The Leopards' leader in rushing yards (597) and scoring (eight touchdowns) in 1971, Elgin was a four-year member of the football team from 1969-72. After graduating from Lafayette in 1973, he earned a Master's Degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University in 1975. Elgin served three-year stints as Sports Information Director both at Lafayette (1977-80) and at the University of Virginia (1980-83). In 1983, he left Charlottesville to become an assistant commissioner at the Sun Belt Conference in Tampa, a position he held for five years. In 1988, Elgin was named the ninth commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference, the NCAA's second-oldest Division I league.

During his long tenure with the St. Louis-based MVC, Elgin has overseen the Valley's rise to prominence as a top-ten conference in men's basketball and in other sports. One key element has been the establishment of its men's basketball tournament - known as Arch Madness - into one of the best in the nation. He and his staff have also made St. Louis a regular stop on the NCAA Tournament trail, hosting a total of 10 NCAA basketball events - including a Men's Final Four, two Women's Final Fours and seven men's Regionals - since 1998. The Valley brand has also been strengthened by the development of a league television package that now includes more than 60 live events annually on Fox Sports, ESPN and CBS. Elgin served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee from 1998-2002.

Elgin and his wife, Melaine, live in St. Louis. They have six daughters: Lisa, Jessica, Julie, Anna, Emma and Mary.