Elliott Maddox was born in East Orange, New Jersey on December 21, 1947. He was a Union County resident from kindergarten until graduation from Union High School. Elliott attended Burnett Junior High, where he played two years of baseball, and played shortstop and third base at Union High, earning All-State first team honors in 1965 and 1966. He also played for the American Legion All-Stars, coached by Edward “Buzzy” Fox, who won the Greater Metropolitan American Legion Tournament in 1965.  At the University of Michigan he won the 1968 Big Ten Conference batting title with a .467 average.

Scouted by Elizabeth’s Irving “Rabbit” Jacobson, Elliott was a first-round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in 1968 and had minor league stints with Lakeland in the Florida State League, batting .314, and Rocky Mount in the Carolina League. He played outfield and infield with Rocky Mount again in 1969 and finished the season with 124 hits and a .301 batting average.

Maddox made his big league debut when the Tigers offered him a contract in 1970. He played a number of positions with Detroit that season and was part of a major trade that fall to the Washington Senators along with Denny McLain, Norm McRae and Don Wert for Joe Coleman, Jim Hannon, Ed Brinkman and Aurelio Rodriguez. Elliott had 56 hits with the Senators in 1971, the team’s final year in D.C. before they resurfaced as the Texas Rangers. He played two seasons with Texas before being sold to the New York Yankees in March of 1974.

Primarily a centerfielder, Maddox had his most productive major league season in 1974 with the Yanks. He led the team with a .303 average and had 141 hits and 69 walks in 137 games. Elliott scored 75 runs that season with a .395 on-base percentage. Injuries severely limited his playing time with the Yankees during the next two seasons, but he did manage a triple for the Yanks in their World Series loss vs. the Reds in 1976. Elliott was traded during the off-season to the Baltimore Orioles for Paul Blair. He played out his option with the Orioles during another injury-plagued season and signed with the New York Mets in November 1977.

Elliott Maddox played his final three seasons in the majors from 1978 through 1980. The Mets were a team in need of changes and they eventually converted him from an outfielder to a third baseman. Injuries over the years had taken their toll, but Maddox continued to contribute on the field, winning the 1980 National League third base fielding title. He played in 335 games during his years with the Mets before he was released by the team in February 1981.

In 1989, as U.S. Ambassador of Sports, Maddox visited Poland, where he initiated Little League baseball programs in four cities, including Warsaw and Wroclaw. He returned to the big leagues as a coach for the Yankees in 1990 and 1991 under Buck Showalter.

Elliott Maddox played 11 years in the major leagues for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers. He had a lifetime batting average of .261 with 18 home runs, 121 doubles, 16 triples, 360 runs scored and 234 RBI’s in his major league career. He is currently available to appear at fundraisers, dinners, golf outings, trade shows, store promotions or to act as a corporate spokesperson, give a motivational talk or to sign premium and gift items for a corporation. If you are interested in having Elliott appear at your function call or email Lerner Sports Marketing Today.