Cliff Ellis

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Cliff Ellis
Ellis in 2018
Biographical details
Born (1945-12-05) December 5, 1945 (age 78)
Marianna, Florida, U.S.
Alma materFlorida State
Middle Tennessee State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1968–1969Ruckel JHS (assistant)
1969–1971Niceville HS
1971–1972Vanguard HS
1972–1975Cumberland
1975–1984South Alabama
1984–1994Clemson
1994–2004Auburn
2007–2023Coastal Carolina
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1972–1975Cumberland
Head coaching record
Overall831–563 (.596)
78–12 (.867) (NAIA)
Tournaments8–10 (NCAA Division I)
10–13 (NIT)
3–2 (CIT)
8–4 (CBI)
3–1 (TBC)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

Cliff Ellis[1] (born December 5, 1945) is an American former college basketball coach, who finished his career as the head coach at Coastal Carolina University.[2] Ellis finished his career as the ninth winningest coach in NCAA Division I history.[3]

Ellis is a member of four Halls of Fame after entering the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 and Clemson's in 2013. He was already part of the Mobile Sports and Cumberland University Halls of Fame.

Ellis has compiled a Division I record of 828–559 (.596) and an overall record of 906–571 (.613). He ranks third in NCAA Division I wins among active coaches. He is also just one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history to make multiple NCAA Tournament appearances with four separate schools and has been named conference Coach of the Year six times in his career. He is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to win at least 170 games at four different institutions.

As of the end of the 2022–23 season, he is the all-time leader in NCAA Division I wins for basketball coaches who have coached in the state of South Carolina. He has 471 wins with Clemson (177) and Coastal Carolina (294). Former South Carolina head coach, Frank McGuire, is a distant second with 283 wins.

With a victory over UNC Asheville on February 3, 2015, Ellis became the only coach in NCAA Division I history to tally 150-plus wins at four institutions. 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 at both Auburn and Coastal Carolina.[4]

Early life and education[edit]

Ellis was born in Marianna, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and has a master's degree (1972) in the same subject from Middle Tennessee State University.[5]

Coaching career[edit]

High school[edit]

  • Assistant coach at Ruckel Junior High in Niceville, Florida (1968–1969)[2]
  • Assistant coach at Niceville High in Niceville, Florida (1969–1971)[2]
  • Head coach at Vanguard High in Ocala, Florida (1971–1972)[2]

College[edit]

Cumberland Junior College[edit]

Ellis was head coach and Athletic Director at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee from 1972 to 1975.[2] He won two TJCAA Championships and finished 4th nationally in the final 1973–74 regular season NJCAA poll. Ellis compiled a 78–12 record at Cumberland University. The basketball playing surface in the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena at Cumberland was named in his honor on August 17, 2018.

South Alabama[edit]

Ellis was the 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 record during nine seasons.[6] When Ellis became head coach, the administrators at South Alabama were thinking of dropping to NCAA 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.[6]

Ellis, who was also the athletic director during part of his tenure, led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and two NITs.[6]

Clemson[edit]

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).[6]

Auburn[edit]

Ellis led the Tigers to the 1999 SEC Championship with a 29–4 record, at that time 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 what were, at the time, 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.[6]

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.[6]

A year after going to the Sweet 16, Ellis' Tigers regressed to an overall .500 record and a losing conference record. Auburn fired him after that season.[7] He remained in the Auburn community, where his wife Carolyn ran for a state legislature seat in 2006. His 186 wins are the second-most in Auburn history, behind only Joel Eaves.

Coastal Carolina[edit]

On Monday, July 2, 2007, Ellis was named Coastal Carolina's head basketball coach.

While at Coastal Carolina, Ellis has amassed a pair of Big South regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles, 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.

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 regular season (26) in the process.

In the 2010–11 season, he led the Chanticleers to the school's second conference championship. 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. The Chanticleers would eventually hold the nation's longest win streak at 22-straight games.

The 2010–11 season marked the second-straight season that Coastal Carolina captured the Big South regular-season title and the first time since the 1990 and 1991 seasons that the Chanticleers won consecutive league titles.

The Chanticleers were also a perfect 9–0 on the road in conference play in 2010–11 and became just the second team in league history to accomplish that feat. In addition, the Chants were 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 also became the first team in Big South history to win at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons and owns the conference record for the most wins in consecutive seasons with 56 (2009–2010 through 2010–2011).

In 2011–12, Ellis led the Chants to their first appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Coastal finished the season with a 19–12 record, while going 12–6 in Big South Conference play. Ellis led the Chants to victories over LSU and Clemson during the season, marking the first time in school history that Coastal Carolina had recorded two wins in the same season over Power Five schools. The win over LSU was the second-straight victory for the Chanticleers over the Tigers in as many seasons.

Ellis' 2012–13 campaign featured a season-opening win over perennial mid-major power Akron when the Chants opened their new home, The HTC Center. Coastal also picked up a 69–46 home win over Clemson in late December, giving Ellis back-to-back victories over the Tigers. Ellis led Coastal to a 14–15 overall record in 2012–13 but the Chants were 12–4 at home with a near-perfect 7–1 conference home ledger.

Ellis led the Chants to a 19–12 regular season finish during the 2013–14 season, including an 11–5 conference record earning the Chants' first Big South Conference South Division Championship. Coastal went on to win three-straight games in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Championship to earn its third Big South Conference tournament Championship and first since 1991. Coastal nearly upset top-seeded Virginia at the NCAA Tournament. The Chants led by as many as 10 points in the first half but a late surge by the Cavaliers gave UVA the victory.

