ALL-TIME BOBCATS: Elvis Akpla
5/24/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
Elvis Akpla finished his Bobcat career as impressively as anyone ever has
MAY 24: Each day until Montana State's 2019 season opener the staff of Bobcats By The Numbers will offer a look at one of the players to make one of the school's all-time teams, in alphabetical order. On November 21, 1933, The Exponent announced 37 players selected by a panel of former players and coaches, divided into three teams that comprised Montana State's "mythical" all-time team. In 1969, the Billings Gazette's Norm Clarke conducted a poll to select the school's all-time team, and again in 2000 Bobcat Athletics and the Billings Gazette selected a third all-time team. The BBTN staff added players from the 21st century.
Elvis Akpla, WR, 2009-11
ALL-TIME TEAM: 21st Century Selection
HONORS: 2011 – 3rd Team All-America, 1st Team All-Big Sky, Sonny Holland Offensive MVP, Cliff Hysell Award for Spirit & Courage.
A CLOSER LOOK: Fairly or not, Elvis Akpla came to Montana State in 2009 with a couple of labels. First, and most obviously, he was a transfer. He arrived at MSU with quarterback Cody Kempt from the University of Oregon. The stigmatism of transferring had long since passed by the time Akpla and Kempt arrived in Bozeman, if one ever really existed outside of coffee shops, but Akpla remained strongly, vocally attached to the Ducks. The less obvious label, though, was more damning. "Track guy." And Akpla was a track guy with amazing bona fides, beginning his college career in Oregon's history-steeped track and field program after an amazing high school career. Track athletes transitioning to the gridiron, especially after high school always carry that stigma, "track guy," which implies a lack of football skill and, importantly, the toughness to make it in pads and a helmet. But while keeping one foot in each world, Akpla's heart was always in football. After catching 27 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2009, Akpla broke out in 2010. Part of a dynamic Bobcat receiving corps that both benefitted and benefitted from freshman quarterback DeNarius McGhee's conference MVP season, Akpla caught 43 passes for 682 yards and four touchdowns. But the best was yet to come. As a senior, Akpla's 1,145 yards in 2011 was second-most in school history. And he capped it in spectacular fashion by making a catch in the team's playoff loss at Sam Houston State that was splattered all over ESPN SportsCenter and was called by many college football's catch of the year. A brilliant student who challenged himself academically, life took him away from his intended path of medical school. Instead, Akpla returned to his hometown of Portland and, after rising through the coaching ranks, has settled in as the successful head coach at Lakeridge High. Even more fun than the highlights, though, was watching Akpla's evolution. He became a player known for toughness, known for intelligence and leadership, and most importantly remains a player known for known for his intense loyalty to the Bobcats.
FROM THE CHRONICLE: "If you can't win one-on-one matchups outside, teams can put a corner on that side, cancel your receiver out, and put another guy inside. For me, the whole strategy of football starts with being able to win that one-on-one outside. With his size and speed, Elvis is a guy who can do that." – MSU coach Rob Ash, April 15, 2011, Bozeman Chronicle
Elvis Akpla, WR, 2009-11
ALL-TIME TEAM: 21st Century Selection
HONORS: 2011 – 3rd Team All-America, 1st Team All-Big Sky, Sonny Holland Offensive MVP, Cliff Hysell Award for Spirit & Courage.
A CLOSER LOOK: Fairly or not, Elvis Akpla came to Montana State in 2009 with a couple of labels. First, and most obviously, he was a transfer. He arrived at MSU with quarterback Cody Kempt from the University of Oregon. The stigmatism of transferring had long since passed by the time Akpla and Kempt arrived in Bozeman, if one ever really existed outside of coffee shops, but Akpla remained strongly, vocally attached to the Ducks. The less obvious label, though, was more damning. "Track guy." And Akpla was a track guy with amazing bona fides, beginning his college career in Oregon's history-steeped track and field program after an amazing high school career. Track athletes transitioning to the gridiron, especially after high school always carry that stigma, "track guy," which implies a lack of football skill and, importantly, the toughness to make it in pads and a helmet. But while keeping one foot in each world, Akpla's heart was always in football. After catching 27 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2009, Akpla broke out in 2010. Part of a dynamic Bobcat receiving corps that both benefitted and benefitted from freshman quarterback DeNarius McGhee's conference MVP season, Akpla caught 43 passes for 682 yards and four touchdowns. But the best was yet to come. As a senior, Akpla's 1,145 yards in 2011 was second-most in school history. And he capped it in spectacular fashion by making a catch in the team's playoff loss at Sam Houston State that was splattered all over ESPN SportsCenter and was called by many college football's catch of the year. A brilliant student who challenged himself academically, life took him away from his intended path of medical school. Instead, Akpla returned to his hometown of Portland and, after rising through the coaching ranks, has settled in as the successful head coach at Lakeridge High. Even more fun than the highlights, though, was watching Akpla's evolution. He became a player known for toughness, known for intelligence and leadership, and most importantly remains a player known for known for his intense loyalty to the Bobcats.
FROM THE CHRONICLE: "If you can't win one-on-one matchups outside, teams can put a corner on that side, cancel your receiver out, and put another guy inside. For me, the whole strategy of football starts with being able to win that one-on-one outside. With his size and speed, Elvis is a guy who can do that." – MSU coach Rob Ash, April 15, 2011, Bozeman Chronicle
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