Tony Elliott (American football coach) facts for kids
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Elliott in 2024
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Virginia |
| Conference | ACC |
| Record | 11–23 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | November 26, 1979 Watsonville, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 2000–2003 | Clemson |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2006–2007 | South Carolina State (WR) |
| 2008–2010 | Furman (WR) |
| 2011–2014 | Clemson (RB) |
| 2015–2019 | Clemson (co-OC/RB) |
| 2020 | Clemson (OC/RB) |
| 2021 | Clemson (AHC/OC/TE) |
| 2022–present | Virginia |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 11–23 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
As an offensive coordinator
|
|
| Awards | |
| Broyles Award (2017) | |
Antonio "Tony" Elliott (born November 26, 1979) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Virginia football team. Before joining Virginia, he was an assistant coach at Clemson University from 2011 to 2021. At Clemson, he helped lead the team's offense.
Elliott played college football as a wide receiver for Clemson from 2000 to 2003. He also coached at South Carolina State and Furman. While at Clemson, he won the 2017 Broyles Award. This award goes to the best assistant coach in college football. He helped coach famous players like Travis Etienne, Deshaun Watson, and Trevor Lawrence. His teams won two national championships, including a big win over Alabama in 2019.
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Tony Elliott's Early Life
Tony Elliott had a tough start to life. When he was very young, he and his mother and sister were sometimes without a home in Los Angeles, California. When he was nine years old, his mother died in a car accident. After this, he moved to South Carolina to live with his aunt and uncle. This is where he started playing football and basketball.
Playing Football in College
Elliott went to James Island High School in Charleston. He was a star in both football and basketball. In 1997, he went to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School to play football. Later, he joined Clemson University in 1999 as a "walk-on" player. This means he joined the team without a scholarship.
He worked hard and became a team captain in 2003, which is very rare for a walk-on. He played in 44 games for Clemson. He also earned academic honors for his good grades as a student athlete.
Tony Elliott's Coaching Journey
Starting His Coaching Career
Tony Elliott began his coaching career in 2006. He coached wide receivers for the South Carolina State Bulldogs. From 2008 to 2010, he coached wide receivers for the Furman Paladins.
Coaching at Clemson University
In 2011, Elliott returned to his old school, Clemson University. He became the running backs coach. In 2014, he was named co-offensive coordinator. This meant he helped plan the team's offensive plays. He shared this job with another coach, Jeff Scott. Elliott was the main play-caller for the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl. Clemson won that game against the Oklahoma Sooners with a score of 40-6.
Clemson's football team won the national championship in January 2017. They beat Alabama. In December 2017, Elliott won the Broyles Award. This award is given to the best assistant coach in college football. In 2019, Elliott again helped Clemson win another national championship. They beat Nick Saban's Alabama team 44–16.
Elliott was a key offensive play-caller for Clemson for seven seasons (2015–2021). During this time, Clemson won two national championships. He also coached the running backs and tight ends. He helped recruit many talented players. One of them was Travis Etienne, who became a record-breaking player for Clemson. Under Elliott's coaching, Etienne scored touchdowns in 46 of his 55 games. Elliott also helped coach star quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson.
In 2021, Elliott also became the associate head coach for Clemson. During his time as an offensive coordinator, Clemson had an amazing record of 88 wins and only 10 losses.
Becoming Head Coach at Virginia
On December 10, 2021, Tony Elliott became the 41st head coach at the University of Virginia. He took over from Bronco Mendenhall.
As head coach, Elliott hired new coaches for his team. He brought in John Rudzinski as his defensive coordinator. Rudzinski's defenses were known for being very strong. He also hired Desmond Kitchings as his offensive coordinator. Kitchings had experience coaching in the NFL.
Tony Elliott's Personal Life
Tony Elliott is a smart person. He earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Clemson University in 2002. He had a very high GPA of 3.55. After college, he worked as an engineer for Michelin North America for two years. He is married to Tamika Whitner.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Cavaliers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2022–present) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Virginia | 3–7 | 1–6 | T–6th (Coastal) | |||||
| 2023 | Virginia | 3–9 | 2–6 | T–11th | |||||
| 2024 | Virginia | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–10th | |||||
| Virginia: | 11–23 | 6–17 | |||||||
| Total: | 11–23 | ||||||||
