Blake Elliott 2025 NFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS

Blake Elliott

By Matt Fortuna

Blake Elliott had been on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot before, but he knew not to get his hopes up. After all, a Division III player had not made the Hall since 2019 - and that was London Fletcher, a 16-year NFL veteran. There was no discriminating against small-school standouts, but those who did make it recently - such as Randy Moss in 2024 - were household names.

Elliott? He was a guy whose driver's license had listed him at 5-foot-6, 155 pounds. He went to nearby Saint John's University in Minnesota. His college career ended more than two decades ago.

He was not drafted.

But boy was he good. And the Hall doesn't overlook anyone, regardless of school or platform.

Elliott is the latest small-school phenom to make the College Football Hall of Fame, and the first player from Saint John's. He joins his coach, the legendary John Gagliardi, as the only members of the Johnnies' program to make the Hall.

"To achieve that honor is obviously extremely humbling, and it really is a couple things," Elliott said. "Number one, it's a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on Saint John's and what a special place that was for me, and what a special small school football environment that is. And so hopefully over this year that just allows for Saint John's football to have a little bit of a spotlight that I think it so rightfully deserves.

"I think it's just an opportunity to thank a lot of people that played a big role in that and share that with them and share that with my kids now. I have four kids, and my 14-year-old son plays football, and my five-year-old son plays football, and to be able to share that with them and my mom and my brother and a lot of coaches and people that were at Saint John's when I was there are still there, and so to thank them and share that with them is just the best thing."

Hailing from nearby Melrose Area High School, Elliott tore through the Johnnies' record books, setting 29 school records and setting the NCAA record for most consecutive games played with a catch (47), a record that stood until 2008. In 2003, he won the Gagliardi Trophy, given to the nation's top Division III player.

Elliott caught 369 passes in his career for 4,829 yards and 63 touchdowns. He rushed for another 744 yards and eight more touchdowns. And he tallied 3,065 total punt and kick return yards, to go with seven more touchdowns.

Off the field, Elliott has made an impact by becoming the founder of DOMA, a company that provides services for people with disabilities. The inspiration comes from Elliott's younger brother, Adam, who was seriously injured in a car accident before Elliott's senior year at Saint John's.

"On one hand that year was an opportunity to maybe shine some light onto my family and give them something positive to think about when they're going through this really hard time," Elliott said, adding: "(Football) was an opportunity for me to not have to kind of think about that for that two-hour period, or that game, or that practice, or whatever it may be. So I think in that respect, football was that spotlight or that shining light on something that - we were in a pretty dark tunnel for a long time - and it allowed us to have some light and that year some really cool things happened."

Elliott's career culminated in a national championship win over Mount Union in the 2003 Stagg Bowl, a win that snapped Mount Union's 55-game winning streak.

"It's cliche, but it's so true, especially in small college football: I think that those relationships were absolutely fortified and strengthened by the success that we had playing football," Elliott said.

"My freshman year, we lost in the national championship to Mount Union. My sophomore year, we lost in the semifinals to Mount Union. My junior year we lost in the semifinals to a team out of Texas (Trinity). And then my senior year, we finally get it and beat Mount Union in the national championship game.

"But I only say that because that success I think is what strengthens those relationships. And so many guys that I played football with were in my wedding, business partners. I share Timberwolves season tickets with three other guys that I played football with that have been good friends of mine for 20-something years."