Former Football: Elijah McGuire’™s family, friends rooting for another Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl

Chris Singleton, The Courrier, Jan. 29, 2021 (Reprinted in the Daily Advertiser)

Elijah McGuire will get a chance to win a second consecutive Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.

McGuire, a Houma native and former Vandebilt Catholic and University of Louisiana at Lafayette running back, is in his second season as a practice squad member of the Chiefs.

Kansas City will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7.

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Octavia McGuire, who is Elijah’s sister, said she can’t wait for the big game.

“It would be very exciting to see him get another ring,” she said. “It was so much fun last year. He knows I will always be his No. 1 fan.”

Vandebilt Catholic assistant athletic director Kayla Vicknair, who is McGuire’s former academic advisor and a family friend, said the school is excited to see McGuire back in the Super Bowl.

“We will definitely be rooting for the Chiefs,” Vicknair said. “We’re excited for him. I know he’s excited to have an opportunity to win another championship. Every time I’ve spoken to him, he has seemed very confident. He just keeps pushing harder to fulfill his dreams.”

Darrell Murry, who is McGuire’s former travel basketball coach and mentor, said McGuire’s journey to the NFL had inspired many young athletes in the Houma area.

“I’m super proud of him,” Murry said. “We talk often, but it’s barely about football. It’s more about life. He deserves everything he gets. He works real hard. He has a lot of passion about what he does.”

McGuire, 26, is in his fourth season in the NFL. He starred at UL from 2013-16, finishing as the second all-time leading rusher in program history with 4,202 rushing yards.

Houma native Elijah McGuire shows off his Super Bowl ring outside of Arrowhead Stadium.

He has also spent time as a practice squad member with the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys.

Vandebilt girls basketball coach Jerwaski Coleman, who also helped coached McGuire in football, said McGuire has remained positive despite battling various injuries and bouncing around on different practice squads.

“He’s just excited to have the opportunity to actually live out his dreams and play in the NFL,” Coleman said. “I don’t think he wants to be on the practice squad. He wants to be on the active roster, but I told him to keep grinding and one day the grind is going to reward you. The grind is rewarding him now by being with a NFL team. That’s a dream for a lot of people, and he’s actually living it.”

Athletic Network Footnote by Dr. Ed Dugas.
Click here for Elijah’s Athletic Network profile.
Click here for the 2016 Football Photo Gallery, Elijah’s final UL football season.