Greg Ellis (football)
Encyclopedia
Gregory Lemont Ellis is an American football
defensive end
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at North Carolina
.
Ellis has also played for the Oakland Raiders
.
and defensive end
at East Wake High School
in Wendell, N.C. During his high school career, he intercepted five passes and returned all of them for touchdown
s. He also blocked four punts and returned two of them for scores.
An outstanding basketball
player, Ellis was selected to play in the North Carolina East/West Shrine Game. The Greensboro News and Observer voted him the Male High School Athlete of the Year in 1993.
and was a letterman in football.
He left UNC
as the school's all-time sack leader, the same school that produced NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor
.
As a senior, he earned All-America
honors, was a finalist for the Lombardi Award
and an All-ACC selection for the third straight season after collecting 87 tackles, nine sacks and 32 quarterback pressures.
As a junior, Ellis was named second-team All-America
by The Sporting News
and first-team All-ACC after closing the season with 62 tackles, a school record 38 quarterback pressures and 12.5 sacks, the second most sacks in a season behind Taylor
's 16 in 1979.
In 1995, he became the first UNC
sophomore to be named first-team All-ACC since Reuben Davis
in 1985. Ellis was also named honorable mention All-America
by UPI while recording 71 tackles and seven sacks.
As a back-up defensive end
during his redshirt freshman year, he ranked second on the team with four sacks.
Ellis received his degree in communications studies at UNC
, where he was also a member of the junior varsity basketball
team as a sophomore.
with the 8th pick of first round in the 1998 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
, a selection which caused a great stir among Dallas Cowboys
fans who were disappointed that the team passed on the opportunity to take Randy Moss
. Although rumored to be the destination where Moss would end up, Dallas opted to take a player in Ellis who did not possess the character issues that Moss did.
Ellis became a starter at defensive end for Dallas immediately and started 155 of 162 games during his Cowboy career from 1998-2008. For the first eight years he spent a similar amount of time as the starting right end as he did the starting left end. In 2006 he was moved to outside linebacker as Bill Parcells implemented his 3-4 defense. Ellis started 35 games and made 38 total appearances at outside linebacker from 2006-2008.
During his tenure in Dallas Ellis totaled 77 quarterback sacks, 377 tackles, 20 forced fumbles nine fumble recoveries and four interceptions. He scored two touchdowns, both in 1999, one coming on an 87-yard interception return and the pther on a 98-yard return of a fumble recovery.
Ellis' top season in quarterback sacks was 2007 when he tallied 12.5 sacks in only 13 games. Other top sack seasons were 2004 (9.0), 2003 and 2004 (8.0 each) and 1999 and 2002 (7.5 each). In 2007 Ellis was selected for the NFC Pro Bowl roster and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, acknowledging his return from a season-ending Achilles tendon suffered during the 2006 campaign.
The Cowboys decided to release Ellis on June 2, 2009, saving $4.15 million in cap space.
on June 15, 2009. In Oakland, Ellis returned to the position of defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. Ellis joined a Raiders line that would also include former Patriot and all-pro Richard Seymour
.
Ellis started all 14 games he appeared in for the Raiders in 2009 at right defensive end. He amassed seven quarterback sacks, 26 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He was released on March 8, 2010.
where he attended East Wake High School
. While attending the University of North Carolina he met his wife Tangerk Love. They have two children together Tyann and Gerimiah.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
.
Ellis has also played for the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Ellis was an all-state selection as a tight endTight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
at East Wake High School
East Wake High School
East Wake High School is the only public high school in Wendell, North Carolina. East Wake is one of 19 high schools in the Wake County Public School System. The school is unique in the Wake County School System because it is subdivided into four separate smaller schools...
in Wendell, N.C. During his high school career, he intercepted five passes and returned all of them for touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He also blocked four punts and returned two of them for scores.
An outstanding basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, Ellis was selected to play in the North Carolina East/West Shrine Game. The Greensboro News and Observer voted him the Male High School Athlete of the Year in 1993.
College career
Ellis attended the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and was a letterman in football.
He left UNC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
as the school's all-time sack leader, the same school that produced NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
.
As a senior, he earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors, was a finalist for the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
and an All-ACC selection for the third straight season after collecting 87 tackles, nine sacks and 32 quarterback pressures.
As a junior, Ellis was named second-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
and first-team All-ACC after closing the season with 62 tackles, a school record 38 quarterback pressures and 12.5 sacks, the second most sacks in a season behind Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
's 16 in 1979.
In 1995, he became the first UNC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
sophomore to be named first-team All-ACC since Reuben Davis
Reuben Davis (American football)
Reuben Cordell Davis is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.-External links:*...
in 1985. Ellis was also named honorable mention All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
by UPI while recording 71 tackles and seven sacks.
As a back-up defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
during his redshirt freshman year, he ranked second on the team with four sacks.
Ellis received his degree in communications studies at UNC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, where he was also a member of the junior varsity basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team as a sophomore.
Dallas Cowboys
Ellis was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
with the 8th pick of first round in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, a selection which caused a great stir among Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
fans who were disappointed that the team passed on the opportunity to take Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
. Although rumored to be the destination where Moss would end up, Dallas opted to take a player in Ellis who did not possess the character issues that Moss did.
Ellis became a starter at defensive end for Dallas immediately and started 155 of 162 games during his Cowboy career from 1998-2008. For the first eight years he spent a similar amount of time as the starting right end as he did the starting left end. In 2006 he was moved to outside linebacker as Bill Parcells implemented his 3-4 defense. Ellis started 35 games and made 38 total appearances at outside linebacker from 2006-2008.
During his tenure in Dallas Ellis totaled 77 quarterback sacks, 377 tackles, 20 forced fumbles nine fumble recoveries and four interceptions. He scored two touchdowns, both in 1999, one coming on an 87-yard interception return and the pther on a 98-yard return of a fumble recovery.
Ellis' top season in quarterback sacks was 2007 when he tallied 12.5 sacks in only 13 games. Other top sack seasons were 2004 (9.0), 2003 and 2004 (8.0 each) and 1999 and 2002 (7.5 each). In 2007 Ellis was selected for the NFC Pro Bowl roster and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, acknowledging his return from a season-ending Achilles tendon suffered during the 2006 campaign.
The Cowboys decided to release Ellis on June 2, 2009, saving $4.15 million in cap space.
Oakland Raiders
Ellis agreed on a 3-year contract for $10 million with the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on June 15, 2009. In Oakland, Ellis returned to the position of defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. Ellis joined a Raiders line that would also include former Patriot and all-pro Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
.
Ellis started all 14 games he appeared in for the Raiders in 2009 at right defensive end. He amassed seven quarterback sacks, 26 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He was released on March 8, 2010.
Personal
Ellis born in Wendell, North CarolinaWendell, North Carolina
Wendell is a town in Wake County, North Carolina United States. It is a satellite town of Raleigh, the state capital. The population was 4,247 at the 2000 census-History:...
where he attended East Wake High School
East Wake High School
East Wake High School is the only public high school in Wendell, North Carolina. East Wake is one of 19 high schools in the Wake County Public School System. The school is unique in the Wake County School System because it is subdivided into four separate smaller schools...
. While attending the University of North Carolina he met his wife Tangerk Love. They have two children together Tyann and Gerimiah.