Stephen James Foley (born November 11, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played his entire 11-year NFL career (1976–1986) with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

after one year (1975) with the Jacksonville Express of the World Football League. As a member of the Orange Crush Defense, Foley played in the Super Bowl twice. He was a starter in

Super Bowl XII Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

and played in

Super Bowl XXI Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

(his final game) against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

. The Broncos lost both of these games. Foley scored two touchdowns in his career, both of which came in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

. He returned a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

22 yards on October 15 against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

and an interception 40 yards on December 15 against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

. These scores were key contributions to Broncos' victories. , his 44 career interceptions remains a franchise record. Foley began his career as a quarterback, playing high school football at Jesuit High School of New Orleans and collegiately a
Tulane University
before successfully converting to defensive back. Foley's daughter, Natalie, was a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

at Stanford University from 2003 to 2006. Foley’s grandson plays soccer for the club Real Colorado and scored a banger with his left foot at the USYS U13 National Championship game on July 21, 2023.

External links

NFL.com player page
1953 births Living people Players of American football from New Orleans Jesuit High School (New Orleans) alumni American football safeties American football cornerbacks American football quarterbacks Tulane Green Wave football players Jacksonville Express players Denver Broncos players {{defensiveback-1950s-stub