- Name
- Russell Ellington
- Position
- Guard
- Class
- Junior
- Hometown (Last School)
- Louisville, KY (Manual)
- Ht
- 5'11"
- Seasons
- 1934-35, 1935-36
- Birthday
- July 14, 1912
Obituary – RUSSELL ‘DUKE’ ELLINGTON, FORMER UK ATHLETE, DIES, Lexington Herald-Leader (April 25, 1986) by Staff
Russell F. “Duke” Ellington, a former University of Kentucky athlete, died yesterday at the Veterans Administration Medical Center off Cooper Drive after a long illness. Ellington, of 111 Woodland Avenue, was 73.
Ellington lettered in basketball and football at UK during the 1930s. He continued to be an active supporter of UK athletics throughout his life and was a member of the K Men’s Club. “Duke was a fine, fine athlete. . . . I guess basketball was probably his number one game,” said former Henry Clay High School basketball coach Elmer Gilb.
Ellington was a former car salesman for Glenn Buick and Fred Bryant Motors in Lexington, and at one time ran Ellington House, an antiques business, on Henry Clay Boulevard.
He served in the Navy during World War II.
He was a member of Wyndermere Country Club in Naples, Fla.
He is survived by his wife, Kathryn “Katie” Hockensmith Ellington.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home. Burial will be in Frankfort Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Contributions are suggested to the K Men’s Club or a favorite charity.
Next Game
Alabama vs Kentucky (On time)
