Austin Peay’s L.M. Ellis, first Black basketball player to sign with OVC school, dies at 79

Austin Peay basketball legend L.M. Ellis died Wednesday at the age of 79, in accordance to the university. The result in of demise was not disclosed.

Ellis was a standout to start with at Burt High College and then at Austin Peay when he grew to become the first Black player to obtain a scholarship at APSU. He was the first Black player to indicator a basketball scholarship with an OVC college in 1963.

Ellis was inducted into the university’s hall of fame in 1990 and experienced his No. 45 jersey retired in February.

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“There are two times I will constantly remember with Mr. Ellis,” Austin Peay vice president and athletics director Gerald Harrison. “Initially, when I arrived in Clarksville in 2018, he encouraged me to be robust, be trustworthy and instructed me that I can do it. The next is when we retired his jersey, he stood up out of his wheelchair during the presentation to a thunderous crowd. I was in awe of his presence.”

Ellis grew up as a childhood friend of Olympic monitor and field legend Wilma Rudolph. He credited Rudolph for stoking his enthusiasm for basketball and igniting his aggressive spirit. Ellis’ 1961 Burt Large workforce captured the Countrywide Negro Large Faculty Basketball Event and was the very first higher school crew in Clarksville to capture a championship in any sport.

For the duration of Ellis’ significant college several years, Black athletes in Tennessee had been excluded from participating in significant school athletics against white teams. In 1964, the TSSAA’s Board of Management built-in athletics and two several years afterwards, the initial built-in boys’ point out basketball match took area at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym.

Ellis at first signed with Drake after graduating from Burt but put in only 1 season in Des Moines, Iowa. Disillusioned with Drake, Ellis sought the suggestions of previous Burt mentor David Whitney who facilitated his signing with APSU.

Tale carries on

Ellis was an ardent supporter of Austin Peay from the time he returned to Clarksville. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 9.3 factors and 10.5 rebounds in the course of his junior time and 6.7 factors and 6.1 rebounds as a senior.

He participated in a tryout with the Atlanta Hawks just just after the Hawks moved from St. Louis in 1968, but he determined to go into enterprise. He worked as a regional supervisor for J.C. Penny for many years.

“Mr. Ellis, thank you for paving the way for me and so quite a few other folks that adopted at the rear of you and selected Austin Peay,” Harrison included. “Relaxation perfectly, sir.”

A Celebration of Existence assistance will be at 12 p.m. June 8 at Sykes Funeral House. The Ellis family members will get friends from 4-7 p.m., June 7 at the funeral home and once more on June 8 from 10 a.m. right until the time of support.

He is survived by his spouse, Mary Ellis, young children: Yvetta Denise (Darrel) Johnson, Jon Ellis, and Camilla Ellis action-daughters: Monica (Herman) Barham, Tomeka (Jamie) Posley, and Roszena McRae sisters, Susie Barker and Mary “LaVerne” Bryant as properly as grandchildren and excellent-grandchildren

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Arrive at athletics author George Robinson at grobinson@gannett.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sporting activities.

This post at first appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: LM Ellis, Austin Peay’s to start with Black basketball player, dies at 79