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. It wasnt really an injury. Watch the Broncos tribute video to Greek, especially Gary Kubiaks words on how much Greek personally means to him: Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos celebrates 40 years of service with the Denver Broncos https://t.co/whCCXn6cFk. 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. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. During the season, Antonopulos would often arrive at the facility around 4 a.m. and stay as late as required. Ryan OHalloran covered the Broncos for The Post from 2018-22 and has covered the NFL since 2004. preseason), 438 total wins, 13 head coaches, 983 players with at least one game appearance. The Broncos will honor Antonopulos at a home game this season and the team will rename their training room after the longtime trainer. He is the only individual to be part of all eight Broncos Super Bowl runs. He earned the head trainer position in 1979. 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. June 9, 2021 6:00 am MT. His career with the team began in 1976 and spanned all eight of the teams Super Bowl appearances, 10 general managers, and three and a half team owners. Were on the tarmac going to play San Diego. At the moment it is week-by-week. He got $26.4 million without playing a down for the Colts last year 32 percent more than his first-year salary with the Broncos. Five hours later, he was driving me 80 miles an hour down I-25 so I could get to the basketball game that night. He was obviously an astute trainer, but also an arrive-early, leave-late, stay-in-his-lane employee. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! 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. Like Antonopulos, Garcia got his bachelors degree from Northern Colorado. 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. @Grindin_59 never saw this happening: https://t.co/62EHR6aweP pic.twitter.com/2ns3HQOWc3. 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. pic.twitter.com/6YiWPEJddX, David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) February 8, 2016. There were 983 players who played at least one regular-season game for the Broncos in his tenure. That poor guy. Allen called me the first week of July. Jun 07, 2021 at 08:45 AM. 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. Probably the most loyal employee the team has had and will ever have, Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a phone interview. 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. He researched the previous seasons hamstring injury sustained by running back Otis Armstrong and put together a treatment/rehabilitation plan to present to Hurst. "Greek" is in his 41st year with the #Broncos! 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. Trainer Antonopulos, a Broncos' 'fixture,' retires, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? Antonopulos joined the Broncos as assistant athletic trainer in 1976 and retired in 2021 as the teams director of sports medicine. 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. Director of Operations Bill Horpel is hidden behind the trophy against the Green Bay Packers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA on January 25, 1998. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's cap hit might be rising in 2023, but owner Jerry Jones believes his quarterback has the ability to bridge the gap in any talent the roster might lose because of it. You have to understand he tore the long head of the bicep which is located in the shoulder joint. 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. He worked 941 total games, during which Denver went 438-311-1 in the regular season/playoffs. Longtime head athletic trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos is retiring after 45 years with the club, the team announced Monday. Antonopulos, 72, started working for the Broncos on St. Patricks Day 1976 as an assistant trainer, was promoted to director of rehabilitation in 80, to head athletic trainer in 81 and was director of sports medicine since 2016. Example video title will go here for this video. Our organization wishes him the very best in his retirement. 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. Longtime head athletic trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos is retiring after 45 years with the club, the team announced Monday. Will they play well again? Yet behind closed doors they respond to the ordinary, commonplace maladies of bruises, lacerations, soft tissue tears, and broken bones. Greeks retirement is effective immediately. On April 28, moments after the selection of Gotsis, the Broncos draft headquarters was ecstatic, as tweeted by public relations vice president Patrick Smyth: Broncos GM John Elway, HC Gary Kubiak & DL coach Bill Kollar celebrate selection of DT Adam Gotsis in 2nd rd. Discussing his knee rehabilitation, Gotsis at the time said. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. With the Broncos, Greek transitioned to specialize in rehabilitation and was promoted to head trainer in 1980. They see their players physical and emotional fragility. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. After treating nearly 1,000 different players during the past 45 years, Steve Greek Antonopulos has retired as Broncos trainer. He had the fingernail on his thumb totally torn off and was bleeding all over the place. We went a day early and went to see the Celtics play the Bulls. He leaves big shoes to fill at the organization. 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. Steve Antonopulos has been the head trainer for the Broncos ever since. John Elways pro football career had bookends of torn up body parts. Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who arrived to the Broncos as a rookie . 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. 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 . Broncos Athletic Trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos is retiring after 45 seasons with the team. 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. Vince Garcia, Denvers head athletic trainer, will presumably be a strong candidate to replace Greek. "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. Before the 2020 season, Steve told John Elway that the 2020-2021 season would be his final one as an athletic trainer. Of . And then Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City has always been one of my favorites. It was phenomenal. 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.. 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. "No one cared more about the players than Greek. In all those years, I never tried to figure out how many hours I worked.. He is also fully practicing. After becoming head athletic trainer for the South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial from 2014-15, Garcia rejoined the Broncos training staff as Antonopulos top assistant in 2016. The Broncos will have a new person as the head of their training staff for the first time in a long time. 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. 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. Register now! According to the organization, Antonopulos' 45-year tenure is. Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. The best thing is stay in your domain, stay at your desk and work your rear end off.. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Although not given the recognition they so often deserve, NFL athletic trainers are some of the most important support staff members in any organization. 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. A fellow trainer at Fort Hays was Jim Gillen, who later became the head athletic trainer for the Denver Nuggets. His first chance came in the summer of 1969 when trainer Allen Hurst offered him an internship. 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. They see players near impossible athletic feats, creating the illusion of invincibility. It is their livelihood, and it hurts to see them be injured and not be able to perform. My philosophy was if you do your job and do a good job, theyll get to you. 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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. Rather respecting them in their most important roles as sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Included in the Broncos' draft room is trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos, who is working his 41st NFL Draft. I thought I would be (at Fort Hays) my whole career, Antonopulos said. After Greeks retirement was announced, team president/CEO Joe Ellis released the following statement: 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. 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. Athletic trainers with little to no experience make just above $30,000 each year, which, in regards to the amount of work and responsibility that athletic trainers have, may not seem like a lot of money. The Drive was so special. 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. Steve Greek Antonopulos, head trainer for the Denver Broncos, has announced his retirement from the NFL after 45 years with the team. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. That was a tremendous victory in Broncos history. Antonopulos grew up in Hugo, Colo., 105 miles southeast of Mile High Stadium. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson put on a show Saturday at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, making history during his highly anticipated workout. (Kicker) Jim Turner caught a (25-yard) touchdown pass on a fake field goal (from holder Norris Weese) and (linebacker) Tom Jackson went over and gave the bird to (coach) John Madden. Or does the salary serve as a salve to those wounds? Allen called me the first week of July. Fangio also added that "I have hard time believing that Greek is really retired. You have the passion to do it. ThenBroncos head team physician, Ted Schlegel M.D., said when presenting the award: Greek is nothing short of a consummate professional. Since it happened in 1978,reconstructive techniques were not available for Elway. Counting players on training camp roster, Antonopulos treated more than 1,500 players. pic.twitter.com/QngbUDNhEI. Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTERto getcant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered righttoyour inbox. Visit NFL.com's transaction hub for a daily breakdown. Your login session has expired. 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. He held the post until 2016, after which he transitioned into his role as director of sports medicine for four years. Even before taking his first snap with the Broncos, he tore his left knees ACL in high school. 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. 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