Villanova Univeristy Athletics

The only player in school history to be a two-time conference Defensive Player of the Year, Curtis Eller was a two-time All-American and remained the Wildcats all-time leading tackler at the time of his Hall of Fame induction. He played for Villanova from 1989-92 and was named to the Yankee Conference 50^th Anniversary Team four years later. Eller graduated from Villanova in 1993 and was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2008 in his first year of eligibility.
 
In the still-early years of the Wildcats tenure as an FCS program, Eller was a standout performer on a national level. His freshman season in 1989 was only Villanova’s second year as a member of the Yankee Conference and Eller would be a part of teams that tallied a 33-14 (.702) record while reaching the FCS playoffs three times in four years. Villanova went 24-8 in conference play during Eller’s career and won a share of the Yankee Conference titles in 1989 and 1991; the 1992 team was the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy. Eller was chosen by the Sporting News as its National Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 and he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
 
Villanova’s all-time leader in tackles surpassed 100 total stops in three of his four collegiate seasons. Eller was named a first team AFCA All-American for both the 1991 and 1992 seasons, with the Associated Press naming him to their first team All-America squad in 1992. He was additionally a Sports Network second team All-America selection for both the 1991 and 1992 campaigns, as well as the Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Year both seasons. Eller was a three-time selection to the Yankee Conference first team defense and a two-time honoree on the ECAC first team defense. He was a seven-time Yankee Conference weekly honoree, including two selections as the league’s Defensive Player of the Week in 1992 and five career mentions on the weekly Honor Roll.
 
Eller recorded a school-record 439 total tackles during his career, including 274 solo stops and 165 assisted tackles. His career totals included 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks and 34 passes defended. Eller had 11 career interceptions which he returned for a combined total of 132 yards and a touchdown to go along with 23 career pass breakups. He also had 12 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and a safety to his credit.
 
As a freshman in 1989, Eller burst onto the collegiate scene with 105 tackles (67 solo) and a pair of interceptions. Villanova went 6-2 in conference play to earn a share of the Yankee Conference title and played the first FCS playoff game in program history against eventual national champion Georgia Southern. Eller followed his first collegiate season with 87 tackles and a career-high four interceptions his sophomore year while earning his first Yankee Conference all-league honor.
 
Another conference title was in store for the Wildcats in 1991 as the team went 10-2 overall and finished 7-1 in the Yankee standings. Eller did his part, recording 101 tackles (62 solo) on the season while being credited with four tackles for loss and two sacks. He had three interceptions and scored his only career touchdown with a pick-six in front of a sellout home crowd that saw Villanova drub Boston University in a 56-6 rout. Eller earned his first career All-America honors in 1991 and became the Wildcats first player to earn a major postseason award from the Yankee Conference when he was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
The best season of Eller’s career was his 1992 senior campaign. His 146 total tackles that year rank ninth in a single season in the Villanova record book. He totaled 96 solo stops and 50 assisted tackles while making 14 tackles for loss and five sacks, all career highs. Eller’s stat line for the 1992 season included two interceptions, five pass breakups, six forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He repeated as an All-American and the Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Eller had the biggest game of his career in a 27-20 win over Connecticut in his home state on October 10, 1992. He recorded 23 tackles on the day, 20 of which were solo, and had two tackles for loss to go along with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. He was chosen as both the Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Week and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week, as well as earning national recognition as the National Defensive Player of the Week as selected by the Don Hansen Football Gazette/USA Today.
 
Following the 1996 college football season the Yankee Conference named 26 players from the previous half century to its 50^th Anniversary Team. In addition to being an All-American and a Villanova Hall of Famer, Eller earned mention on multiple College Football Hall of Fame ballots. Eller’s jersey number – 42 – was retired on the Wall of Fame in Villanova Stadium in 1998.