Sports

Jumbo Elliott on College Football HOF Ballot

Sachem alum was an All-American at Michigan.

Sachem alum John “Jumbo” Elliott was named one of 76 players on the ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, announced Tuesday by the hall.

Elliott, who graduated from Sachem in 1983, played at Michigan from 1983-1987. The class will be announced on May 15 and inducted on December 4. More than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation, as well as members of the hall of fame, vote each year. The hall is located in South Bend, Indiana.

This year’s candidate’s list also includes Long Island native Vinny Testaverde, who played at Sewanhaka and Miami, and was a quarterback for the New York Jets when Elliott played for Gang Green. Testaverde threw Elliott the famous “” pass against the Dolphins in 2000.

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Also on the ballot are 15 former Big Ten players, including two from Michigan: Erik Anderson and Robert Lytle.

Elliott red shirted his freshman year at Michigan, then started the next four, going to five different bowl games during his career, including the Sugar Bowl (9-7 loss to Auburn early in 1984), Holiday Bowl (24-17 loss to Brigham Young late in 1984), the Fiesta Bowl (27-23 win over Nebraska in 1986), the Rose Bowl (22-15 loss to Arizona state in 1987) and the Hall of Fame Bowl (28-24 loss to Alabama in 1988).

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He started as an offensive lineman as a sophomore and improved quickly. Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler took credit for calling him Jumbo first, as Elliott grew to 6-7 while at Michigan. He was an All-American in 1986 and 1987 (as selected by the AP, UPI and Kodak) and finished as one of the biggest players ever in program history at 6-7 and 306 pounds, according to the school's Website.

Former Sachem coach didn't think Elliott would go to Michigan and figured George O'Leary would grab him to play for Syracuse. He also took visits to North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia and Boston College. After the last visit, he went into Fusaro's office - as he did every Monday after a visit - and said he'd be playing for the Wolverines.

"I almost fell out of my chair," Fusaro said. "You're talking about a football program that every single year is bringing in guys that are his size. I told him he's going to have to tell coach O'Leary, which he dreaded more than anything."

Schembechler came to Elliott's house in the neighborhood in front of Samoset, to give a synopsis about the school and the football program. Elliott's parents asked some questions and then Fusaro - from one legend to another - leveled with him.

"Coach, I have to be up front with you," he said. "This is what concerns me. Michigan football is extremely competitive. John has done an excellent job for us here, but his temperament at times is a little passive and I'm concerned that he could get lost in the shuffle."

Schembechler looked him dead in the eye and said, "A year from now, you won't even know him. He will be a different kid. Once you get into a competitive environment, you either compete or you don't survive."

It all worked out pretty well. Elliott went on to win a Super Bowl with the New York Giants and is one of the most recognizable lineman in NFL history. He was inducted into the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, the only year inductions were held.

Other notable candidates on ballot

  • Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma, linebacker
  • Tedy Bruschi, Arizona, defensive end
  • Art Monk, Syracuse, wide receiver
  • Orlando Pace, Ohio State, offensive tackle
  • Ron Rivera, California, linebacker
  • Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fla.), quarterback

According to the College Football Hall of Fame, criteria is as follows:

  • First and foremost, a player must have received major first team All-America recognition.
  • A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation's Honors Court 10 years after his last year of intercollegiate football played.
  • While each nominee's football achievements are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and his fellow man with love of his country. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
  • In accordance with the 50-year rule, players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. For example, to be eligible for the 2005 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1955 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire. 

RELATED: See the complete list of this year's HOF candidates


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