Ray Ellis

Ray Ellis was born Raymond Frank Ellis on January 3, 1905, in Henry County, Kentucky, to Pryor Ellis and Lillian Baker Ellis.  He was a distinguished multi-sport athlete and coach, notably contributing to the University of Kentucky’s football and basketball programs. His athletic prowess and coaching acumen left a lasting impact on collegiate sports.

Ellis attended LaGrange High School, where he excelled in various sports, laying the foundation for his future athletic career.

He then enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he became a standout athlete, participating in football, basketball, and track and field. His versatility and talent were evident across these disciplines.  He was a member of the freshman basketball team that went undefeated in 1924-25.

After his collegiate athletic career, Ellis transitioned into coaching. He served as the head coach of football and basketball at Madisonville High School in Kentucky for 17 years. During this time, he became noted for his use of the “T” formation, which he had learned while on the staff of a boys’ summer camp.  In 1944, he was tapped by Bernie Shively to institute the “T” formation for the University of Kentucky football team.

In 1945, upon being promoted to head coach at Georgia Tech, Bobby Dodd hired Ellis to bring the “T” formation to Tech. Ellis started as the line coach for the varsity football team and was appointed assistant coach for the varsity football team the next year, remaining in that position until he resigned in May 1951. Ellis cited the increase in outside pressure on the football program as his main reason for leaving.

Following his resignation from Tech, Ellis returned to his hometown of LaGrange to work with his older brother Delbert at an automobile agency. In 1959 Ellis relocated to Tampa, Florida, where he spent more than thirty years as the assistant general manager of WEDU-TV, Channel 3. While there he became an original member of the Tampa Sports Authority (TSA), which was created in 1965 by Florida Governor Hayden Burns for the purpose of planning, developing, and maintaining a comprehensive complex of sports and recreational facilities for the Tampa Bay area. He was appointed to the TSA board by Governor Burns and served on it for more than ten years. From 1965-1969 he chaired the football committee. He was a key person in the scheduling of football games at Tampa Stadium during the late 1960s.

Ellis died on January 23, 1992 at the age of 87. He was survived by his wife Martha Stegar Ellis (ca. 1907-2002), to whom he was married for almost sixty years.