Luther Elliss

Luther John Elliss (born March 22, 1973) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Utah, and was recognized as an All-American. Drafted in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Elliss played professionally for the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos of the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowler.

Luther Elliss
Idaho Vandals
Position:Defensive line coach
Personal information
Born: (1973-03-22) March 22, 1973
Mancos, Colorado
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:318 lb (144 kg)
Career information
High school:Mancos (CO)
College:Utah
NFL Draft:1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20
Career history
As player:
As coach:
  • Idaho (2017–present)
    Defensive Line Coach
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:134
Games started:119
Tackles:331
Quarterback sacks:29.0
Fumbles recovered:7
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Elliss currently coaches college football, serving as the defensive line coach for the Idaho Vandals football team.

Early years

Elliss was born in Mancos, Colorado.[1] He attended Mancos High School,[2] and played for the Mancos Blue Jays high school football and basketball teams.

College career

Elliss received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Utah, and played for the Utah Utes football team as a defensive lineman from 1991 to 1994. He chose Utah since head football coach Ron McBride told him that he could also play on the basketball team under coach Rick Majerus. After one season he decided to play football full-time. He was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selection in 1992, 1993 and 1994. As a senior in 1994, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All American, and was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

The Detroit Lions selected Elliss in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft,[3] and he played for the Lions from 1995 to 2003.[1] His nickname during his time in Detroit was "Pass Rushing Luther," and earned it with 324 tackles and 27.0 quarterback sacks with the Lions.[4] The Lions released him after appearing in only five games in 2003. He played his final season with the Denver Broncos in 2004, seeing action in eight games and registering two sacks.[4]

In his ten-season NFL career, he played in 134 regular season games, started 119 of them, and compiled 331 tackles, 29.0 sacks, seven fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, and four deflected passes.[4] He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1999 and 2000.[4]

NFL statistics
YearTeamGamesCombined TacklesTacklesAssisted TacklesSacksForced FumblesFumble Recoveries
1995DET16199100.000
1996DET144926236.500
1997DET165935248.502
1998DET164937123.001
1999DET154529163.532
2000DET163923163.002
2001DET14302550.010
2002DET14251872.510
2004DEN87612.000
Career12932220811429.057

[5]

Coaching career

On February 27, 2017, Elliss was announced as the new defensive line coach for the Idaho Vandals football team under head coach Paul Petrino.[6] Prior to joining the Vandals, he spent two seasons as the team chaplain for the Denver Broncos of the NFL.[7]

Personal life

Elliss and his wife, Rebecca, have 12 children – seven of whom are adopted.[8] Two of his sons, Christian and Kaden, play (or played) football for Idaho. In 2019, his son Kaden Elliss was drafted by the New Orleans Saints.[9]

Elliss is a former resident of Oakland Township, Michigan, in suburban Detroit.[10]

References
  1. National Football League, Historical Players, Luther Elliss. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  2. databaseFootball.com, Players, Luther Elliss Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  3. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1995 National Football League Draft. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Luther Elliss. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  5. "Luther Elliss Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  6. https://govandals.com/news/2017/2/27/football-and-luther-makes-three.aspx
  7. https://govandals.com/news/2017/2/27/football-and-luther-makes-three.aspx
  8. https://govandals.com/coaches.aspx?rc=479&path=football
  9. https://govandals.com/news/2017/2/27/football-and-luther-makes-three.aspx
  10. https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/01/ex-detroit_lions_lineman_luthe.html
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