Jim Ellis was a standout on the basketball court during his three seasons at Bridgewater College. Mel Myers, his head coach at the time, called Ellis “the best combined ball-handler, boardman and scorer the College has ever had.”
Ellis averaged a double-double during his three seasons, averaging 18.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Ellis helped lead the 1967 Bridgewater team to 18 victories, a new program record. The Eagles advanced to the championship game of the Mason-Dixon tournament with wins over Loyola and Old Dominion before losing to Mount Saint Mary’s. Ellis averaged 21.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game as a senior and was named to the Virginia All-State Small College First Team.
Ellis also recorded the program’s first triple-double with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in a game against Western Maryland during the 1966-67 season. He still holds program single-season records for free throws made with 168 and free throws attempted with 214.
Following graduation, Ellis embarked on a career in education as a high school teacher and coach spanning 32 years. Ellis was named the City/County Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 1975 by the (Staunton, Va.) Daily News Leader. In 1990 he was included in Who’s Who Among American Teachers. For the past five years, Ellis has been driving special needs children for the Augusta County School System.
In recognition of his outstanding basketball career while a student-athlete, Jim Ellis is deserving of induction into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame.
