Born in Kingston, Ontario, Elliott played hockey and football at his hometown Queen's University. While studying arts and later medicine, he captained Queen's rugby and hockey team.[1] He also played for the Kingston Granites, winners of the Canadian championship in 1899.[2] It was while at Queen's that Elliott earned his nickname Chaucer, after Geoffrey Chaucer due to his expansive vocabulary.[3] However, he left the university before graduating to organize a semi-professional baseball club in Kingston, Ontario.[2]
Career
In 1903, Elliott joined a Toronto baseball team that played within the Eastern League, and later moved to play in the New England League.[4] While playing minor league baseball, he also began his career as a hockey referee with the Ontario Hockey Association.[5] By 1906, Elliott began coaching the ORFU'sToronto Argonauts, where he was later appointed manager.[6] The following year, he was hired as the coach for the Montreal AAA's Winged Wheelers and an advisor for the organization.[5] He also managed the Oswego baseball team in the Empire League and attempted to organize an international baseball league.[7]