Cliff Ellis
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | Coastal Carolina |
Record | 134–88 |
Biographical details | |
Born | Marianna, Florida | December 5, 1945
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 614–385 (.615) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
SEC Regular Season Championship (1999) Sun Belt Regular Season Championship (1979, 1980) Big South Regular Season Championship (2010, 2011) Big South South Division Championship (2014) Big South Tournament Championship (2014) | |
Awards | |
SEC Coach of the Year (1995, 1999) ACC Coach of the Year (1987, 1990) Big South Coach of the Year (2010) Cumberland Athletics Hall of Fame | |
Cliff Ellis (born December 5, 1945) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University.[1] Going into the 2011–2012 season, Coach Ellis's 614 victories rank him 50th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in Division 1 basketball.[2] 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 regular-season first-place finish. 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 was born in Marianna, Florida. He is a musician, an author and a gourmet cook. He has 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.[1]
Entering the 2013-14 season, Ellis' 647 victories ranks him 27th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in the history of Division I basketball. While at Coastal Carolina, Ellis has amassed a pair of Big South regular season championships, making him one of only two coaches in NCAA history to win conference titles at four different institutions. Furthermore, Ellis is also one of two coaches to win championships in both the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference.
Ellis is a member of three Halls of Fame after entering Clemson's in 2013. He was already part of the Mobile Sports and Cumberland College Halls of Fame.
Ellis has been a successful coach throughout his career, amassing a Division I record of 647-412 (.611) and 725-423 (.631) as a head coach overall at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season. In addition, Ellis ranks 10th in NCAA Division I wins among active coaches. He is also just one of 10 coaches in NCAA Division I history to post 100 or more wins at three separate schools and has been named conference Coach of the Year six times in his career.
Coaching career
High school
- Assistant coach at Ruckle Junior High in Niceville, Florida (1968–1969)[1]
- Assistant coach at Niceville High in Niceville, Florida (1969–1971)[1]
- Head coach at Vanguard High in Ocala, Florida (1971–1972)[1]
College
Cumberland
Ellis was head coach and Athletic Director at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee from 1972 to 1975.[1]
South Alabama
Ellis was head coach at the University of South Alabama from 1975 to 1984.[1] 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 Division 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]
Clemson
On April 3, 1984 the former South Alabama coach was named the head basketball coach at Clemson University. In 10 years at Clemson, Ellis led the Tigers to postseason play eight times, including three NCAA Tournaments. His best team was the 1989-90 unit, which tallied the only Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title in school history and made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen--the second-deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history. He was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year (1987 and 1990).[4] He is currently the winningest coach in Clemson history.
Auburn
Ellis led the Tigers to the 1999 SEC Championship with a 29–4 record, the most wins ever recorded by a Division I team in the state of Alabama. The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 in 1998–99 and in 2002–03 under Ellis. Ellis coached Auburn to the top three single season victory marks in school history, with the 1998–99 season, the 1999–2000 season when Auburn went 24–10, and the 2002–03 season where Auburn went 22–12.[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 1948–49.[4]
At the end of the 2003–04 season, Ellis resigned from his position at Auburn. He remained in the Auburn community, where his wife Carolyn ran for a state legislature seat in 2006.
Coastal Carolina
On Monday, July 2, 2007, Ellis was named Coastal Carolina's head basketball coach.
In the 2009–10 season, he led the Chanticleers to the school's first conference championship since 1990–91. Coastal set new school records for victories in conference play (15) and the regular season (26) in the process.
In the 2010–2011 season, he led the Chanticleers to the school's second conference championship since 1900–91. Coastal Carolina (28–6) made its second straight trip to the NIT after earning an automatic bid by winning the Big South regular season title with a 16–2 mark inside the conference. The Chanticleers opened league play with 15 straight victories and went on to set an all-time Big South record for conference wins in a season.
It’s the second straight season that Coastal Carolina has captured the Big South regular season title and the first time since the 1990 and 1991 seasons that the Chanticleers have won consecutive league titles.
The Chanticleers were also a perfect 9–0 on the road in conference this season and became just the second team in league history to accomplish that feat. In addition, the Chants are also the first team in conference history to win five Big South road games by at least 20 points. Coastal won by 22 at VMI (Jan. 6), 21 at UNC Asheville (Jan. 20), 24 at High Point (Jan. 27), 23 at Radford (Jan. 29) and 20 at Presbyterian (Feb. 10).
