OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Growing up in Oxford, Mississippi, a few things were certain for Elliot Markuson. In the fall, his Saturdays would be spent in the Grove, and come springtime, his weekend plans would be dictated by the home schedule of Mike Bianco\u2019s diamond Rebels. What Markuson didn\u2019t know was that in his early 30s, he would be competing for a potential spot on the USA Bobsled Olympic team 20 hours away from home in Lake Placid, New York.<\/p>\n
Oxford<\/p>\n
Ever since he could remember, Markuson was surrounded by the game of football, aspiring to pursue a collegiate career wherever he got the chance. As a kid, his dad, Mike, was the offensive line coach for Ole Miss under Houston Nutt, where Elliot\u2019s love for football grew and eventually blossomed into something serious.<\/p>\n
After an all-district senior year at Lafayette High School, the Oxford native joined the Ole Miss football team in 2013 as a tight end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was always something I wanted to do\u2026 playing college football was something I was always going to do.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on pursuing a college football career<\/p>\n
Spending a majority of his time in college under head coach Hugh Freeze, Markuson is one of a few athletes to have beaten Nick Saban\u2019s Alabama Crimson Tide back-to-back in 2014 & 2015. In his final season during 2017, the linebacker took on a special teams role, appearing in seven games, including a season finale win over Mississippi State.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat team had been through so much adversity from getting a new head coach in Matt Luke and not being postseason eligible due to the bans\u2026 going out like that on a high note on Thanksgiving was something I\u2019ll never forget.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on the Egg Bowl win<\/p>\n
Thank you 2017 Seniors!!!!@OleMissFB<\/a><\/p>\n Elliot Markuson, A.J. Moore, Herbert Moore, and Markell Pack pic.twitter.com\/JX8vzt2D6h<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joshua Taylor McCoy (@OleMissPix) November 19, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n China<\/p>\n As his time at Ole Miss came to a close, Markuson was convinced that the next step in his career was with the athletic administration under Keith Carter, who he established a strong relationship with during his time as a player. In the process of debating his future plans, Elliot decided to switch the trajectory of his life and move to China, where he collaborated with former Michigan football player Chris McClaurin to teach Chinese children American football.<\/p>\n Despite creating countless memories in his 14 months overseas, Markuson says his time in China was highlighted by a visit with his dad, Mike. Together, the father and son duo had the chance to spread their knowledge of football to a wide variety of youth Chinese players while also taking visits to the Great Wall and Beijing.<\/p>\n \u201cThey got to fly my dad out to China\u2026 We got to coach these Chinese football players together, so that was a really big highlight for me. He got to come back and see where I was living, so it was awesome.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on his favorite memory from China<\/p>\n Nashville<\/p>\n Upon entering the states, Markuson relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he received a letter in the mail from a USA speed skating coach informing him of an opportunity to be considered for a show called \u201cThe Next Olympic Hopeful.\u201d The show\u2019s objective was to capture athletes from entirely different backgrounds in their journey competing for an Olympic spot on Team USA.<\/p>\n Despite fully preparing for the show, Markuson received a letter in the mail informing him of its cancellation due to COVID. After hearing the news, most people would have kept the letter as memorabilia from Team USA and resumed their nine-to-five job career. Fortunately, Elliot did the complete opposite and decided to get in touch with the development coach for the Team USA Bobsled team.<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking to myself, Herschel Walker was a bobsledder, and he was an Olympian. I feel like I have enough grit and hard work in me to try this.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on his initial bobsled impression<\/p>\n As conversations became more frequent, Team USA offered Elliot the opportunity to showcase his abilities in a virtual tryout, getting him one step closer to achieving his goals.<\/p>\n Three long weeks had gone by, and Markuson finally got a phone call and received news that in three days, he would be relocated to Lake Placid, New York, to begin bobsled training.<\/p>\n Lake Placid<\/p>\n 17.5 hours from Nashville, Markuson arrived at Lake Placid, alongside two former Division I track runners and a former SMU football player for training. For the next month, the team was stationed in a resort on the lake, where they lived for the entire month, observing and gaining an abundance of bobsled knowledge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a far cry from the glitz and glamor of SEC football, that\u2019s for sure\u2026 I kind of got a crash course in Team USA bobsledding.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on his first month in Lake Placid<\/p>\n Little did Markuson know that because of a month-long crash course in bobsledding, the next five years of his life would consist of North American Cup races, intersquad competitions, and several other fascinating opportunities across the United States for bobsledding.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you would have told me in 2018 when I graduated from Ole Miss that in the next couple of years I\u2019d be competing in a winter sport for Team USA, I probably would\u2019ve slapped you.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on his journey to bobsledding<\/p>\n Consistency & hard work beat talent, when talent refuses to be consistent or work hard. pic.twitter.com\/5QUxz7LTgp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Elliot Markuson (@EMarky80) January 25, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n Over the course of his five seasons, Markuson has found himself settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he trains year-round as an Olympic hopeful for Team USA in 2026.<\/p>\n Known as the only bobsledder from the state of Mississippi, Markuson has done a great deal of reflection over the past few years and continues to credit the people of Oxford for their continuous motivation and inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cMy upbringing in Oxford means everything to me, it\u2019s my home\u2026 When people ask me where I\u2019m from, I proudly say where I\u2019m from and wear the badge of honor to be the first from Mississippi doing this kind of stuff. I want to give as much thanks to the Oxford community for being the home that I can always come back to no matter where I\u2019m at in the world.\u201d \u2013 Markuson on his hometown<\/p>\n Moving forward as he continues to chase his Olympian dreams, The Rebel Walk has you covered with updates, quotes, and all of your Team USA bobsled coverage.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n