In 2014–15, Ellis guided the Chanticleers to a 21–9 regular-season record, including a 12–6 mark in Big South play to earn the No. 3 seed in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Basketball Championship. In the league tournament, the Chants rallied for wins over UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb before running away from Winthrop in the title game to secure a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament—a program first. Coastal was seeded 16th in the West Region and faced No. 1-seeded Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. The Chants took a pair of early leads over the Badgers, but the eventual national runner-up pulled away for an 86–72 victory.

The 2015–16 season featured a 21–12 overall record (12–6 Big South) as Ellis guided the Chanticleers to a semifinal appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Along the way the Chanticleers earned the program's first, second, and third postseason victories with wins over Mercer, New Hampshire, and Grand Canyon, respectively.

The 2016–17 season featured a 20–19 overall record (10–8 Sun Belt) as Ellis guided the Chanticleers to a championship series appearance in the College Basketball Invitational Postseason Tournament. In the Chanticleers first season in the Sun Belt Conference, they finished with 10 conference wins and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament with a win over South Alabama before eventually falling to Texas Arlington. After advancing to the College Basketball Invitational Postseason Tournament, the Chanticleers picked up wins against Hampton, Loyola (MD), and Illinois-Chicago before moving on to the championship series against Wyoming. The Chanticleers won game one of the series before falling in games two and three to finish as runner-up in the CBI Tournament.

The 2018–19 season featured a 17–16 overall record (9–9 Sun Belt) as Ellis guided the Chanticleers to a semifinal appearance in the College Basketball Invitational Postseason Tournament. Along the way, the Chanticleers earned the program's seventh and eighth postseason victories with wins over Howard and West Virginia, respectively.

Personal life[edit]

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. He has published three books – Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball, The Complete Book of Fast Break Basketball and Cliff Ellis: The Winning Edge, released in the summer of 2000.[2]

Humanitarian[edit]

On Thursday, April 18, 2019, Cliff Ellis teamed up with former Florida Gator football coach Steve Spurrier and former Florida State Seminoles defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who filled in for Legendary former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, for a press conference at the Capitol in Tallahassee to show congress that rival coaches can come together and urge lawmakers to send aid and money to the 11 counties that were battered by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Shortly after the press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and FDEM (Florida Division of Emergency Management) announced $18.5 million in relief for Bay County.

Head coaching record[edit]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Cumberland Bulldogs () (1972–1975)
Cumberland NAIA: 78–12 (.867)
South Alabama Jaguars (NCAA Division I independent) (1975–1976)
1975–76 South Alabama 18–9
South Alabama Jaguars (Sun Belt Conference) (1976–1984)
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 Division I First Round
1979–80 South Alabama 23–6 12–2 1st NCAA Division I First Round
1980–81 South Alabama 25–6 9–3 1st NIT Quarterfinal
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 Tigers (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 Quarterfinal
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 Division I Second Round
1989–90 Clemson 26–9* 10–4 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
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: 177–128** (.580) 56–90 (.384)
Auburn Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (1994–2004)
1994–95 Auburn 16–13 7–9 4th (West) NIT First Round
1995–96 Auburn 19–13 6–10 T–4th (West) NIT First Round
1996–97 Auburn 16–15 6–10 T–3rd (West)
1997–98 Auburn 16–14 7–9 3rd (West) NIT Second Round
1998–99 Auburn 29–4 14–2 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1999–00 Auburn 24–10 9–7 2nd (West) NCAA Division I Second Round
2000–01 Auburn 18–14 7–9 T–4th (West) NIT Second Round
2001–02 Auburn 12–16 4–12 6th (West)
2002–03 Auburn 22–12 8–8 T–2nd (West) NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2003–04 Auburn 14–14 5–11 T–4th (West)
Auburn: 186–125 (.598) 73–87 (.456)
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Big South Conference) (2007–2016)
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 Division I Second Round
2014–15 Coastal Carolina 24–10 12–6 T–3rd NCAA Division I First Round
2015–16 Coastal Carolina 21–12 12–6 T–2nd CIT Semifinal
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Sun Belt Conference) (2016–2023)
2016–17 Coastal Carolina 20–19 10–8 T–6th CBI Runner-up
2017–18 Coastal Carolina 14–18 8–10 8th
2018–19 Coastal Carolina 17–17 9–9 T–6th CBI Semifinal
2019–20 Coastal Carolina 16–17 8–12 T–8th
2020–21 Coastal Carolina 18–8 9–5 2nd (East) CBI Runner-up
2021–22 Coastal Carolina 19–14 8–8 7th TBC Runner-up
2022–23 Coastal Carolina 11–20 5–13 12th
2023–24 Coastal Carolina 3–5 0–0
Coastal Carolina: 297–227 (.567) 155–121 (.562)
Total: 909–577 (.612)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

* 2 NCAA Tournament wins and 1 loss were vacated

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tally-Ho". Florida State University. 1968.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Cliff Ellis". Auburn University. Archived from the original on July 5, 2004.
  3. ^ "NCAA Statistics".
  4. ^ "Former Auburn coach to speak to Chipola boosters" (PDF). Chipola.edu. September 26, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  5. ^ "Player Bio: Cliff Ellis". www.goccusports.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010.
  6. ^ 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. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  7. ^ "Ellis Relieved of Duties as Auburn Basketball Coach". Auburn University. Archived from the original on April 16, 2004.

External links[edit]

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