Frederick M. Ellis Explained

Frederick M. Ellis
Birth Date:26 February 1906
Birth Place:Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Player Sport1:Football
Player Years2:1926–1928
Player Team2:Tufts
Player Positions:Quarterback
Coach Sport1:Football
Coach Years2:1946–1953
Coach Team2:Tufts
Coach Sport3:Basketball
Coach Years4:1946–1953
Coach Team4:Tufts
Overall Record:25–34–6 (football)
74–75 (basketball)

Frederick Melvin "Fish" Ellis (February 26, 1906 – July 19, 1967) was an American sportsman who played football, basketball, baseball, and track at Tufts University. He was also an athletics coach, administrator, and university professor at Tufts. Ellis is the namesake of Tufts' home football field, the Ellis Oval. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest athletes in Tufts history.[1]

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. Ellis entered Tufts University that fall, majoring in civil engineering.[2] Ellis lettered in four sports – football, basketball, baseball, and track – at Tufts, from which he graduated in 1929.[3] He was the first Tufts student to earn varsity letters in four sports. In the summers of 1928 and 1929, he played for Orleans in the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] [5]

Ellis is best remembered for his time playing football.[6] He played quarterback for the Tufts football team from 1926 to 1928, scoring a school-record 181 points.[7] That record stood until 2016, when Shayne "Chance" Brady finished his Tufts career with 210 points.[8] Ellis led the 1927 squad to an undefeated season, with the Jumbos posting a perfect 8–0 record.

Ellis' future wife, Dorothea Loughlin, attended Jackson College – the women's college associated with Tufts – from 1927 to 1931 and played on the Jackson baseball team.

Later life

For a period of time after graduating, Ellis coached at Dean Academy. His stint included a period of time during which the team assembled three consecutive undefeated seasons.[9]

Ellis eventually returned to Medford and served as the head football coach at Tufts from 1946 to 1953, compiling a record of 25–34–6. He was also the head basketball coach from 1946 to 1953, tallying a mark of 74–75.[10] In 1954, Ellis became a full professor and the chairman of Tufts' Department of Physical Education.[11]

Death 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 Dorothea and their two daughters, Faith and Susan, both of whom graduated from Tufts (as did their husbands).[12] Dorothea passed away on October 14, 2011.[13]

The football field at Tufts University was named in his honor as Frederick M. Ellis Oval at homecoming in 1969.[14] The Frederick M. Ellis Prize Scholarship at Tufts is named in his memory.[15] On April 21, 2018, Ellis was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Tufts University Athletics Hall of Fame.[16]

Head coaching record

Football

Notes and References

  1. News: Go Jumbos! A History of Tufts Athletics. Herlihy. Mark. Spring 2002. Tufts Online Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525040440/http://emerald.tufts.edu/alumni/magazine/spring2002/athletics.html. May 25, 2018. live.
  2. February 2002. 'Fish' Ellis: all-time Tufts athletic great. live. Tufts Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525022723/http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archive/2002/february/tufts150/index.shtml. May 25, 2018.
  3. Book: Sauer, Anne. Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History. Branco. Jessica. Bennett. John. Crowley. Zachary. Tufts University Press. 2000. Medford, MA. Ellis, Fredrick M., "Fish", 1906-1967. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525023232/https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tei/tufts:UA069.005.DO.00001/chapter/E00017. May 25, 2018. dead. May 25, 2018.
  4. News: Orleans . 7 . Yarmouth Register . Yarmouth, MA . December 1, 1928 .
  5. News: BASEBALL ON SATURDAY NEXT . 7 . Falmouth Enterprise . Falmouth, MA . July 18, 1929 .
  6. News: First Class Inducted into Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday Night. April 22, 2018. Tufts University Athletics. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525041523/http://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/general_news/2017-18/HOF_2018Class_copy_2. May 25, 2018. live. en.
  7. Web site: Tufts University Football Program Records. Tufts University Athletics. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525025318/http://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/fball/records. May 25, 2018. live.
  8. News: Tufts All Stars. Sweeney. Paul. Spring 2018. Tufts Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525041816/https://tuftsmagazine.com/issues/magazine/2018/spring/tufts-all-stars. May 25, 2018. live. en.
  9. News: Expect Defeat. . . October 8, 1942 . May 25, 2018.
  10. Web site: Tufts University Men's Basketball Program Records. Tufts University Athletics. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525025905/http://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/mbkb/records. May 25, 2018. live.
  11. Book: Dixon, Linda J.. High on the Hill: Tufts Then and Now. Tufts University Press. 1979. 4th. Medford, MA. Cohen, the Oval and Alumnae Hall. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525030031/https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tei/tufts:UA069.005.DO.00014/chapter/c13. May 25, 2018. live.
  12. News: Prof. Frederick Ellis Dies; Set Football Marks at Tufts . . July 20, 1967 . April 13, 2011.
  13. News: Tufts Mourns The Loss Of Dorothea M. "Dorie" Ellis, Matriarch of Jumbo Athletics. October 17, 2011. Tufts University Athletics. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525025457/http://gotuftsjumbos.com/general_news/2011-12/dorie. May 25, 2018. live. en.
  14. Book: Corbett, Bernard M.. The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry. Simpson. Paul. Crown Publishing Group. 2004. 978-1400050680. New York. 238. registration.
  15. Book: Sauer, Anne. Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History. Branco. Jessica. Bennett. John. Crowley. Zachary. Tufts University Press. 2000. Medford, MA. Frederick Melvin Ellis Prize, 1968. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525022850/https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tei/tufts:UA069.005.DO.00001/chapter/F00011. May 25, 2018. live.
  16. News: Tufts inducts inaugural Hall of Fame class. Samuels. Eddie. April 23, 2018. The Tufts Daily. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525041121/https://tuftsdaily.com/sports/2018/04/23/tufts-inducts-inaugural-hall-fame-class/. May 25, 2018. live. en-US.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Frederick M. Ellis".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.