Cliff Ellis, who started his college coaching career at then-Cumberland Junior College in Lebanon, retired last week from Coastal Carolina as the active leader in NCAA career wins.
Ellis coached his final game Monday, Dec. 4 a 110-46 victory against St Andrews. Ellis will remain with the school working on special projects as he completes his contract.
Ellis, 78, said in a release from the school that he planned to retire at the end of the season, "but in fairness to my players and my coaching staff, I wanted all of them, but especially the staff, to have a chance to show what they are made of."
Ellis was the oldest coach in Division I this season. He finished his career with 833 wins at four different Division I schools: South Alabama, Clemson, Auburn and Coastal Carolina.
He served as the head basketball coach and athletic director at Cumberland from 1973-1975. In his three years, he led the then-Bulldogs to a 78-12 (.867) record, including two championships of the Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without the years I spent at Cumberland. It was a truly great experience in my life," Ellis said at the time. "The players were extremely committed and dedicated to being successful and gave me the impetus to move on to a higher level."
Ellis is a member of the Cumberland Sports Hall of Fame and in August of 2018, the playing surface of the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena was named in his honor.
Ellis guided all four Division I schools to the NCAA tournament, including one Sweet 16 appearance with Clemson and two with Auburn. He won eight regular-season championships, most recently in 2014 with Coastal Carolina.
His most successful team was Auburn in the 1998-99 season when he guided the Tigers to the SEC regular-season championship and a No. 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, where they beat Winthrop and Oklahoma State before falling to Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
MORE ABOUT ELLIS – Coach Ellis is also a musician, author and ostrich farmer. He started in the recording business before coaching and has released many records.
In 1991, he released a record called "Loveland" by Cliff Ellis and the EBS All-Star Blues Band. He cut another record, "Cliff Ellis and Friends," which includes several rock `n' roll songs and a rendition of "Amazing Grace" dedicated to the late Jim Valvano, a close friend who taught Ellis much about life through his battle with cancer.
"Shake, Rattle and Roll," another song on the compact disc, climbed all the way to No. 13 on the "Beach Music" charts. His most recent CD is "People Get Ready" in which he collaborated with Grammy winner Marty Rabun (Shenandoah) and former Auburn players. Ellis also has seven publications to his credit.
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.
Ellis is married to the former Carolyn Ratzlaff and they have three children, Chryssa Rutland, Clay and Anna Catherine Moore, and four grandchildren, Hannah Grace and Ellis Rutland and Sarah and Abbey Moore.
