Where are they now? Bill Elliott: RC all-stater to MSP post commander
Do you know that a one of the best athletes to ever lace?em up for Rogers City High School (RCHS) finds his way into northern Michigan living rooms, and it happens almost on a weekly basis? The former athlete, an all-state cross country runner in the 1970s, is Bill Elliott. Many of you may know him as the Michigan State Police?s (MSP post commander in Traverse City (TC).
Lt. Elliott recently appeared on an area television news program encouraging people to use common sense on New Year?s Eve. He also may be asked to comment on cases his troopers are investigating. ?I am probably on there (TV) more than I would like to be,? said Elliott, who has served as post commander since April 2004. He admits to still having several friends in ?Rogers,? some of whom give him a friendly ribbing on the frequent appearances. The 1975 graduate started playing football and basketball for the orange and black as a freshman, but as a sophomore, he tried long distance running and excelled. During Elliott?s final two years of high school, he dropped all other sports and decided to focus on cross country and track.
Elliott was a conference champion as a junior and earned all-state accolades his senior season. He placed eighth at the state cross country meet at Central Michigan University as a junior and third the following year. In track, he was the first runner in school history to break the 10-minute mark in the two mile. ?I really enjoyed the team,? said Elliott, from his TC office Tuesday morning. ?We had really good teams, great guys to participate with. Plus, we had excellent coaching.? His coaches were Dick Lessard, who handled cross country and track, as well as former track/wrestling coach Warren Gleason.
?I had a lot of fun during those years in high school,? said Elliott. Post high school, Elliott ran for a year-and-a-half at Michigan State University (MSU). ?I did not have as much success in my collegiate career as I did in high school,? he said. Elliott resigned from the team during his sophomore season to concentrate on being a student, a story that has been spun thousands of times over the years. His running days were not quite over.
A few years later, following Elliott?s graduation from MSU, he moved back to Rogers City for a year before taking a job as a manager of a county park system in the Lansing area. During this time of his life, he joined the Mid-Michigan
Elliott had a distinguished climb through the MSP ranks, starting in Brighton as a uniformed trooper working the road. He has been involved in undercover narcotics enforcement and criminal surveillance and also has worked in an intelligence unit. Elliott served as post commander in Gladwin and Cadillac before moving into his current position in TC.
?It?s been a great career, I?ve enjoyed working for the state police,? said Elliott, who is a year and three months away from being eligible to retire. Truly, another former RCHS graduate making the school proud.