South Brunswick Native Is Head Football Coach At Duke University

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — South Brunswick native Mike Elko was recently named head coach of Duke University’s football program, Duke Athletics announced.

Elko, 44, is the 22nd head coach in Duke football history.

"He [Elko] brings with him a record of coaching success, producing some of the nation's top-ranked defenses on a number of campuses," Duke University President Vincent E. Price said during a press conference.

"He brings with him a keen understanding of how athletics can support the identity and campus life of a complex research institution. And perhaps more importantly, he brings with him an unwavering commitment to the academic and the personal success of his student-athletes. These are values that are vitally important to Duke Athletics, and we feel very confident that our football program is in excellent hands with Mike," Price said in a Duke Athletics media release.

Elko grew up in South Brunswick and graduated from South Brunswick High School in 1995. He then went to the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in history. While at Penn, he was a part of the football team’s Ivy League Championship in 1998.

In Elko's 23 years of coaching, he spent 18 as a defensive coordinator, including eight at the FBS Power 5 level. He has twice been named a semifinalist for the Frank Broyles Award – in 2017 and 2021 - given annually to the top assistant coach in college football, according to Duke Athletics.

He has coached football at various universities including, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Stony Brook, Penn, Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green, and Hofstra.

“I cannot wait to pour every ounce of energy and passion that I have for this great game into this program and this university,” Elko said during a press conference introducing him on campus. “I'm so looking forward to this opportunity. I'm grateful for every opportunity I've been given along the way, but this one is special and this one is the time.”

Elko was inducted into the South Brunswick Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

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