Cliff Ellis
Encyclopedia
Cliff Ellis is an American college basketball
coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University
. 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. 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.
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.
at Cumberland University
in Lebanon, Tennessee
from 1972 to 1975.
and six seasons later, they were ranked in the nation's top 10.
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
.
. 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). He is currently the winningest coach in Clemson history.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
. 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. He was national coach of the year in 1999 at Auburn, when his Tigers won 29 games and captured the school’s first SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
championship in 40 years. In 1990 he coached Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
to its only ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
regular-season first-place finish. His South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
teams won Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
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.
Ellis was born in Marianna, Florida
Marianna, Florida
Marianna is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,230 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,200 . It is the county seat of Jackson County and is home to Chipola College...
. He is a musician, an author and a gourmet cook. He has even been an ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
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.
High school
- Assistant coach at Ruckle Junior High in Niceville, FloridaNiceville, FloridaNiceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located close to Eglin Air Force Base. It originally began with the name Valparaiso, then to separate itself from the neighboring town took the unofficial name of Boggy. Upon incorporation as an official city, the name was changed to...
(1968–1969) - Assistant coach at Niceville High in Niceville, Florida (1969–1971)
- Head coach at Vanguard High in Ocala, FloridaOcala, FloridaOcala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
(1971–1972)
Cumberland
Ellis was head coach and Athletic DirectorAthletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
in Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
from 1972 to 1975.
South Alabama
Ellis was head coach at the University of South Alabama from 1975 to 1984. He is the all-time winningest coach in South Alabama history with a 171–84 during nine seasons. 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 TournamentNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and six seasons later, they were ranked in the nation's top 10.
Ellis, also was the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
during part of his tenure, led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and two NITs
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
Clemson
On April 3, 1984 the former South Alabama coach was named the head basketball coach at Clemson UniversityClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
. 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
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
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). He is currently the winningest coach in Clemson history.
Auburn
Ellis led the Tigers to the 1999 SECSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
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.
Ellis claimed his 500th career Division I coaching victory in a 100–71 win over Georgia State
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
November 26, 2002, to become only the 34th coach to reach the milestone since the NCAA started Division I play in 1948–49.
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 University
On Monday, July 2, 2007, Ellis was named Coastal CarolinaCoastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
'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
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 FameMobile Sports Hall of FameThe Mobile Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the Mobile Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit and is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors...
- 2009–2010 Big South Conference Coach of the Year