Frederick M. Ellis

Frederick M. Ellis

Ellis in 1938
Sport(s) Football, basketball, baseball, track, golf
Biographical details
Born (1906-02-26)February 26, 1906
Norwood, Massachusetts
Died July 19, 1967(1967-07-19) (aged 61)
Burlington, Massachusetts
Playing career
Football
1926–1928 Tufts
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1946–1953 Tufts
Basketball
1946–1953 Tufts
Head coaching record
Overall 25–34–6 (football)
74–75 (basketball)

Frederick Melvin "Fish" Ellis (February 26, 1906 – July 19, 1967) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, track athlete, athletics coach and administrator, and university professor. He served as the head football coach at Tufts University from 1946 to 1953, compiling a record of 25–34–6. Ellis was also the head basketball coach at Tufts from 1946 to 1953, tallying a mark of 74–75. He is the namesake of Tufts University's home football field, Ellis Oval.

Early life and playing career

Ellis was born in 1906 in Norwood, Massachusetts. His family moved to Gloucester and then to Medford, where Ellis attended Medford High School, graduating in 1925. He entered Tufts University that fall, majoring in civil engineering.[1] Ellis lettered in four sports—football, basketball, baseball, and track—at Tufts, from which he graduated in 1929. He was the first Tufts student to earn varsity letters in four sports. Ellis played quarterback on the football team from 1926 to 1928, and scored a school-record 181 points. His punt of 76 yards in 1927 was also the longest in Tufts history.

Death, family, and honors

Ellis died of a heart attack at the age of 61 on July 19, 1967 at his home in Burlington, Massachusetts. He was survived by his wife, Dorothea, and couple's two daughters, Faith and Susan, who both graduated from Tufts.[2] The football field at Tufts University was named in his honor as Frederick M. Ellis Oval at homecoming in 1969.[1]

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Tufts Jumbos (Independent) (1946–1953)
1946 Tufts 1–6
1947 Tufts 5–2
1948 Tufts 3–4–1
1949 Tufts 5–3–1
1950 Tufts 4–4–1
1951 Tufts 0–7–2
1952 Tufts 3–4–1
1953 Tufts 4–3
Tufts: 25–34–6
Total: 25–34–6

References

  1. 1 2 "'Fish' Ellis: all-time Tufts athletic great". Tufts Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Prof. Frederick Ellis Dies; Set Football Marks at Tufts". The New York Times. July 20, 1967. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
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