Sachem alum John “Jumbo” Elliott is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the fourth straight season.
Elliott starred at the University of Michigan in the 1980s. This year’s ballot includes 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 92 players and 27 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Jumbo was a two-time First Team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. He played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Giants and Jets. Last year he was inducted to Michigan’s Hall of Honor, and is a previous inductee of the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame and Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame.
To be eligible for the ballot, 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.
The announcement of the 2016 Class will be made Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Other notable players on the ballot:
- Morten Anderson, Michigan State
- Derrick Brooks, Florida State
- Tim Couch, Kentucky
- Kirk Gibson, Michigan State
- Matt Leinart, USC
- Ray Lewis, Miami
- Brian Urlacher, New Mexico
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro