Gene Ellenson
Encyclopedia
Eugene Ellenson was an American college and professional football
player who became a college football coach. Ellenson played college football for the University of Georgia
, and later was an assistant football coach for the University of Miami
, and a defensive coordinator and athletic administrator for the University of Florida
.
in 1921. He attended Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida
, where he was standout high school football
player for the Miami Stingarees.
to attend the University of Georgia
in Athens, Georgia
, where he played for coach Wally Butts
' Georgia Bulldogs football
team from 1940 to 1942. He was a starting senior lineman on the 1942 Bulldogs team that finished 11–1 and defeated the UCLA Bruins
in the Rose Bowl
, thus claiming a share of the 1942 national championship. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree
in journalism in 1943.
. During the Battle of the Bulge
in December 1944, he was an infantry lieutenant who commanded the defense of a hill against repeated assaults by elements of the German army. Having taken and held the hill until relieved, he was one of only four survivors of his command. Ellenson was awarded the Bronze Star
and Silver Star
for his actions under fire, and the Purple Heart
for being wounded in combat.
of the All-America Football Conference
for a single season in 1946. He played thirteen games for the Seahawks at right tackle, starting eleven of them.
team at the University of Miami
, serving under head coach Andy Gustafson
from 1950 to 1958. As a member of the Hurricanes coaching staff, he was principally responsible for coaching the defensive line. After the 1958 season, he decided to quit coaching and sought a new career in real estate.
When Ray Graves
was hired to be the new head coach of the Florida Gators football
team at the University of Florida in January 1960, Ellenson was the first assistant that Graves hired. He and Graves maintained a close working relationship during Graves' ten-year stint as the Gators' head coach, and following his third year on the Florida coaching staff, Graves promoted him to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Ellenson was a key contributor to the Gators' first three nine-win seasons in 1960, 1966 and 1969.
Graves privately contemplated his retirement from coaching before and during the 1969 season, and rumors circulated that he would continue to serve as the University of Florida's athletic director
while Ellenson would be promoted to head coach. Graves did indeed resign as coach after the season ended in a Gator Bowl
win over Tennessee
, but university president Stephen C. O'Connell
passed over Ellenson and chose Tennessee coach and Florida alumnus Doug Dickey
to become the Gators' new football coach, much to the chagrin of the Florida football team..
Afterward, Ellenson left coaching altogether and became an associate athletic director under Graves and the executive director of Gators Boosters, Inc., the fund-raising arm of the University Athletic Association
.
After the Gators struggled to a 1–2 record to begin the 1962 season, Ellenson wrote a letter to each member of the team detailing his War World II experiences and encouraging them to play harder: "You'll be a better man for it, and the next adversity won't be so tough." Players and coaches credit the letter for inspiring the team to beat several tough opponents and end the season with a bowl victory.
Ellenson's pep talk before the Gators' 1963 game against Alabama inspired Gators lineman Jack Katz
to smash his helmet through a locker room blackboard, and inspired the team to upset the Crimson Tide 10–6, handing Alabama coach Bear Bryant
his first of only two career losses in Tuscaloosa..
When Buster Bishop
, the coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team, fell ill immediately before the 1968 NCAA national tournament, Ellenson accompanied the golfers to the tournament in Las Cruces, New Mexico
. He delivered a memorable pep talk to the golfers using his favorite "positive molecules" metaphor, and the Gators upset the top-ranked Houston Cougars to win the NCAA tournament—the first national championship, in any sport, won by University of Florida athletes.
Even after he left the coaching profession in 1970, Ellenson was still called upon to deliver motivational pregame speeches. In 1986, then-Gators coach Galen Hall
invited Ellenson to give a pregame talk before the 3–4 Gators faced the 7–0 and 5th-ranked Auburn Tigers
. Florida won 18–17 in what is still considered one of the greatest games in Florida Field history.
Steve Spurrier
had been the Gators' award-winning quarterback while Ellenson was an assistant coach in the 1960s. When Spurrier was the head coach at Duke
in the late 1980s, he twice had Ellenson give pep talks to his team before traditional rivalry games. Duke won on both occasions When Spurrier returned to his alma mater in 1990 to become the Gators' head coach, he again invited Ellenson to deliver inspirational talks before big games. The Gators went 4–0 in those contests.
In 1991, Spurrier established the Gene Ellenson Award, which is given annually to the most inspirational player on Florida's football team.
Ellenson died of renal and respiratory failure at North Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville on March 17, 1995, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife Jeanne, and their son and daughter. Florida alumnus and benefactor Alfred McKethan
endowed a scholarship in Ellenson's name following his death.
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...
player who became a college football coach. Ellenson played college football for the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, and later was an assistant football coach for the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, and a defensive coordinator and athletic administrator for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
.
Early years
Ellenson was born in Chippewa Falls, WisconsinChippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,661 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County....
in 1921. He attended Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, where he was standout high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player for the Miami Stingarees.
College career
Ellenson received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, where he played for coach Wally Butts
Wally Butts
James Wallace "Wally" Butts, Jr. was an American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1960, compiling a record of 140–86–9...
' Georgia Bulldogs football
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
team from 1940 to 1942. He was a starting senior lineman on the 1942 Bulldogs team that finished 11–1 and defeated the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
in the Rose Bowl
1943 Rose Bowl
The 1943 Rose Bowl game, played on January 1, 1943 was the 29th Rose Bowl game. The University of Georgia Bulldogs defeated the UCLA Bruins 9-0. The game returned to the Rose Bowl stadium after being played at Duke Stadium the year before...
, thus claiming a share of the 1942 national championship. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in journalism in 1943.
Military service
After graduation, Ellenson was inducted into the U.S. Army and served in the European Theater during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
in December 1944, he was an infantry lieutenant who commanded the defense of a hill against repeated assaults by elements of the German army. Having taken and held the hill until relieved, he was one of only four survivors of his command. Ellenson was awarded the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for his actions under fire, and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for being wounded in combat.
Professional career
Following his discharge from the U.S. Army, Ellenson played professionally for the Miami SeahawksMiami Seahawks
The Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, before folding...
of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
for a single season in 1946. He played thirteen games for the Seahawks at right tackle, starting eleven of them.
Coaching career
Ellenson was the line coach for the Miami Senior High School Stingarees football team from 1947 to 1949. He then became an assistant for the Miami Hurricanes footballMiami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
team at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, serving under head coach Andy Gustafson
Andy Gustafson
-External links:...
from 1950 to 1958. As a member of the Hurricanes coaching staff, he was principally responsible for coaching the defensive line. After the 1958 season, he decided to quit coaching and sought a new career in real estate.
When Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
was hired to be the new head coach of the Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team at the University of Florida in January 1960, Ellenson was the first assistant that Graves hired. He and Graves maintained a close working relationship during Graves' ten-year stint as the Gators' head coach, and following his third year on the Florida coaching staff, Graves promoted him to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Ellenson was a key contributor to the Gators' first three nine-win seasons in 1960, 1966 and 1969.
Graves privately contemplated his retirement from coaching before and during the 1969 season, and rumors circulated that he would continue to serve as the University of Florida's 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...
while Ellenson would be promoted to head coach. Graves did indeed resign as coach after the season ended in a Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
win over Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, but university president Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen C. O'Connell
Stephen Cornelius O'Connell was an American attorney, appellate judge and university president. O'Connell was a native of Florida, and earned bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney...
passed over Ellenson and chose Tennessee coach and Florida alumnus Doug Dickey
Doug Dickey
Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...
to become the Gators' new football coach, much to the chagrin of the Florida football team..
Afterward, Ellenson left coaching altogether and became an associate athletic director under Graves and the executive director of Gators Boosters, Inc., the fund-raising arm of the University Athletic Association
University of Florida Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
.
Pep talks
Ellenson was hugely popular among the Gators players, and served as the team's chief motivational speaker during the 1960s and beyond.After the Gators struggled to a 1–2 record to begin the 1962 season, Ellenson wrote a letter to each member of the team detailing his War World II experiences and encouraging them to play harder: "You'll be a better man for it, and the next adversity won't be so tough." Players and coaches credit the letter for inspiring the team to beat several tough opponents and end the season with a bowl victory.
Ellenson's pep talk before the Gators' 1963 game against Alabama inspired Gators lineman Jack Katz
Jack Katz
Jack Katz is an American businessman and the founder and chief executive officer of the Panama Jack Company.Katz attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a lineman for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1962 to 1964...
to smash his helmet through a locker room blackboard, and inspired the team to upset the Crimson Tide 10–6, handing Alabama coach Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
his first of only two career losses in Tuscaloosa..
When Buster Bishop
Buster Bishop
Bernays Emery "Buster" Bishop was an American college golf coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.- Early life and education :Bishop was born in...
, the coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team, fell ill immediately before the 1968 NCAA national tournament, Ellenson accompanied the golfers to the tournament in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. He delivered a memorable pep talk to the golfers using his favorite "positive molecules" metaphor, and the Gators upset the top-ranked Houston Cougars to win the NCAA tournament—the first national championship, in any sport, won by University of Florida athletes.
Even after he left the coaching profession in 1970, Ellenson was still called upon to deliver motivational pregame speeches. In 1986, then-Gators coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
invited Ellenson to give a pregame talk before the 3–4 Gators faced the 7–0 and 5th-ranked Auburn Tigers
1986 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1986 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Pat Dye, the team finished the season with a 10–2 record. Auburn snapped a two game winning streak by Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Auburn went on to defeat Southern Cal in...
. Florida won 18–17 in what is still considered one of the greatest games in Florida Field history.
Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
had been the Gators' award-winning quarterback while Ellenson was an assistant coach in the 1960s. When Spurrier was the head coach at Duke
Duke Blue Devils
Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...
in the late 1980s, he twice had Ellenson give pep talks to his team before traditional rivalry games. Duke won on both occasions When Spurrier returned to his alma mater in 1990 to become the Gators' head coach, he again invited Ellenson to deliver inspirational talks before big games. The Gators went 4–0 in those contests.
In 1991, Spurrier established the Gene Ellenson Award, which is given annually to the most inspirational player on Florida's football team.
Death and legacy
Ellenson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "Honorary Letterwinner" in 1989.Ellenson died of renal and respiratory failure at North Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville on March 17, 1995, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife Jeanne, and their son and daughter. Florida alumnus and benefactor Alfred McKethan
Alfred A. McKethan
Alfred Augustus McKethan was a prominent American banker, citrus grower, businessman and political appointee who was a native and resident of Florida.- Early life and education :...
endowed a scholarship in Ellenson's name following his death.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- Georgia BulldogsGeorgia BulldogsThe Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
- Georgia Bulldogs football under Wally ButtsGeorgia Bulldogs football under Wally ButtsWallace “Wally” Butts was the 20th head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs college football team and served in that role from 1939 to 1960. He compiled a 140–86–9 record...
- List of University of Georgia people
- Miami HurricanesMiami HurricanesThe Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...