{"id":340107,"date":"2025-12-10T19:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T19:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/340107\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T19:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T19:57:09","slug":"former-johnnie-great-blake-elliott-finally-takes-his-place-in-college-football-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/340107\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Johnnie great Blake Elliott finally takes his place in College Football Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Courtesy National Football Foundation\/Lucas Peltier<\/p>\n

It was Blake Elliott on stage taking his place alongside the greats in college football history Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

But the record-setting former Saint John\u2019s University All-American wide receiver made it clear he didn\u2019t get there alone.<\/p>\n

Elliott \u2014 who helped lead the Johnnies to the 2003 NCAA Division III national title \u2014 was officially inducted as a member of the 2025 National Football Foundation (NFF) College Football Hall of Fame Class<\/a> during the NFF\u2019s 67th Annual Awards Dinner Tuesday night (Dec. 9) at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

From Saint John\u2019s University, a wide receiver and Gagliardi Trophy winner, Blake Elliott. <\/p>\n

The newest member of the \ud835\udc02\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc20\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc05\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1b\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc25 \ud835\udc07\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc25 \ud835\udc28\ud835\udc1f \ud835\udc05\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e. #GoJohnnies<\/a> | #d3fb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/82GH3enrG4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Saint John’s Athletics (@SJUJohnnies) December 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really hits me in the moment is how fortunate I was to be part of a program that had such a rich history of success,\u201d said Elliott, who ended his career with three NCAA playoff records, two MIAC records and 29 SJU receiving records.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I\u2019m most proud of is that my freshman year, we got to the national championship game. My sophomore and junior year we got to the (national) semifinals. Then my senior year, we won a national title. We won (50) games in four years, and that wasn\u2019t just me. It had to do with the environment the players and coaches that were there created.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis doesn\u2019t happen without that success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliott became the second Saint John\u2019s inductee into college football\u2019s ultimate shrine, joining his legendary head coach John Gagliardi who spent 60 seasons at SJU, winning four national titles and finishing his career as the all-time leader at any level of college coaching with 489 victories.<\/p>\n

Gagliardi, who passed away at age 91 in 2018, was inducted in 2006. And while he wasn\u2019t there in person Tuesday, he was certainly in Elliott\u2019s thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a million things that made the culture with John as head coach special,\u201d said Elliott, the winner of the 2003 Gagliardi Trophy<\/a>, named for his head coach and honoring the most outstanding player each season at the Division III level. \u201cHe was the all-time winningest coach in the history of college football. To be part of that, and the ecosystem he created, was amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt I wouldn\u2019t be sitting here if not for his involvement in the program for (60) years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The generational community Gagliardi created at Saint John\u2019s was certainly on display Tuesday when 85 Johnnies showed up to celebrate Elliott\u2019s honor. The previous record for a single inductee in the 66 prior ceremonies was 56.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlake\u2019s induction is a proud moment for Saint John\u2019s University, but it\u2019s also a celebration of the community and culture that shaped him,\u201d College of Saint Benedict and Saint John\u2019s President Brian Bruess said. \u201cFrom his teammates and coaches to the generations of Johnnies who supported him, Blake\u2019s success reflects the very best of what it means to be part of Saint John\u2019s \u2013 a commitment to excellence, humility and lifting others up along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more thrilled to see him take his place among the legends of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Elliott said the members of the Johnnie community who made the trip to Las Vegas weren\u2019t just fans. They are individuals who have become important and lasting parts of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelfishly, it\u2019s a great opportunity to connect again with all these people who have meant so much to me for so many years now,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not like \u2018We\u2019re connecting and reminiscing about 2003, but I haven\u2019t seen you in 22 years. Rather, it\u2019s another opportunity to connect with you, but you\u2019re already a big part of my life.\u2019 That\u2019s what makes Saint John\u2019s so special.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my neighbors and a good buddy of mine went to Indiana University,\u201d Elliott continued. \u201cHe said he can\u2019t believe we have Saint John\u2019s people here who are 26 that I\u2019m friends and close with, and Saint John\u2019s people here who are over 70 that I\u2019m friends and close with as well. I think that\u2019s truly unique, and a large part of it goes back to John and the legacy he left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining Elliott in this year\u2019s class were iconic names like Michael Strahan and Michael Vick, who went on to standout careers in the NFL, and coaching legends like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.<\/p>\n

But Elliott \u2014 who after a brief stint with the Minnesota Vikings has gone on to a career working with disabled adults that continues today<\/a> at DOMA, a Twin Cities-based health and human services company he co-founded \u2014 felt a special kinship with former Wisconsin standout running back Montee Ball, who went on to play for the NFL\u2019s Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n

\u201c(He) sat right next to me (at the press conference), and from a Midwest perspective, I remember the great career he had at Wisconsin,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy who\u2019s relatively similar to my age. We do a lot of work with the substance abuse population, and I just found out he\u2019s doing really cool things creating high schools for individuals in Denver that are battling addiction \u2013 giving these kids a path out. We exchanged numbers and hopefully we can connect about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen to the left of me was (former Minnesota Gophers star offensive lineman) Greg Eslinger. He still lives in the Twin Cities and I\u2019ve run into him two or three times since (this year\u2019s Hall of Fame class) first came out last January.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Mark Flynn \u201978, a former standout linebacker for the Johnnies who serves as Campbell Trophy Summit Chairman for the NFF \u2014 which oversees support, administration and operation for the Hall of Fame \u2014 said Elliott\u2019s induction was a much-deserved honor for him and an important milestone for Saint John\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis recognition is meaningful because Blake embodied the ideals that Saint John\u2019s cherishes \u2014 servant leadership, competitive fire, and genuine humility,\u201d Flynn said. \u201cThe Hall of Fame welcomed a player whose character matched his ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlake\u2019s induction matters because he didn\u2019t just excel \u2014 he elevated everyone around him. That\u2019s the Saint John\u2019s tradition, and the Hall of Fame recognized the kind of leader the game needs more of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rob Culligan \u201982, the vice president of institutional advancement at Saint John\u2019s, said being present in the room when Elliott was inducted was indeed a powerful moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoosebumps,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the sensation that we all experienced each time the record crowd of Johnnie faithful roared when Blake\u2019s name was mentioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a collective emotion of joy and pride \u2014 for Blake, for his family, for his teammates and for Saint John\u2019s. It was a \u2018pinch me\u2019 moment\u2026 a quintessential moment\u2026 a Johnnie moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those sentiments were echoed by Adam Herbst \u201999, also a former standout wide receiver for the Johnnies and the current associate vice president of university relations at Saint John\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing Blake take his place in the College Football Hall of Fame was incredibly special,\u201d Herbst said. \u201cHe embodies what is best about Saint John\u2019s \u2014 humility, excellence, and deep loyalty to our community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of Johnnies and SJU friends who traveled to Las Vegas to stand with him, and the many cheering from afar, says everything about who we are. No other college shows up for its own the way Saint John\u2019s does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flynn was also proud of the level of support the Saint John\u2019s community on hand showed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a ballroom of 1,900 (people) celebrating the giants of college football, Blake inspired the largest \u2014 and unquestionably the loudest \u2014 crowd in the room,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Johnnies showed up in numbers twice Alabama\u2019s, and everyone heard it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ACourtesy National Football Foundation\/Melissa Macatee
\n