Athlete 2004 - 2005
All Brett Elliott ever wanted to do in football was win a championship. And win one he did, along with a long list of jaw-dropping accomplishments during his two years in McMinnville.
Arguably one of the most decorated players ever to wear a Linfield uniform, Elliott obliterated program and national records while piloting the Wildcats to two of the most successful seasons on record.
When an injury sent him to the sidelines and effectively ended his playing career at the University of Utah, Elliott transferred to Linfield with dreams of winning a national title at the small-college level. With Elliott, the Wildcats didn’t just win, they won big. His 23-1 record as a starting quarterback is the best percentage of any player in program history with 20 or more starts. The 23-game win streak accomplished by Elliott and the ‘Cats during 2004 and 2005 remains the longest skein in Linfield history.
Dominating Division III football like no one before him, Elliott set an all-divisions record of 61 touchdown passes while also surpassing nearly every single-game, single-season and career passing record. Twelve times he tossed at least five touchdown passes in the same game and he is the owner of eight games featuring 400 or more yards passing.
With Elliott pulling the trigger, Linfield’s passing attack was so prolific that he set Division III records for passing yards (4,595) and completion percentage (68.1).
He was chosen NWC and West Region Player of the Year and remains the only Wildcat to twice be named national Player of the Year. The accolades didn’t stop there, as Elliott was awarded both the Gagliardi Trophy and the Mehlberger Award as the top player in Division III. He was also a two-time recipient of the Linfield Male Athlete of the Year honor.
Perhaps Elliott’s proudest accomplishment was leading the Wildcats to the NCAA title in 2004, shattering a bevy of records that included a program-best 92 touchdowns.
After graduating, Elliott continued his career in football, auditioning with the San Diego Chargers in the summer of 2006 as an undrafted free agent. Later, he played professionally in the Arena Football League with the San Jose SaberCats, Utah Blaze and Georgia Force.
Football remained in his blood and he turned to coaching once his playing days were complete. He began as quarterbacks coach at Linfield before moving on to coaching stops at Mississippi State, James Madison and Texas State, where he is currently offensive coordinator.
Viewed as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of Division III football Elliott’s name can be found scattered in the national record books. But any discussion of his lasting legacy must also include such intangible qualities as his gravitational personality.
“Brett made coaching easy and very fun. Gifted and polished, he was an easy fit with his competitive nature and yet fun loving attitude,” said his head coach, Jay Locey. “He mixed in well with the entire team and understood the value of being a great teammate. Brett embraced everything about Linfield and because of that created some amazing memories for himself and all of us.”
For his part, Elliott is thankful for the successes he shared with his teammates and coaches.
