Rhett Ellison The son of a Super Bowl champion makes a name for himself

     If Rhett Ellison were a young racehorse, his pedigree would likely start a bidding war. Ellison’s great uncle on his dad’s side, Thomas Ellison, was a legendary figure in New Zealand’s sports history—the original captain of New Zealand’s national rugby team and one of the founding members of the All Blacks, one of the most renowned teams in New Zealand Rugby history.
     Ellison’s mom also comes from an athletic family. Mom’s brother, Uncle David, is David Maley, a left wing who spent 11 seasons in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and a Stanley Cup winning Montreal Canadiens team.
     But it’s Ellison’s dad, Riki, whose career has served as a blueprint for Rhett’s success. As a standout linebacker for USC, Riki won a Rose Bowl and a National Championship. After being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, Riki Ellison would go on to win three Super Bowls with the franchise during a nine-year NFL career.
     “Dad never pressured me to get into sports at all,” Rhett says. “Once I decided to pursue football, he was there for me every step of the way, sharing his experience in the NFL.” Like dad, Rhett went to USC on a football scholarship, but that wasn’t always the plan. “I was supposed to go to Virginia Tech,” he says. “I really wanted to go to USC, but they hadn’t offered me a scholarship. The guy they wanted ended up going to another school. They offered me a scholarship the day before Signing Day, so the next day I signed to go there.”
     USC offered the scholarship, not because of his heritage, but because of the numerous summer camps in which he played on campus where he did everything that was asked and demonstrated an outstanding work ethic. It’s a work ethic that made him a welcome teammate with the Vikings as early as his first training camp. “He’s tough,” Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder told the press  during Ellison’s initial summer camp. “We watch him on some of those run blocks, and some of his one-on-one drills with linebackers. He’s tough man. He’s got a little crazy in him. And he’s a great kid too.“
     Ellison’s penchant for physical play would not only make his New Zealand rugby ancestors proud, but it’s made a lot of new fans in Minnesota. “The fan base in Minnesota is incredible,” he says. “It’s a lot different than Los Angeles. It’s like a family everywhere you go.” And Ellison’s family knows Minnesota football all too well. “My mom grew up in Minnesota,” he says. “They were such a football family, the family drove around in a purple van, and it had huge horns on it for the Vikings.”
     The transition from California to the cold of Minnesota was also made easier when his USC teammate, Matt Kalil, was drafted in the first round. “We were roommates in training camp and on the road,” Ellison says of Kalil. “We know each other like brothers now.”
     This offseason, Ellison is spending most of his time back in California, training and continuing his education. Through the NFL player engagement program, Ellison has used the tuition reimbursement plan to get his Masters degree. He hopes to pursue an MBA in the near future as well. “Believe it or not, it’s actually easier to go to school now than it is when you’re in college. When you’re in school, you have to worry about practice and spring football. In the NFL, during the offseason, you can focus on your schoolwork, and as long as you’re passing, the league actually pays for the classes. To play football and get paid, and then have your classes taken care of as well? It doesn’t get better than that.”