| No. 52 | |
| Guard / Center | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: October 1, 1968 | |
| Place of birth: Carmel, Indiana | |
| Career information | |
| College: Michigan | |
| NFL Draft: 1992 / Round: 12 / Pick: 336 | |
| No regular season or postseason appearances | |
| Career history | |
| * Washington Redskins ( 1992– 1993) | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Games played | 63 |
| Games started | 34 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
Eric Matthew "Matt" Elliott (born October 1, 1968) is a former American football player. He played college football as a center and guard for the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1991. He started 35 games at Michigan and was selected as an All-American in 1991. He played professional football as a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins in 1992 and for the Carolina Panthers from 1995 to 1997.
Early years[]
Elliott was born in Carmel, Indiana, in 1968. He attended Carmel High School.[1]
University of Michigan[]
Elliott enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1987 and played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1988 to 1991.[2]
As a sophomore, Elliott started all 11 games, nine at right guard and two at left guard, for the 1989 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 10-2 record and was ranked #7 in the final AP Poll in Bo Schembechler's last season as head coach at Michigan.[3]
As a junior, Elliott started all 12 games, four at left guard and eight at center, for the 1990 Michigan team that compiled a 9–3 record and was ranked #7 in the final AP Poll.[4] Elliott started the season at left guard, but was moved to center after Steve Everitt broke his foot in Michigan's 45–17 victory over Maryland.[5] Elliott was named the co-MVP of the 1991 Gator Bowl at the conclusion of his junior season.[6]
As a senior, Elliott started all 12 games, eight at left guard and four at center, for the 1991 Michigan team that compiled a 10–2 record, won the Big Ten championship, and was ranked #6 in the final AP Poll.[7] Elliott again started the season at left guard, but moved to center for four games after Steve Everitt suffered a broken jaw in the Notre Dame game on September 14, 1991.[8] At the end of the season, he was selected as a first-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten player.[7][9]
Professional football[]
Elliott was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 12th round (336th overall pick) of the 1992 NFL Draft.[1] He was the final selection in the final round of the draft, giving him the designation of Mr. Irrelevant.[10] Despite the moniker, Elliott appeared in 16 games, two as a starter, for the Redskins during the 1992 season.[1] He spent the 1993 season on injured reserve, and he was cut during training camp in 1994.[11]
During the 1994 NFL season, Elliott was unable to sign with another NFL team. Instead, he worked as a sideline reporter covering Washington Redskins games and as a color commentator for high school football games in Loudoun County, Virginia.[11]
In 1995, Elliott attempted a comeback and signed with the Carolina Panthers. When he was announced as a starter for the Panthers during the 1995 preseason, Elliott described it as being "a little like a fairy tale" and "a dream come true."[11] He was the Panthers' starting right guard in 14 games during the 1995 season. The following year, he appeared in 16 regular season games, 12 as a starter, as a center and left guard for the 1996 Carolina Panthers team that compiled a 12–4 record, won the NFC West, and lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.[1] He was dubbed "Lego Man" in 1996 because he started at center and guard and also played some at tackle.[12] In his final NFL season, Elliott appeared in 16 games, six as a starter, as a left guard for the 1997 Panthers.[1] While playing for Carolina, Elliott founded Fatguy Charities to raise money for children.[10]
In four NFL seasons, Elliott appeared in 63 games, 34 as a starter, for the Redskins and Panthers.[1] He played longer in the NFL than any prior player to bear the "Mr. Irrelevant" moniker.[10]
Later years[]
After retiring as a player, Elliott covered NFL Europe on Fox Sports and college football games on ESPN.[13] As of 2006, Elliott was living in Warsaw, Indiana, with his wife, Kristin. His six-year-old son, Max, was battling leukemia at that time.[10]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Matt Elliott". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/ElliMa20.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Michigan Football Roster Database". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/rosters/football.php. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "1989 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1989fbt.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "1990 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1990fbt.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Michigan's worries center on injury to Everitt". The Argus-Press: p. 16. October 4, 1990. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19901004&id=61siAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SK0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3153,2797773&hl=en.
- ↑ "Michigan's Bowl Game History: 1991 Gator Bowl". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/bowls/1991gatr.htm. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "1991 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1991fbt.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Notre Dame". The Michigan Daily: p. 4. September 16, 1991. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19910916&id=PP1JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Nh4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1149,911917&hl=en.
- ↑ "Wolverine All-Americans". The Argus-Press: p. Supplement-2. October 4, 1992. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19921004&id=3ToiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sqkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1499,3004535&hl=en.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Andrea Adelson (April 24, 2006). "Son's battle now makes Elliott Mr. Relevant". USA Today (AP story). http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-04-24-elliott-son-feature_x.htm.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Elliott get a chance to thank the Panthers". Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, SC: p. B4. August 4, 1994. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19950804&id=UFMgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U88EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6530,596685&hl=en.
- ↑ "Castoffs and retreads are at the heart of upstart Panthers". January 12, 1997. p. 2C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19970112&id=WrAsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RhUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3536,3816713&hl=en.
- ↑ "Matt Elliott". MVP Sports Media Training. http://www.sportsmediatraining.com/mvp-team/advisory-board/matt-elliott. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
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