Athletes - Riki Ellison

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	Athletes - Riki Ellison

Riki Ellison (born August 15, 1960, in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a former linebacker who went by Riki Gray while in college at USC as an All Pac 10 player in 1982. Ellison was part of a team that went to the Rose Bowl and won a national championship.

The NFL San Francisco 49ers chose him with their fifth-round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. Jerry Attaway, his conditioning coach at USC and (teammate) Ronnie Lott had convinced Bill Walsh to take him.

Ellison won three Super Bowls during his six years with the 49ers and was drafted alongside a pair of future Pro Bowlers, running back Roger Craig and center/guard Jesse Sapolu. He played his final three seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders).

Ellison is part Maori. At eight, Ellison moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with his father, Dan, who went on to become an economic advisor to the United Nations. Shortly thereafter, Riki's parents divorced and he relocated with his mother to Los Angeles, where she remarried Dennis Gray. Ellison went to high school in Tucson, AZ.

In 1992, Ellison relocated his family (his wife was a USC cheerleader) to New Zealand and brought American football there via a college bowl game called the Haka Bowl televised on ESPN. It showcased schools from the Pac-10 and the WAC. Ellison became committed to the cause of missile defense in college when he studied under Professor Dr. Bill Van Cleave in USC's international relations department. Van Cleave was part of the SALT talks and an advisor to Ronald Reagan. Ellison took internships with defense companies throughout his years with the 49ers.

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