[Raven Hawk]

The Most Perfectly Planned Hero

by Klemu Hakkinen, The Football Fin

Elias Alvey isn't the type to sit still. He certainly isn't the type to give up. Growing up in Levittown, Pennsylvania - a suburb of Trenton, New Jersey - Alvey had a lot of obstacles to overcome. His father left his family when he was only three, forcing his mother to work two jobs to support her 3 children. The children pitched in at home the best that they could. Elias' two older sister, can be given credit for raising young Elias.

"Mom, was always at work. Always providin' for her family. Laya and Renee were the ones that kept me out of trouble," say Elias.

Some would say that Alvey inherited his mother's work effort. In high school, he was a varsity star, rushing for over 1500 yards in 13 games started. The hard inside running style that Alvey developed in high school would stick with him for years to come. It would become the mantle that he bore to his eventual success. Yet, that road was still long and still winding.

Alvey's high school efforts were enough to get the attention of a couple of scouts, however, many schools passed on him. It was Louisville that came to the table with a scholarship. With Alvey's mother still working two jobs to support the family, Elias made the choice to go with the scholarship.

In his freshman year at Louisville, depression hit young Alvey. He was red-shirted and moved to fullback. Elias always loved to carry the football and thought that he would make the depth chart at Louisville as a tailback. His coach informed him that he didn't have the speed of a tailback. Alvey didn't take that too well.

"Yeah when coach got all in my face about my speed, I decided that I had to do somethin'," says Elias.

Alvey spent the next three years focusing on building his speed. His work effort could not be questioned. Over these three years, Alvey developed a talent for breakaway speed. Once he got through the line, it was hard to catch him.

Jerrod Scharf, former teammate of Alvey at Louisville and current tight end of the Boise city Stampede recollects, "Those early days for Eli were hard. I remember going to the track at six in the morning and seeing him there. When I left at seven o'clock, he was still working on his speed."

This hard work eventually paid off. With two eligible seasons left, Alvey was named starting tailback for Louisville. He made the most of his efforts while there, running for 2876 yards on 628 carries and 19 TD's, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. This was good enough to get Alvey drafted in the 16th round of the Continental Football League's expansion draft going to the Tampa Bay Torpedos.

Alvey's first year in the league was cumbersome for him. He found himself in an offensive scheme that didn't take advantage of his skills.

"Them guys with the suits last year gave me no respect. Mr. moore(wade moore) understands me. He knows that I can carry this team," claims Alvey.

However under new management and a new head coach, Alvey has found himself having a career year. Through eight games, Alvey has racked up 866 yards on 224 yards for a modest 3.8 yards per carry average. However, what really has the fans in Tampa Bay coming out to see him is his 9 touchdowns, which leads the league. Alvey, however, is prepared to share some of the glory.

"I have to give my man Ed [Levy] some credit here. He stays out there in front and takes the big hits," states Alvey.

It is true that he has gotten some good blocks, but what remains the same is the power inside running game that Alvey developed in high school. Gameday opponents have been known to praise this ability in Alvey. One source told this reporter that it doesn't matter how many guys you stack up the middle, Alvey is going to get his 3 yards. Other sources have mentioned that if you don't get him down near the line of scrimage, he isn't going to stop until he hits the endzone.

Only one team has managed to put up a decent effort against Alvey, the 8-0 Charleston Six Packs. I asked Alvey about this game:

"Man, those chumps in Charleston got nothin. I just didn't get the ball enough. I could have worked that team by MYSELF."

It's true that the Six Packs held him to 76 yards, but that was on only 15 carries. With these kinds of outings, there is no doubt that Alvey should be considered for the CFL MVP award at the conclusion of the season.

As for Levittown, Pennsylvania, they boast that they are "The Most Perfectly Planned Community in America." Now, Elias Alvey has given them something else to boast about.