Riki Morgan Ellison (born 15 August 1960) is a
New Zealand-American former professional player of
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
who was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for ten seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He was known as Riki Gray while playing
college football for the
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...
, earning
all-conference honors in the
Pac-10 in 1982. He is the first New Zealander to play in the NFL and the first New Zealander to win a Super Bowl. Ellison is also the founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and the Youth Impact Program.
High School career
Ellison played for the Amphitheater Panthers in Tucson, Arizona, where he won a State Championship in 1975. Ellison was the first All American at Amphitheater High School, and in 1977, he won Arizona Player of the Year. Ellison's jersey number, 35, has since been retired. Ellison is also a member of the
Pima County
Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the populati ...
Hall of Fame.
College career
Ellison was part of a
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...
team that won two
Rose Bowls in 1979 and 1980 and won a National Championship. Ellison was a four year starter, beginning his Freshman year on the 1978 National Championship team. He graduated from USC with a degree in international relations with a graduate emphasis on defense and strategic studies.
Professional career
The
NFL San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
chose him with their fifth-round pick in the
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...
becoming the first-ever New Zealander and
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
to play in Professional Football. Jerry Attaway, his conditioning coach at USC and (teammate)
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s.
Lott played college football for the Univ ...
had convinced
Bill Walsh to select him in the draft. That year, Ellison was named to the All-Rookie Team and the next season named on the All Madden Team and he was an alternate All-Pro at the end of his career with the Raiders. Riki Ellison played in the same defensive backfield alongside Ronnie Lott for 12 seasons at USC, 49ers and Raiders.
Ellison won three
Super Bowls during his seven years with the 49ers. He was drafted alongside a pair of future
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
ers,
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
Roger Craig and center/guard
Jesse Sapolu
Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961) is a Samoan former American football player in the National Football League. He played both center and offensive guard, and played his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers.
Sapolu attended Farrington ...
. In his final season with the 49ers in 1989, he broke his right arm in the final preseason game and was placed on the injured reserve list for the season. He played his final three seasons with the
Los Angeles Raiders
The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...
.
Ellison's career included winning 3 Super Bowl, playing in 5 championship games, 9 years in the NFL Playoffs, and 5 interceptions in the NFL Playoffs.
In 2017, Ellison was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Head coach at T.C. Williams High School
In April 2001, Ellison accepted the position of head football coach for
T.C. Williams High School
Alexandria City High School (formerly named T. C. Williams High School) is a public high school in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, United States, just outside of Washington, D.C. The school has an enrollment of over 4,100 students. The high sch ...
in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
(the same school featured in the 2000 movie ''
Remember The Titans
''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denze ...
''). Ellison declined to seek renewal of his contract, and resigned in March 2003.
Personal
Ellison is of
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
descent (
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...
), born in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. At eight, Ellison moved to
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
with his father, Dan, who went on to become an economic advisor to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. Shortly thereafter, Ellison's parents divorced and he relocated with his mother to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, where she remarried Dennis Gray and moved to Beaver Creek Ranch, Rimrock, Arizona. Ellison went to high school in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
.
The Ellison family comes from a strong sporting background, he is related to professional
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
players
Tamati Ellison
Tamati Edward Ellison (born 1 April 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer.
Career
Domestic
Ellison was born in Wellington, and made his debut for the Wellington Lions in the 2003 NPC final defeat against Auckland. He also captained ...
and
Jacob Ellison who both played in
Super Rugby. His grandfather
Edward Ellison played on the 1911 NZ Maori team and was awarded the
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935 and was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1938 for his work as a Doctor in the Pacific.
Thomas Ellison
Thomas Rangiwahia Ellison, also known as Tom Ellison or Tamati Erihana (c. 1867 – 2 October 1904) was a New Zealand rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby ...
, his great-uncle, played for the
first New Zealand rugby team to play in Great Britain in 1888 and 1889, and captained the first New Zealand team to play in Australia in 1893.
Riki Ellison is married to Heather Ellison. They have four children and six grandchildren. Wesley Ellison Steward, Brooke Ellison Carney, Rhett Ellison and Troy Ellison. Rhett Ellison was the Captain of the
USC football team and was drafted into the NFL playing for 8 years as a tight end for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
and
New York Giants.
Ellison and 49ers teammates Lott,
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", ...
, and
Dwight Clark
Dwight Edward Clark (January 8, 1957 – June 4, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 He was a member of San ...
were backup singers with
Huey Lewis and the News on their 1980s singles “
Hip to be Square" and "
I Know What I Like".
In 2009, NZ On Air made a documentary about Ellison titled ''The Defender.''
References
External link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellison, Riki
1960 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Ellison family
Los Angeles Raiders players
New Zealand emigrants to the United States
New Zealand players of American football
Ngāi Tahu people
San Francisco 49ers players
Sportspeople from Christchurch
USC School of International Relations alumni
USC Trojans football players