"The biggest obstacle for me in deciding whether to pursue this position was walking away from my baseball players," Elliott said. "I had built a relationship with several kids. The prospect of having input in deciding my replacement as coach was a big part of that because not many people can walk away from coaching and also be involved in choosing who follows them. I think we've built a good program and maybe we can hire somebody who can take us to the next level."
Elliott said, "I want to get kids who can play college athletics at whatever level to get those scholarships and stay with athletics as a means to fund their college education and to get their degrees. As soon as I can, I will start contacting athletic directors at colleges to see how we can do a better job of that across the board."
"Coach Elliott is a great match for this job," said GCHS principal Matthew Madding. "Obviously, he has knowledge and experience in athletics, but I think his work as an excellent classroom teacher also will help him in his new position. He understands schools and he understands students. Those are key elements in success as an athletic director. We're happy to have him represent and lead us in this position."
The new athletic director earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and a Master of Arts degree in education, both from Murray State University. He then completed coursework to qualify as a National Board Certified Teacher.
Elliott and his wife, Marta, have two sons. Karson, 9, and Klark, 3.