No. 20: Keith Elias '94

Today marks the debut of The Daily Princetonian's series counting down The Top 20 Greatest Athletes in Princeton history. Over the next 20 issues, we will count down the top athletes ever to don the Orange and Black — one per day — until Dec. 13, when we arrive at the greatest athlete in the history of Tiger athletics.

Princeton possesses a storied athletic tradition rivaling that of any university in the world. Contributions from past Tigers have revolutionized the American sporting landscape. On Nov. 8, 1869, 25 students traveled to New Brunswick to face Rutgers in the first intercollegiate football game. On the hardwood, the Princeton offense, created and spread by legendary coach Pete Carrill, is a mainstay of basketball strategy from high school to the NBA.

But providing the backbone of all these team and program successes are the athletes themselves. There must be point guards to run the Princeton offense, goalies to defend the nets and running backs to score game-winning touchdowns. Tiger athletes have defined Princeton's athletic program, and we will honor the greatest of those athletes in our countdown. — Eds.

Keith Elias '94 was one of the greatest running backs to ever grace a football field of the Ivy League. Elias made his mark on the college gridiron from 1991 to 1993 before later taking his game to the professional level with the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts, one of only a few dozen Princeton graduates ever to make it to the NFL.

Elias arrived at Old Nassau with an already impressive football resume, having rushed for over 4,000 yards and scored 363 points for Lacey Township (NJ) High School, where he was twice named a first-team All-New Jersey running back.

Once Elias established himself as a dominant ball carrier for the Tigers, then-head coach Steve Tosches was said to follow a simple game plan: Elias left, Elias right, Elias up the middle.

By the time Elias had finished embarrassing collegiate defenses with his career average of 5.72 yards per carry, he held 21 university records, including every major rushing record. His 1,701 yards in 1992 and 1,575 yards in 1993 still occupy the top-two spots for single-season rushing in the Tiger record books; his 4,208 career yards are also a Princeton record.

Tiger football went 24-6 during Elias' tenure, including a 1992 Ivy League championship season in which he led the team to an 8-2 overall record. In addition to the championship, Elias' collegiate trophy case is home to two first-team All-American selections and a 1993 Ivy League Player of the Year award.

Perhaps even more impressive than his monopoly over the University's record book are Elias' two most distinguished Ivy League records: most career points (320) and most career touchdowns (52, shared with Cornell's Ed Marinaro).

Despite his tremendous successes at the college level, Elias' days as a star and a fan favorite were soon behind him. The Giants came calling following Elias' graduation, signing him as a free agent for the start of the 1994 season, but after little more than three unremarkable seasons in New York, he was released in 1997.

He signed with Indianapolis the following year and served as captain of the special teams unit in 2000 before being released the same year. After a brief six-game stint in the XFL, Elias retired from football.

Tosches called Elias one of the best to ever play in the Ivy League. After Elias' final game in 1993, Tosches remarked,"People who have seen [his career], the games the last two years, really got their money's worth."