Lenvil Elliott
Encyclopedia
Lenvil Elliott was a former professional American football
player who played running back
for nine seasons in the National Football League
. He was a part of the San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl XVI
winning team.
to Lenvil Nelson and Helen Constance (Williams) Elliott. He grew up in Richmond, Missouri
and was a 1969 graduate of Richmond High School. He was drafted in 1973 while attending Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville, Missouri
.
. He played running back
for the Bengals from 1973 to 1979, then was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played from 1979 to 1981. In the final game of his nine-year NFL career, he played a key role in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game victory over the Dallas Cowboys on January 10, 1982 at Candlestick Park. Elliott carried four times for 31 yards on the 49ers' 89-yard final drive, culminating in "The Catch
", Dwight Clark
's famous 6-yard touchdown reception from Joe Montana
with only fifty-one seconds left in the game. Elliott suited up but did not play in the 49ers' Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Following Super Bowl XVI, he retired. He finished his career with 1900 yards rushing, 1484 yards receiving, and 18 total touchdowns (8 rushing and 10 receiving).
at 11:10 p.m., Sunday, October 12, 2008, at the Ray County, Missouri Memorial Hospital in Richmond.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for nine seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was a part of the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
winning team.
Early life
Elliot was born in Lexington, MissouriLexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
to Lenvil Nelson and Helen Constance (Williams) Elliott. He grew up in Richmond, Missouri
Richmond, Missouri
Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,797 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ray County.-Geography:Richmond is located at...
and was a 1969 graduate of Richmond High School. He was drafted in 1973 while attending Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...
.
Career
Elliott was drafted in the 10th Round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. He played running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Bengals from 1973 to 1979, then was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played from 1979 to 1981. In the final game of his nine-year NFL career, he played a key role in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game victory over the Dallas Cowboys on January 10, 1982 at Candlestick Park. Elliott carried four times for 31 yards on the 49ers' 89-yard final drive, culminating in "The Catch
The Catch (American football)
The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers...
", Dwight Clark
Dwight Clark
Dwight Edward Clark is a former American Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987...
's famous 6-yard touchdown reception from Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
with only fifty-one seconds left in the game. Elliott suited up but did not play in the 49ers' Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Following Super Bowl XVI, he retired. He finished his career with 1900 yards rushing, 1484 yards receiving, and 18 total touchdowns (8 rushing and 10 receiving).
Later life and death
Following his retirement, Elliot returned to his hometown of Richmond, Missouri and was a member of the Laborers Union Local #1290. Elliott died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at 11:10 p.m., Sunday, October 12, 2008, at the Ray County, Missouri Memorial Hospital in Richmond.
External links
- St. Petersburg Times
- http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125154
- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/features/superbowl/archives/16/