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Steve Atwater
refer to caption
Atwater in 2025
No. 27
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1966-10-28) October 28, 1966 (age 58)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school: Lutheran North (St. Louis, Missouri)
College: Arkansas (1985–1988)
NFL Draft: 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)
  • 2× First-team All-Pro (1991, 1992)
  • 2× Second-team All-Pro (1990, 1996)
  • 8× Pro Bowl (1990–1996, 1998)
  • NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (1989)
  • Denver Broncos Ring of Fame
  • 2× First-team All-SWC (1986, 1988)
  • Second-team All-SWC (1987)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 1,188
Interceptions: 24
Interception yards: 408
Forced fumbles: 6
Sacks: 5
Defensive touchdowns: 1
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Stephen Dennis Atwater (born October 28, 1966) is a former American football player. He played as a safety for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League (NFL). Atwater was chosen for the Pro Bowl eight times. He also won two Super Bowl championships. On February 1, 2020, Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Steve Atwater and fellow Broncos safety Dennis Smith were known for their powerful tackles. They were a strong part of the Broncos' defense.

Early Life and High School Football

Steve Atwater grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He went to Lutheran High School North. He was a top athlete, playing football, basketball, and track. In football, Atwater played as a quarterback. He was named all-conference and the league's Most Valuable Player.

His coach, Mike Russell, was a big influence on him. Coach Russell helped him become a better football player and a good person. Atwater still holds a record at Lutheran North. He is sixth all-time in passing yards for a season, with 1,097 yards in his junior year.

College Career at Arkansas

Atwater decided to play college football at the University of Arkansas. There, he changed from quarterback to safety. He was named to the All-Southwest Conference team three times. He was also named an All-American twice.

In his final year, Atwater helped the 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team win the Southwest Conference championship. They finished the season with 10 wins and 2 losses. Atwater still holds the school record with 14 interceptions during his college career.

In 1994, Atwater was honored by the University of Arkansas. He was named to the Razorback All-Century Team. He was also on the All-Decade Team for the 1980s. In 1998, he was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.

Playing in the NFL

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄2 in
(1.92 m)		 212 lb
(96 kg)		 4.63 s 1.60 s 2.75 s 4.14 s 37.5 in
(0.95 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 7 reps
All values from NFL Combine

The Denver Broncos picked Steve Atwater in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft. He was the 20th player chosen overall. The Broncos' new defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, used Atwater close to the line of scrimmage. This helped Denver stop opposing teams' running plays.

In his first season, Atwater led the team with 129 tackles. Denver's defense greatly improved against the run. Atwater finished second in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year. His arrival helped the Broncos reach the AFC Super Bowl in 1989.

Pro Bowl Selections and Key Plays

Atwater's second season began a streak of seven straight Pro Bowl selections. This was tied for the most in Broncos history at the time. Over his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times. This is the second-most in the team's history.

Early in his career, Atwater and fellow safety Dennis Smith formed one of the best safety duos. Both players were later inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. During his 10 years in Denver, Atwater started 155 games. This ties him for seventh in franchise history. He also started 14 playoff games.

One of Atwater's most famous plays happened on September 17, 1990. During a Monday Night Football game, he tackled Kansas City Chiefs running back Christian Okoye. Okoye was a very large player, but Atwater stopped him with a powerful hit. His coach, Mike Shanahan, said this hit was what people would remember him for.

Super Bowl Success

Steve Atwater played one of his best games in Super Bowl XXXII. He had six solo tackles, one sack, and forced a fumble. His strong play helped stop the Green Bay Packers' running game. His sack and forced fumble led to important points for the Broncos.

Near the end of the game, Atwater knocked down a crucial pass. This forced the Packers to punt. Later, with less than a minute left, Atwater made another huge hit. This hit helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl. Many people thought Atwater should have been the game's MVP.

Super Bowl XXXII was Atwater's last truly great game. In 1998, he played mostly on first and second downs. Even so, he was voted an AFC Pro Bowl starter for the eighth and final time. The Broncos won the Super Bowl again that year, Super Bowl XXXIII. This was Atwater's last game with the Broncos.

Retirement

After the 1998 season, Atwater left the Broncos. He signed with the New York Jets for his final season in 1999. After playing one year with the Jets, he became a free agent. He then asked Broncos owner Pat Bowlen if he could retire as a Bronco.

He signed a special one-day contract with the Broncos to retire with the team. Atwater thanked his coaches and said, "I bleed orange and will always bleed orange and blue." At the time he retired, he had played 155 games in a row for the Broncos. Pat Bowlen called Atwater one of the Broncos' "greatest players."

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high
Underline Incomplete data

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/F TD
1989 DEN 16 16 129 — — 0.0 — 3 34 11.3 30 0 — 1 29 29.0 0
1990 DEN 15 15 173 — — 1.0 — 2 32 16.0 27 0 2 0 0 — 0
1991 DEN 16 16 150 — — 1.0 — 5 104 20.8 49 0 1 1 0 0.0 0
1992 DEN 15 15 151 — — 1.0 — 2 22 11.0 22 0 — 2 1 0.5 0
1993 DEN 16 16 141 — — 1.0 — 2 81 40.5 68 0 0 0 0 — 0
1994 DEN 14 14 74 52 22 0.0 — 1 24 24.0 24 0 1 2 17 8.5 0
1995 DEN 16 16 103 82 21 0.0 — 3 54 18.0 25 0 0 0 0 — 0
1996 DEN 16 16 81 64 17 0.0 — 3 11 3.7 11 0 1 0 0 — 0
1997 DEN 15 15 68 53 15 1.0 — 2 42 21.0 22 1 0 2 0 0.0 0
1998 DEN 16 16 55 43 12 0.0 — 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0 — 0
1999 NYJ 12 11 63 40 23 0.0 1 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 0 — 0
Career 167 166 1,188 334 110 5.0 1 24 408 17.0 68 1 6 8 47 5.9 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD
1989 DEN 3 3 3 — — 0.0 — 0 0 — 0 0
1991 DEN 2 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0
1993 DEN 1 1 0 0 0 0.0 — 0 0 — 0 0
1996 DEN 1 1 6 6 0 0.0 — 0 0 — 0 0
1997 DEN 4 4 9 5 4 1.0 — 0 0 — 0 0
1998 DEN 3 3 10 9 1 0.0 — 0 0 — 0 0
Career 14 14 28 23 5 1.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0

Legacy and Hall of Fame

In 2005, Steve Atwater was inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame. This honor recognizes the greatest players in the team's history. In 2017, Atwater began working for the Broncos' website. He also became a manager for fan development.

Atwater was considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame several times. He was a semifinalist in 2012. He also made the finalist list in 2016 and 2020. After 16 years of waiting, Atwater was finally selected for the 2020 Hall of Fame class. He was officially inducted on February 1, 2020.

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