A Number to Remember: Vandebilt Catholic honoring Elijah McGuire with jersey retirement
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Elijah McGuire doesn’t return home to Houma very often, the result of a busy lifestyle in his adopted hometown of Houston. He’s the father of three girls, and for the first time since the end of his NFL career, the 31-year-old has delved into coaching 10U youth football.
Weddings and birthdays are big occasions to return home for, but McGuire will be on hand Friday when his alma mater, Vandebilt Catholic, officially retires his No. 15 jersey. The special moment will take place at halftime of the District 8-4A contest between Lutcher (2-2, 1-0) and Vandebilt (4-0, 1-0), which kicks off at 7 p.m. at Buddy Marcello Stadium.
“I’m honored, I’m grateful,” McGuire said. “There will be a lot of mixed emotions from me. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be nice.”
McGuire, a standout for the Terriers between 2009-2012, will become the second player in the history of the school to receive such an honor. He’ll join former defensive tackle star Karl Morgan, a former second-team All-American at UCLA and NFL player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Oilers, to have his jersey retired.
“I don’t post much on Facebook, but I do pay attention,” McGuire said. “When the details came out that I was getting my jersey retired, I read where there was another guy that got his jersey retired, and I thought Wow. I know there’s some great talent that went there. For me to be in the category with that guy (Morgan), and congrats to him as well, it’s great. I’m honored.”
Morgan, a 1979 graduate of Vandebilt, served as college assistant coach at seven different schools, including Purdue of the Big 10 Conference, before taking over as head coach at Mississippi Valley State.
“It’s always a great opportunity to honor alumni who not only performed on the field, but have done great things off of it,” said second-year Vandebilt head coach Brian Wallace. “It goes to show that no matter where you’re, you can achieve whatever goals you have.
“Elijah did that at Vandebilt,” Wallace said. “To be able to honor him and bring back people to be in attendance that helped and supported and were teammates will be great. I’m excited we have this opportunity to recognize and honor him for his accomplishments as a Terrier. We’re just fortunate we’re able to do that.”
McGuire was a generational player during his high school career, helping to lead Vandebilt’s program, coached by Laury Dupont and Brad Villavaso during his career, to new heights.
McGuire entered the program as a running back and found himself taking over at quarterback following the tragic death of quarterback T.J. Cantrelle in an automobile accident on Sept. 26, 2010.
He became the team’s quarterback for his final two seasons, leading the Terriers to their first district championship in 10 seasons and first trip to the state quarterfinals in five years.
McGuire was named to the Class 4A All-State first team as an athlete, leading the state with 2,603 yards rushing (11.8 yards per carry) and 31 touchdowns for a team that went 11-2. He also passed for 497 yards and five touchdowns.
McGuire was originally a member of the Class of 2014, but because of the additional coursework he passed in the summer, he graduated a year early and wasn’t met with an abundance of college scholarship offers.
“All of the big schools came the following year, but I was already gone,” McGuire said. “I had reclassified, and a lot of colleges didn’t know that.”
UL’s Ragin’ Cajuns, of then head coach Mark Hudspeth, were more than happy to sign McGuire, who evolved into one of the program’s greatest players and an NFL Draft pick.
“I was appreciative of the offer, which was my only offer out of high school,” he said. “I don’t regret it and would do it all over again. I went to UL with no expectations of succeeding like I did.”
McGuire enjoyed a career at UL that left him as the school’s second-leading rusher, leading receiver among running backs, all-time leader in touchdowns, and points scored. He was a four-time member of the All-Sun Belt Conference team and was the league’s Freshman of the Year (2013) and both Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year (2014).
He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame last October.
“I have to give the credit to the fellow running backs,” McGuire said. “They knew a lot about the game as far as blocking schemes, blitz pick up, knowing the defenses. I played quarterback in high school, so I didn’t know a lot about that stuff. Going to UL as a full time running back, the fellow backs that were there, and were in the system for quite some time, taught me everything I needed to know. (Running backs) Coach (Marquase) Lovings coached with a passion and brought the best out of me.”
McGuire, owner of the school’s third-best rushing game of 265 yards against Arkansas State in 2014, put together three straight seasons of 1,000 yards or more rushing after his freshman year.
The highlight of his career was ’14 when he was named the Sun Belt’s top player, rushing for 1,264 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes for 468 yards and two TDs.
“I didn’t really like all of the attention,” McGuire said. “We came in on a Monday after a game, and there was an article that had come out that named me Mr. UL. Coach Lovings made a big deal of it, had a cake for us (running backs), and I wondered what was going on. He said you couldn’t say UL without saying Elijah McGuire. I had never thought of it that way. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but it was nice for him to say that.”
McGuire helped UL to two victories in three bowl appearances and was only second to Tyrell Fenroy in career rushing with 4,312 yards and 42 touchdowns on 711 attempts – a figure that ranked him sixth all-time in Louisiana collegiate history. He was the school’s only back with two 200-yard games and had 16 games of 100 yards or more.
Receiving was another area that demonstrated McGuire’s skills. He’s still the school’s all-time leader among running backs for receptions in a game (10), season (45), and career (129 for 1,383). He’s also No. 1 in total touchdowns (52) and points scored (318) and shares the school’s record with five touchdowns in a game against Northwestern State in ’15.
McGuire also earned honors from the LSWA on its All-Louisiana team, twice a first team choice, and was chosen Freshman of the Year (’13) and Player of the Year (’14).
“I had a great career there,” said McGuire, who also returned 28 punts for an 8.1-yard average and was MVP of the East-West Shrine Game in ’17.
McGuire’s greatest accomplishment was leaving UL with a General Studies degree, the youngest of six children to attend and graduate from college.
“Getting my degree was important,” he said. “We all graduated from high school, but I was the first one from my family to graduate from college. That was big for me.”
McGuire rode the momentum of a college career that showcased his versatility, which was evident during his postseason all-star game appearance. The New York Jets took notice, drafting McGuire in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, setting in motion a career that lasted four years with stops with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins.
During the ’20 season, he was a member of Kansas City’s practice squad and earned a Super Bowl ring when the Chiefs defeated the San Franciso 49ers, 31-20, for the World Championship.
For his professional career, McGuire rushed for 591 yards and 4 TDs and caught 36 passes for 370 yards and 2 TDs.
McGuire has since transitioned to giving back to the game that gave him so much. He’s first foray into coaching has provided the opportunity to impact young children in the Houston area, and when he returns home Friday, he’s been asked by Wallace to address this year’s Vandebilt team.
“I’m enjoying giving back to the game,” McGuire said. “Just giving the knowledge to the kids that I have playing little league myself, going to junior high, high school, college, and to the NFL. I want to talk about my time at Vandebilt and some of the things you need to do to succeed in getting to go to college or the next level. It’s an honor.”