Cliff Ellis
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| Cliff Ellis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball | |
| Born | December 05, 1945 (age 61) | |
| Place of birth | Marianna, Florida  |
|
| Career Highlights | ||
| Overall | 534-337 [1] | |
| Coaching positions | ||
| 1994-2004 1984-1994 1975-1984 1972-1975 |
Auburn Clemson South Alabama Cumberland University |
|
Cliff Ellis (born December 5, 1945 in Marianna, Florida) is a retired American college basketball coach.[2] His 534 victories rank him 29th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in Division 1 basketball.[1] He was national coach of the year in 1999 at Auburn, when his Tigers won 29 games and captured the school’s first SEC championship in 40 years. In 1990 he coached Clemson to its only ACC title in history and his South Alabama teams won Sun Belt Conference regular-season championships in 1979, 1980 and 1981. At both Clemson and South Alabama he holds school records for coaching victories and he is the second-winningest coach in Auburn history.[3]
Ellis is a musician, an author and a gourmet cook. He's even been an ostrich farmer. He and his music group, the Villagers, were one of the Southeast's hottest acts in the mid-1960s. Before he'd ever coached a college game, he had published a book on the 1-3-1 zone press.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Coaching Career
[edit] High School
- Assistant coach at Ruckle Junior High in Niceville, Florida (1968-1969) [2]
- Head coach at Niceville High in Niceville, FL. (1969-1971) [2]
- Head coach at Vanguard High in Ocala, Florida (1971-1972) [2]
[edit] College
| Season | School | Record | Percentage | Conference | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-1973 | Cumberland | 20-5 | .800 | 2nd | n/a |
| 1973-1974 | Cumberland | 34-2 | .944 | Champions | n/a |
| 1974-1975 | Cumberland | 24-5 | .828 | Champions | n/a |
| 1975-1976 | South Alabama | 18-9 | .667 | n/a | - |
| 1976-1977 | South Alabama | 17-10 | .630 | 3-3 (3rd) | - |
| 1977-1978 | South Alabama | 18-10 | .630 | 3-7 (4th) | - |
| 1978-1979 | South Alabama | 20-7 | .740 | 10-0 (Champions) | NCAA Midwest (first round) |
| 1979-1980 | South Alabama | 23-6 | .793 | 12-2 (Champions) | NCAA Midwest (first round) |
| 1980-1981 | South Alabama | 25-6 | .806 | 9-3 (Champions) | NIT (quarterfinals) |
| 1981-1982 | South Alabama | 12-16 | .429 | 2-8 (6th) | - |
| 1982-1983 | South Alabama | 16-12 | .571 | 6-8 (5th) | - |
| 1983-1984 | South Alabama | 22-8 | .733 | 9-5 (2nd) | NIT (second round) |
| 1984-1985 | Clemson | 16-13 | .552 | 5-9 (t-6th) | NIT (second round) |
| 1984-1985 | Clemson | 16-13 | .552 | 5-9 (t-6th) | NIT (first round) |
| 1985-1986 | Clemson | 19-15 | .559 | 3-11 (7th) | NIT (quarterfinals) |
| 1986-1987 | Clemson | 25-6 | .806 | 10-4 (2nd) | NCAA Southeast (first round) |
| 1987-1988 | Clemson | 14-15 | .483 | 4-10 (7th) | NIT (first round) |
| 1988-1989 | Clemson | 19-11 | .633 | 7-7 (6th) | NCAA West (second round) |
| 1989-1990 | Clemson | 24-8 | .750 | 10-4 (Champions) | NCAA East (Sweet 16) |
| 1990-1991 | Clemson | 11-17 | .392 | 2-12 (7th) | - |
| 1991-1992 | Clemson | 14-14 | .500 | 4-12 (9th) | - |
| 1992-1993 | Auburn | 17-13 | .567 | 5-11 (7th) | NIT (second round) |
| 1993-1994 | Clemson | 18-16 | .592 | 6-10 (t-7th) | NIT (quarterfinals) |
| 1994-1995 | Auburn | 16-13 | .552 | 7-9 (4th-Western) | NIT (first round) |
| 1995-1996 | Auburn | 19-13 | .452 | 6-10 (t-4th-Western) | NIT (first round) |
| 1996-1997 | Auburn | 16-15 | .516 | 6-10 (t-3rd-Western) | - |
| 1997-1998 | Auburn | 16-14 | .533 | 7-9 (3rd-Western) | NIT (second round) |
| 1998-1999 | Auburn | 29-4 | .879 | 14-2 (Champions) | NCAA South (Sweet 16) |
| 1999-2000 | Auburn | 24-10 | .706 | 9-7 (2nd-Western) | NIT (second round) |
| 2000-2001 | Auburn | 18-14 | .563 | 7-9 (t-4th-Western) | NIT (second round) |
| 2001-2002 | Auburn | 12-16 | .429 | 4-12 (6th-Western) | - |
| 2002-2003 | Auburn | 22-12 | .647 | 8-8 (t-2nd-Western) | NCAA East (Sweet 16) |
[edit] Cumberland
Ellis was head coach and Athletic Director at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee from 1972 to 1975.[2]
[edit] South Alabama
Ellis was head coach at the University of South Alabama from 1975 to 1984.[2] He is the all-time winningest coach in South Alabama history with a 171-84 during nine seasons.[4] When Ellis became head coach, the administrators at South Alabama were thinking of dropping to Divion II. Four years later, he had the Jaguars in the NCAA Tournament and six seasons later, they were ranked in the nation's top 10.[4]
Ellis, also was the athletic director during part of his tenure, led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and two NITs.[4]
[edit] Clemson
On April 3, 1984 the former South Alabama coach was named the head basketball coach at Clemson University. Ellis replaced Bill Foster, who left for the University of Miami.[5] Ellis led Clemson to its one and only ACC Championship in history in 1990 and was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year (1987 and 1990).[4]
[edit] Auburn
He led the Tigers to the 1999 SEC Championship with a 29-4 record, a state of Alabama record for most wins. The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 this season for the second time in five years, and Auburn's 22-12 record marked the third-most wins in school history. Along with the 24-10 record and NCAA Tournament second round appearance in 1999-2000, Ellis coached Auburn to the top three single- season victory marks in school history.[4]
Ellis claimed his 500th career Division I coaching victory in a 100-71 win over Georgia State November 26, 2002, to become only the 34th coach to reach the milestone since the NCAA started Division I play in 1948-1949.[4]
[edit] Awards
- 1987 ACC Coach of the Year
- 1987 Kodak (NABC) District III Coach of the Year
- 1990 ACC Coach of the Year
- 1990 Kodak (NABC) District III Coach of the Year
- 1990 UPI ACC Coach of the Year
- 1990 US Basketball Writers District III Coach of the Year
- 1995 SEC Coach of the Year
- 1999 National Coach of the Year
- 1999 SEC Coach of the Year
- 2000 National Coach of the YearFinalist
[edit] References
- ^ a b Division I Coaching Records. NCAA.org (2006-08-06). Retrieved on March 5, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Head Coach Cliff Ellis. AuburnTigers.us. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
- ^ Former Auburn coach to speak to Chipola boosters. Chipola.edu (2005-09-26). Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Auburn Head Coach Cliff Ellis To Be Inducted Into Mobile Sports Hall Of Fame. Test.com (2003-04-22). Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
- ^ Sports People; Comings and Goings. New York Times (1984-04-03). Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
