ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater has been elected to the National High School Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025.
Atwater — who joined the Broncos as the 20th-overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft — spent 10 seasons in Denver and was a member of the Broncos' Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII championship teams. The Broncos Ring of Famer and eight-time Pro Bowler was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, and his election to the National High School Football Hall of Fame is the latest of a multitude of honors that highlight Atwater's legendary career.
"They're nice accolades," Atwater told DenverBroncos.com on Thursday. "It's nice to be recognized for being good at something. I definitely appreciate it, and I know that that's only a part of the person that I am. I'm also a father, a husband, a friend, an uncle. I take all those roles very seriously, too. So, it is kind of cool. I know a lot of my friends and my family, they get a kick out of these types of things. It's pretty cool."
Atwater played high school football at Lutheran North High School in St. Louis, where he was both a quarterback and safety and earned all-conference and Most Valuable Player honors. He then went on to play college football at Arkansas, where he played safety and was a two-time All-American.
"Playing quarterback helped because they got a chance to see my tackling skills when I threw interceptions," Atwater said, laughing. "When I threw interceptions, I'd be flying down there upset that they intercepted my pass, and I'd make some tough tackles. So, I think they figured, 'Hey, this guy can't play quarterback, but he's going to be all right at safety.'"
Atwater said the highlight of his high school football experience was not the skills he gained on the field, but the lifelong relationships he built that impacted the trajectory of both his career and life.
"I have just great memories from practicing with all my buddies," Atwater said. "We played football, basketball, ran track and played all our sports together as youngsters. My greatest memories were just remembering the times before practice, after practice. It's just great memories of some guys that I still love to this day.
"My coaches, they were so caring. We felt that they not only were coaches but that they genuinely cared about us. As players, you want to feel that. Your coach not only cares about how you play, but how you're doing in school, how your family is doing [and] all that good stuff. All of that helped, and I've still got great relationships with my coaches."
While Atwater was sidelined with a shoulder injury during his freshman year of high school, he made the most of his three years on the team as he prepared to play at the next level. Looking back on the experience, Atwater recognizes the foundational knowledge those years provided and noted he was "extremely happy" to learn of the honor that acknowledged the hard work he put in all those years ago.
"I started playing football when I was eight years old," Atwater said. "I knew right then that I loved it. I loved the physicality of it, I loved going to practice. In high school, there was just the carryover from youth football. I loved it in high school, and I loved it in college, too. It was just something that could get me away from all the other stuff that was going on."
The National High School Hall of Fame was founded in 2010 to "preserve the history and honor of high school football players, coaches and contributors" and "foster the growth of young talent and inspiring the next generation," according to the NHSHF.
Atwater, along with the rest of the Class of 2025, will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio on June 14.
