He served as the head football coach at
Illinois College from 1934 to 1936 and at the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1942 to 1959, compiling a career
college football record of 98–80–12. Eliot was also the head baseball coach at Illinois College from 1933 to 1937. His
Illinois Fighting Illini football teams won three
Big Ten Conference championships (1946, 1951, and 1953) and two
Rose Bowls (1947 and 1952). Notable players during Eliot's tenure included
Bobby Mitchell and
Ray Nitschke. Eliot stepped down in 1959 and was succeeded by
Pete Elliott. Eliot, who spent almost his entire career at the University of Illinois—he was a student athlete, an assistant football coach, head football coach, associate
athletic director, and finally the interim athletic director for the university—was nicknamed "Mr. Illini." He attended the University of Illinois, played as a
guard on the football team in 1930 and 1931, and was a member of
Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. Eliot was also the first head coach of the Illini hockey team in 1937. ==Personal life==