Stephen Dennis Atwater (born October 28, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion. Atwater was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.
Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players.
Early life
Atwater attended Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri and was the school's top athlete, playing football, basketball, and track. Atwater was selected all-conference and league Most Valuable Player as an option style quarterback. He credits his coach there, Mike Russell, as serving as a mentor for him both as a football player and becoming an exemplary citizen. Atwater also is sixth on Lutheran North's all-time passing yards in a season with 1,097 yards in his junior year.
College career
Atwater signed with the University of Arkansas, where he was moved from quarterback to safety. He was named to the All-Southwest Conference team three times and named as an All-American twice.
During his senior year, Atwater helped the 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team finish the season at 10-2 and win the Southwest Conference championship outright, but lost to UCLA and QB Troy Aikman in the 1989 Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day. 1988 bookended his college career since Arkansas also finished 10–2 after beating Arizona State 18–17 in the 1985 Holiday Bowl during Atwater's freshman season.
Helping Atwater's stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, where he logged two interceptions. He was also named defensive most valuable player in the 1989 East-West Shrine Game.
He still holds the school record with 14 interceptions in his career.
In 1994, Atwater was named to the Razorback All-Century Team and the All-Decade Team for the 1980s. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1998.
Atwater was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round (20th overall) of the 1989 NFL draft. New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips employed Atwater close to the line of scrimmage in order to fortify Denver's run defense and he led the team in tackles, finishing with 129 tackles his rookie season. Denver's defense jumped 20 spots to finish 7th against the run and tied for 3rd best in yards per carry with a 3.7-yard average. That same year, Atwater finished 2nd to the Kansas City Chiefs' Derrick Thomas in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. The additions of rookies Atwater and Bobby Humphrey, along with key free agent signings, helped Denver rebound from 8–8 in 1988 to AFC Super Bowl representative in 1989.
Atwater's second season marked the first of seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections (1990–96), tied for most in franchise history. Over his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, second-most in franchise history. Early in his career, Atwater teamed with fellow Broncos safety Dennis Smith to form one of the best safety tandems of their generation. Both would later be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame. During his 10-year career in Denver, Atwater started in 155 games, tying him for seventh in franchise history for games started. He also played in 14 post-season games.
One of Atwater's career highlights happened on September 17, 1990, during a Monday Night Football telecast from Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. As the Kansas City Chiefs' massive 260 lbs. running back Christian Okoye came through a hole in the line of scrimmage, he was met by Atwater. The resulting collision stopped Okoye in his tracks, with Atwater standing over him, taunting the proclaimed "Nigerian Nightmare", while he lay on the ground stunned. His coach Mike Shanahan stated "That's the hit people will remember him for." He thanked several of his coaches, stating "I bleed orange and will always bleed orange and blue."
Atwater was among 27 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012. He was one of four previously eligible candidates that made it to the semifinals for the first time. Atwater also made the finalist list for the 2016 and 2020 classes.
After 16 years, Atwater was selected to the 2020 Hall of Fame class on February 1, 2020.