanford, Elway threw for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns. He also completed 62 percent of his passes while at the school.

The jersey retirement will take place during halftime at Stanford’s home game against Oregon on November 7, reports ESPN.

The honor is rare, as Elway will only be the third player to have his number retired by the school. The current executive vice president of the Denver Broncos will join Ernie Nevers (No. 1) and Jim Plunkett (No. 16).

John Elway released a statement about the jersey retirement after the school’s announcement. He commented that he is “extremely humbled that Stanford” chose to recognize him this way.

Elway added that competing for Stanford and earning his degree from the school “are two things I take the utmost pride in accomplishing.”

The No. 7 is currently worn by wide receiver Ty Montgomery and defensive end Aziz Shittu. But they will be the last two to wear the number at Stanford, reports CBS Sports. While the majority of his records have been shattered by Andrew Luck, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts, Elway still holds Stanford’s single-game record of six touchdown passes in one game.

Shortly after the announcement, Shittu commented on Twitter, “Wow I’m going to be the last player in Stanford Football history to wear the #7! Gotta make it something to remember. #JohnElway.”

The Stanford-Oregon game was already one of the most anticipated meetups of the 2013 college season. But John Elway’s jersey retirement arguably makes it the game to watch this fall. The teams produced one of the best games of the 2012 season when Stanford won 17-14 in overtime.

Do you think that Stanford is right to retire John Elway’s number?