By Ryan McCord
Hofstra wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Jaime Elizondo has yet to encounter a challenge-at least academically-that he couldn’t amass. And with lucrative degrees in physiology, neurobiology and law, there must be a strong premise as to why the El Paso, Texas native is not an attorney at a Sacred Heart Hospital somewhere.
For answers, look no further than the miniature library about his office desk. Across the coffee mug displaying a picture of former Dallas Cowboys coaching legend Tom Landry, lays a collection of inspirational/motivational paperbacks, including his favorite, which is protected by an NFL football patterned book jacket.
“That’s where it all starts,” said Elizondo, referring to his bible. “With these other books, I like to see how different coaches handle different situations. I continue to gather this information and form my own philosophy as how I want to do things, god willing, as a head coach some day.”
His transcending goal is to someday earn status as an NFL head coach, and the New Orleans Saints are giving Elizondo (of Mexican descent) his first shot with an opportunity to participate as a coaching intern in the league’s 2007 Minority Coaching Fellowship Program.
With all the success former his Hofstra pass-catching pupils Marques Colston and DeVale Ellis have acquired, Elizondo now has the added credibility needed to fuel what should prove to be his most formidable professional challenge to date.
The Saints are coming off their most successful season ever, and with help from Elizondo, Colston developed into one of the league’s premiere receiving targets just one year removed from donning Hofstra blue and gold.
“He critiques me,” Colston said of Elizondo to Sports Illustrated during the 2006 season. “He doesn’t let me feel like I played well all the time. It’s a good thing.”
The nation-wide publicity Elizondo received during the Saints magical run went further than print media. When Fox televised the divisional playoff game between New Orleans and Philadelphia, a recorded display of Colston’s effective pass-catching secrets were displayed for an in-game feature, where broadcaster Daryl Johnston attributed the drill to Elizondo.
“Totally caught me by surprise,” Elizondo said with a smile. “The drill is a little different than they showed. I got the idea from reading an article on different types of vision that athletes have to use and I took it to the next level.
“Marcus is just a great individual. He has not changed. He worked extremely hard. That often gets overlooked. As easy as he made it look, a ton of hard work went behind that.”
While it was Colston garnering the most immediate success of the 2006 Hofstra rookie trio, Elizondo explained why Detroit wide out DeVale Ellis and Pittsburgh offensive lineman Willie Colon’s turn to shine is only a strong training camp away.
“In my opinion this is going to be a breakout year for DeVale. I talked to the coaches in Detroit and they feel he has all the tools physically to have a long career. They are really excited for him up there.
“Will Colon has tremendous athletic ability and good feet. Those things you can’t coach. He’s got a nasty side which is a very good thing to have for an offensive lineman. He played in the final three or four games and that’s probably indicative of what they think of him.”
Given Elizondo’s impressive track record of achievements, he remains modest when speaking of his success. He’s not afraid to fail, either, acknowledging that part of faith is knowing that the “Big Man” may have a different plan for him in the future.
Success in the NFL by Hofstra alumni such as Marques Colston (left) has been credited to Jaime Elizondo’s coaching.