Sports

Former NY Giant, Toms River Resident, Strives to 'Impact the World'

Keith Elias helps coordinate Heroes and Cool Kids, a character and leadership program at 60 school across the state

Toms River resident and former New York Giant Keith Elias believes Ocean County was and is a great place to be.

Elias, a graduate of and former running back for the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts, now is a motivational speaker who travels the world.

But his current career goes back to his past profession, experiences and Lacey, Elias said.

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“If it wasn’t the town, it was my parents, my family, my three brothers; the four of us,” he said. “It’s the foundation of who I am. Lacey's still home and I have so many fond memories.”

Elias’ family always took trips, road bikes locally, participated in recreational programs and more. Football, on the other hand, came naturally.

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“I think I was just born with that,” he said. “I watched football on television. I always wanted to do what I saw. I just wanted to be a part of that. It appealed to me because of the physical elements of it. The team aspect appealed to me as well, being a leader of men.”

Being a football player, especially under high school coach Lou Vircillo, developed character in Elias, he said.

“There are things that you learn in sports and specifically in football that you don’t get in any other element or part of society,” he said. “The physical aspect lends itself to creating a personality that number one is able to handle adversity… It also promotes a desire to win and achieve in life and gives you the ability to balance and know that the team is more important than any one individual.”

Playing under Vircillo taught Elias that character is more important than success, he said. “And we were probably the most successful team,” he said

Under Vircillo, Elias took home two state championships and was a part of his first undefeated football team.

Elias graduated fifth in his high school class and went on to Princeton University where he holds many rushing and scoring records and led the Tigers to an Ivy League championship.

He moved on to play for the New York Giants from 1994 through 1996 and the Colts in 1998 and 1999.

“The first thing about my NFL career is that playing in the NFL was the most disappointing experience of my life,” he said. “Disappointment fueled everything else.”

Elias thought his life would be perfect while playing in the NFL, he said. “I thought cars, money, girls, that’s all you really need in life.”

“It did give me those things but I didn’t anticipate that those things weren’t going to satisfy me,” he said. “It made me ask bigger questions — what is life all about? That’s when I really became a man of faith.”

Elias became a devout Christian, a transformation which fuels his career today.

“That change early in my career in the NFL really set the table for everything that I do now,” he said. “I look at my life not only for what I can do for me but how I can impact the world. You impact the world one person at the time.”

Elias began speaking while he was on the Giants and continued while he was working different jobs.

“I found myself taking more time off to speak at schools,” he said. “Suddenly that became what I do.”

His mission in speaking is for people to be better for it, he said. “They feel encouraged, inspired and empowered to be a better man.”

Elias has become involved in the Heroes and Cool Kids program at 60 schools across the state, including in Lacey Township. Heroes and Cool Kids is a non-profit character and leadership program.

Through this program, professional athletes train high school students to mentor middle school students on life skills. The focus of Heroes and Cool Kids is on anti-bullying, sportsmanship, conflict resolution and positive lifestyle choices.

This is the first year that the Lacey Township School District is participating, Elias said. He helps put on three programs at the elementary schools throughout the year on character, anti-bullying and drugs and alcohol.

“I talk about choice,” Elias said of assemblies that he speaks at. “To make the choice to be the voice in their generation and not the echo. It boils down to choices. Helping kids, helping anyone really, get a vision for their lives and who they were created to be.”

Elias, now a Toms River resident, primarily speaks in the northeast but has participated in events across the world including Iraq, where he spoke to active military troops.

“I’ve got to see a little bit of the world and the country trying to bring a message of hope,” he said.

To learn more about Elias and his mission, visit his website “Speak Life.” 


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