Revision 755068985 of "Riki Ellison" on enwiki

{{Infobox NFL biography
|image=Riki Ellison at CAFB 071128-F-0870P-002 crop.JPG
|name=Riki Ellison
||caption=Ellison in November 2007
|image_size=200px
|position = [[Linebacker]]
|number = 50
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1960|8|15}}
|birth_place=[[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]]
|death_date=
|death_place=
|height_ft=6
|height_in=2
|weight_lbs=220
|high_school=[[Amphitheater High School|Tucson (AZ) Amphitheater]]
|draftyear=1983
|draftround=5
|draftpick=117
|college=[[USC Trojans football|University of Southern California]]
|teams=
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ([[1983 NFL season|1983]]–[[1989 NFL season|1989]])
* [[Los Angeles Raiders]] ([[1990 NFL season|1990]]–[[1992 NFL season|1992]])
|statlabel1=
|statvalue1=
|statlabel2=
|statvalue2=
|statlabel3=
|statvalue3=
|nfl=ELL724098
|highlights=
* 3× [[Super Bowl]] champion ([[Super Bowl XIX|XIX]], [[Super Bowl XXIII|XXIII]], [[Super Bowl XXIV|XXIV]])
* 2× [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]] champion - University of Southern California (1979, 1980)
* 1978 College Football National Champion - [[University of Southern California]] 
* 1975 Arizona High School Football State Champion - [[Amphitheater High School]] - AAA
|HOF=
|CollegeHOF=
}}

'''Riki Morgan Ellison''' (born August 15, 1960, in [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]]) is a former U.S. college and professional [[linebacker]], who played nine seasons in the [[National Football League|National Football League (NFL)]], and went by the name '''Riki Gray''' while in college at [[University of Southern California|USC]] as an All-[[Pac-10]] player in 1982. He is the first New Zealander to play in the NFL.

==College career==
Ellison was part of a [[USC Trojans]] team that went to two [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]]s and won a national championship. He graduated USC with a degree in International Relations.

==Professional career==
The [[NFL]] [[San Francisco 49ers]] chose him with their fifth-round pick in the [[1983 NFL Draft]] becoming the first ever New Zealander and Maori to play in Professional Football.  Jerry Attaway, his conditioning coach at USC and (teammate) [[Ronnie Lott]] had convinced [[Bill Walsh (football coach)|Bill Walsh]] to select him in the draft.

Ellison won three [[Super Bowl]]s during his seven years with the 49ers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Farmer|first=Sam|title=EX-49ERS RECALL MOVE TO RAIDERS LOOKING BACK ON CHANGING LOYALTIES|date=October 8, 2000|newspaper=The San Jose Mercury News|page=1D|quote=Ellison 's views have softened on the 49ers, with whom he played from 1983 to '89 and earned three Super Bowl rings.}}</ref> He was drafted alongside a pair of future [[Pro Bowl]]ers, [[running back]] [[Roger Craig (American football)|Roger Craig]] and center/guard [[Jesse Sapolu]]. 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dufrense|first=Chris|title=He's Glad to Be an Ex-49er|date=September 20, 1990|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-20/sports/sp-1154_1_riki-ellison|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/67w4pmlWn|archivedate=May 25, 2012}}</ref> He played his final three seasons with the [[Los Angeles Raiders]].

===Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance===

In 2002, Ellison launched the [[Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance]] a non-profit organization with the mission to advocate for the deployment and development of a missile defense system.

===Youth Impact Program===
In 2005, Ellison founded the  Youth Impact Program for disadvantaged, poverty-stricken and at-risk adolescent boys in US inner cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youthimpactprogram.org/web/page/619/sectionid/554/pagelevel/2/interior.asp|title=Youth Impact Program|accessdate=25 May 2012}}</ref> The program places them in an educational setting for five weeks, exposing them to academics, life skills and athletics in a University setting. The program provides the boys with clothing, food and permanent mentors from University football teams who track and support the young men year-round. The U.S. Marine Corps also participates in YIP by providing students with leadership and character development skills training and mentoring. Since its founding,  Youth Impact Programs have been held at university's across the United States including the University of Southern California, Tulane University, Rice University, the University of South Florida, Syracuse University, University of Houston, and Texas Southern University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan and the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Youth Impact Program has twice been recognized by the United States Congress in Congressional Resolutions for its achievements, innovation and impact.

==Personal==
Ellison is of [[Māori people|Māori]] descent.  At eight, Ellison moved to [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]] with his father, Dan, who went on to become an economic advisor to the [[United Nations]].   Shortly thereafter, Ellison's parents divorced and he relocated with his mother to [[Los Angeles]], where she remarried Dennis Gray.  Ellison went to high school in [[Tucson, AZ]].

The Ellison family comes from a strong sporting background, he is related to professional [[rugby football|rugby]] players [[Tamati Ellison]] and [[Jacob Ellison]] who both played in [[Super Rugby]], Jacob is now playing in Japan for [[Fukuoka Sanix Blues]], while Tamati is with the [[Melbourne Rebels]]. [[Thomas Ellison]], his great-uncle, played for the [[1888–89 New Zealand Native football team|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.<ref>{{cite web | last = Anderson | first = Atholl | title =Ellison, Thomas Rangiwahia | url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2e7/ellison-thomas-rangiwahia| work=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |publisher= Te Ara&nbsp;—the Encyclopedia of New Zealand|accessdate=24 February 2013|date=30 October 2012 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6FLwUL1C0 |archivedate=24 March 2012|ref=harv}}</ref>

In 1992, Ellison relocated his family to New Zealand. In 1995 he attempted to bring an American college football bowl game to Auckland, but the proposed "[[Haka Bowl]]" did not go ahead.

Ellison's son, [[Rhett Ellison|Rhett]], plays as a tight end for the [[Minnesota Vikings]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

{{1978 USC Trojans football navbox}}
{{49ers1983DraftPicks}}
{{Super Bowl XIX}}
{{Super Bowl XXIII}}
{{Super Bowl XXIV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellison, Riki}}
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:USC Trojans football players]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Raiders players]]
[[Category:New Zealand players of American football]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (football)]]
[[Category:Ngāi Tahu]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Christchurch]]
[[Category:Super Bowl champions]]