By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Bruce Elliott was a defensive back recruited by his uncle, Bump Elliott, and played on the University of Michigan freshman football team in 1968, when freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition as per NCAA rules. Bump was replaced as Michigan's head coach in 1969 by Bo Schembechler, and Bruce was a nickel back that season before starting as a junior and senior defensive back.

Bruce admired that Schembechler always credited his uncle for "leaving the cupboard full with high-character guys" after coming to Ann Arbor.

Bruce then went to law school at the University of Miami, where his father, Pete, was the football coach and then an athletic director for the Hurricanes. Pete and his brother, Bump, were All-Americans in the "Mad Magicians" offensive backfields that produced a pair of national championships for Michigan in 1947 and 1948.

Bump, who passed away Saturday (Dec. 7) at the age of 94, and Pete, who died in 2013 at the age of 86, both were highly successful coaches who led Big Ten championship teams (Pete at Illinois and Bump at Michigan) and are in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Bruce, who practices law for a firm in Ann Arbor, was a graduate assistant on the Miami football teams while in law school and also at Tennessee. He wanted to coach but said he "never regretted" becoming an attorney.

"Bump was one of the principal reasons I went to Michigan," said Bruce. "I wanted to play for my uncle. Bump was the kind of person I envisioned myself playing for."

What did he admire most about Uncle Bump, and what did he mean to him?

"Bump was almost like a second father," said Bruce. "He was so much like my own father. We spent quite a bit of time with our cousins, Bump's kids, and they were almost like brothers and sisters. So, we grew up together.

Pete (left) and Bump Elliott

"The thing that's always struck me about my father and Bump, beside the fact that they are just genuinely nice people, about as nice as anyone I've ever met, was that they were two of the most humble people you'd ever want to meet. For instance, Bump was the Big Ten Player of the Year (in 1947) and he never talked about that. They never bragged or talked about their own accomplishments, awards and accolades as players or coaches. All they were primarily interested in was their families.

"I've talked to many of their players -- and I hope you don't mind me including my father -- and as coaches they demanded that their players played well and worked hard. But at the end of the day, they were also realistic about the importance of all of those things. They looked at not just football, but someone's academic issues, personal issues. They really cared about their players in a way that is not true, certainly, of every coach. And their players over the years respected and appreciated that.

"During our 50th anniversary of the 1969 team (that won the Big Ten championship by upsetting Ohio State), the guys told me how much they appreciated everything Bump did for them and Michigan."

It really is difficult to separate Bump (Jan. 25, 1925-Dec. 7, 2019) and Pete (Sept. 29, 1926-Jan. 4, 2013), who also starred together at Bloomington (Illinois) High before ending up at Michigan.

"Quite frankly," said Bruce, "they tried to set an example for all of us. In all honesty, I've never met two finer men in my life, and the humility they had. They epitomized what all of us in the family aspired to be. We couldn't have asked for better role models.

"They shared stories about our family, their teammates and players, and that was a real treasure in our families. At a family reunion we had in Lakeside, Ohio, my dad and Bump and Jim Elliott, their brother, we as kids asked them questions about everything, and we have the whole thing on a DVD. That is a real treasure for sure. We did that 15 or 20 years ago. And that love they had for family is something I hope we've passed on to our kids, too. One thing that was the hallmark of an Elliott family reunion is that everyone laughs a lot. We laughed a lot at some great stories.

"Their love of all of us made us sure to never do something that might disappoint them. That was a good reason to try to not get in trouble. They were tough acts to follow, but my brother (Dave, who also played football Michigan and had a long coaching career, mostly as a college assistant) and I wanted to go to Michigan and be a part of that, the history of the whole thing, and were fortunate to do so."

Dave, Bruce's younger brother, now lives in North Canton, Ohio.

"Bump loved to walk and never seemed to wear out a pair of shoes," added Bruce. "He had such a nice bounce to his step."

• Former All-America Player, Football Coach Bump Elliott Passes Away