Sachem alum Jumbo Elliott is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot again this year.
Elliott, who graduated from Sachem in 1983, and had a long and successful career in the NFL, starred as a lineman at the University of Michigan.
He was a two-time First Team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. He was a key contributor to an offensive line that blocked for Jamie Morris, who had three straight 1,000-yard seasons.
“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.06 million people have played college football,” said National Football Foundation President Steve Hatchell in a statement. “The Hall’s requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible to be on the ballot, so being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are proud to announce their names.”
Elliott is already a member of the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame and the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame. He will be formally inducted to Michigan’s Wall of Honor in February.
Notable candidates this year
- Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
- Tim Couch, Kentucky
- Eric Crouch, Nebraska
- Randall Cunningham, Nevada-Las Vegas
- Eric Dickerson, Southern Methodist
- Keyshawn Johnson, Southern California
- Ray Lewis, Miami
- Ron Rivera, California
- Warren Sapp, Miami
- Ricky Williams, Texas
Criteria for nomination
- Players must have been named a First Team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams
- Played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior
- Played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro