L.M. Ellis was the first black basketball player to sign a scholarship with an Ohio Valley Conference school, breaking a longstanding color barrier.
Ellis, who transferred to Austin Peay from Drake in January 1962, had to sit out a season due to transfer rules and made his debut the following January – after Morehead State’s
Marshall Banks became the first African-American to play in the OVC.
The 6-foot-5-inch forward averaged 9.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in 13 games as a junior, which was the first for Austin Peay in the OVC. As a senior, Ellis averaged 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In 1965, Ellis received a tryout from the NBA’s St. Louis Hawks, a year prior to that franchise’s moving to Atlanta.
As a prepster playing for coach Dave Whitney, he led Clarksville, Tenn., Burt Cobb High School to the 1961 district, regional, state and National Negro High School championships. Ellis was named Team MVP by The Leaf Chronicle newspaper.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from APSU in the spring of 1965, Ellis served in the managerial field of some of the nation’s top chain merchandising stores, including stops in St. Louis, Chicago and Atlanta.
We recently sat down with Ellis for a conversation on his playing experience.
For more on L.M. Ellis watch this exclusive interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Sp87O74Io