Coastal Carolina is also the first team in Big South history to win at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons and also now owns the conference record for the most wins in consecutive seasons with 56.
During the 2010–2011 season, Coastal Carolina owned the nation's longest win streak with 22 wins.
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Alabama (Sun Belt Conference) (1975–1984) | |||||||||
1975–76 | South Alabama | 18–9 | n/a | n/a | |||||
1976–77 | South Alabama | 17–10 | 3–3 | 3rd | |||||
1977–78 | South Alabama | 18–10 | 3–7 | 4th | |||||
1978–79 | South Alabama | 20–7 | 10–0 | 1st | NCAA First round | ||||
1979–80 | South Alabama | 23–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA First round | ||||
1980–81 | South Alabama | 25–6 | 9–3 | 1st | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
1981–82 | South Alabama | 12–16 | 2–8 | 6th | |||||
1982–83 | South Alabama | 16–12 | 6–8 | 5th | |||||
1983–84 | South Alabama | 22–8 | 9–5 | 2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
South Alabama: | 171–84 (.671) | 54–36 (.600) | |||||||
Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1984–1994) | |||||||||
1984–85 | Clemson | 16–13 | 5–9 | T–6th | NIT First Round | ||||
1985–86 | Clemson | 19–15 | 3–11 | 7th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
1986–87 | Clemson | 25–6 | 10–4 | 2nd | NCAA First Round | ||||
1987–88 | Clemson | 14–15 | 4–10 | 7th | NIT First Round | ||||
1988–89 | Clemson | 19–11 | 7–7 | 6th | NCAA Second Round | ||||
1989–90 | Clemson | 25–9 | 10–4 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1990–91 | Clemson | 11–17 | 2–12 | 7th | |||||
1991–92 | Clemson | 14–14 | 4–12 | 9th | |||||
1992–93 | Clemson | 17–13 | 5–11 | 7th | NIT Second Round | ||||
1993–94 | Clemson | 18–16 | 6–10 | T–7th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
Clemson: | 193–142 (.576) | 61–87 (.412) | |||||||
Auburn (SEC West) (1994–2004) | |||||||||
1994–95 | Auburn | 16–13 | 7–9 | 4th | NIT First Round | ||||
1995–96 | Auburn | 19–13 | 6–10 | T–4th | NIT First Round | ||||
1996–97 | Auburn | 16–15 | 6–10 | T–3rd | |||||
1997–98 | Auburn | 16–14 | 7–9 | 3rd | NIT Second Round | ||||
1998–99 | Auburn | 29–4 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1999–00 | Auburn | 24–10 | 9–7 | 2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2000–01 | Auburn | 18–14 | 7–9 | T–4th | NIT Second Round | ||||
2001–02 | Auburn | 12–15 | 4–12 | 6th | |||||
2002–03 | Auburn | 22–12 | 8–8 | T–2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
2003–04 | Auburn | 14–14 | 5–11 | T–4th | |||||
Auburn: | 186–125 (.598) | 73–87 (.456) | |||||||
Coastal Carolina (Big South Conference) (2007–present) | |||||||||
2007–08 | Coastal Carolina | 13–15 | 6–8 | T–5th | |||||
2008–09 | Coastal Carolina | 11–20 | 5–13 | 7th | |||||
2009–10 | Coastal Carolina | 28–7 | 15–3 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
2010–11 | Coastal Carolina | 28–6 | 16–2 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
2011–12 | Coastal Carolina | 19–12 | 12–6 | 2nd | CIT First Round | ||||
2012–13 | Coastal Carolina | 14–15 | 9–7 | 4th | |||||
2013–14 | Coastal Carolina | 21–13 | 11–5 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2014–15 | Coastal Carolina | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
Coastal Carolina: | 134–88 (.604) | 74–44 (.627) | |||||||
Total: | 665–427 (.609) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
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 Year Finalist
- 2003 Inductee Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
- 2009–2010 Big South Conference Coach of the Year
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Head Coach Cliff Ellis". AuburnTigers.us. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
- ^ "Division I Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. March 3, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
- ^ "Former Auburn coach to speak to Chipola boosters" (PDF). Chipola.edu. September 26, 2005. Retrieved 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. April 22, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
- 1945 births
- Living people
- American basketball coaches
- Auburn Tigers men's basketball coaches
- Clemson Tigers men's basketball coaches
- Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men's basketball coaches
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Florida State University alumni
- High school basketball coaches in the United States
- People from Jackson County, Florida
- South Alabama Jaguars basketball coaches
- Writers from Florida