In 1983, Joe Ellis ’80 was selling T-shirts for a living when he applied for a job with the National Football League’s Denver Broncos.

“I overheard that they might be looking for somebody to sell ads in their Gameday magazine, which was the game program,” Joe said. “I got into it. You had to roll up your sleeves and get to work. It wasn’t like I could go to practice every day to hang out with the players.”

Joe soon became the team’s director of marketing, triggering a meteoric career path that led him to become Broncos president in 2011, overseeing the business operations of one of the most recognizable franchises in professional sports.

Sitting in Worner Campus Center — he’s on the CC Athletics Advisory Board — Joe said he has been fortunate to learn about leadership from top-notch people.

Joe worked for Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, then spent several years in the league office in New York, learning from NFL Commissioners Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell. He later returned to Denver, where he is celebrating his 21st year with the Broncos. Bowlen, who has Alzheimer’s disease, relinquished control of the team in summer 2014. Joe said Bowlen has been a thoughtful leader and a great teacher who taught humility.

“Pat’s greatest lessons were ‘don’t make things about yourself, make it about everybody else,’” he said. “Treat others the way you want to be treated and give the credit to those that do all the work.”

Colorado’s mountains and blue skies lured the Boston-area native to Colorado College, where he played soccer for Coach Horst Richardson.

“I don’t think I was as intellectually savvy as the people in most of the classes I took at CC,” said Joe, who studied history and political science. “I let them do most of the talking and I did the listening. If you don’t have that characteristic going for you, you probably won’t be successful.”

Joe was the point player in two of the Broncos’ biggest transactions: the building of Sports Authority Field at Mile High, which opened in 2001; and hiring former Denver quarterback John Elway as general manager and executive vice president of football operations. And it was his idea to make a play for Peyton Manning when the legendary quarterback became available.

Hiring Elway, who led the Broncos to two Super Bowl championships, was an easy decision to make.

“Here is someone who was ready to make a great contribution off the field as the guy overseeing our football team. It caught a lot of people off guard. They viewed it as a PR stunt; I think they underestimated his knowledge of football, his knowledge of business, and his overall common sense. There were some things that we had, but lost, in 2010. Much of it was trust in our organization from a football standpoint, and John was able to reestablish that. I frankly think that we might have been better served in making that move sooner than we did.”

Joe said he often wanders into Elway’s office to talk.

“I try to not bore him with my questions, but it is a great opportunity to learn from somebody who grew up playing the game at the highest possible level. I can’t describe how enjoyable it is,” he said.

Elway negotiated Manning’s hiring, but Joe played an important role.

“I remember mentioning to John, ‘Could we ever get him? Whatever it takes, let’s give it a shot,’ ” Joe said. “I think John took that to heart and things started to evolve in 2012. I was just along for the ride.”

Joe said he is most proud of the Broncos’ staff, who help the organization succeed.

“It’s very difficult for anybody but players to control wins and losses, but you can control a culture, control an atmosphere. And I think as an organization we do a good job on both of those fronts,” he said.

When he has an opportunity to get away, Joe enjoys a game of golf or a bike ride. But most of his down time revolves around family: wife, Ann; their sons Si and Zander; and daughter Catherine.