TLU Athletics mourns passing of Hall of Famer, two-time national champion Gerry Ellis

SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran Athletics mourns the passing of TLU Athletics Hall of Famer Gerald "Gerry" Ellis - a football All-American, a two-time national champion, and a three-time TLU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.

 

Ellis died on Friday, June 26 in Washougal, Wash., at the age of 67.

 

A celebration of Gerry Ellis's life will be held in Southern California at a later date. Ellis was born in San Jose, Calif., and he grew up in San Bernardino, Calif.

 

Ellis made his way to Texas on an athletic scholarship to play football at Texas Lutheran College (now Texas Lutheran University) in Seguin, Texas.

 

Ellis was an offensive guard on the 1974 and 1975 NAIA-II National Championships won by the Bulldogs under Hall of Fame Coach Jim Wacker. Ellis was the starting right guard on both national championship teams.

 

"Gerry truly was a great player and an even better teammate," said Bill Miller, TLU's director of athletics and a teammate with Ellis on both national championship teams. "His good nature and toughness made him a team favorite and a very effective leader. It was really great to see Gerry when he came back to TLU for events and for the Hall of Fame inductions. We send our heart-felt condolences to his family at this very difficult time."

 

A four-year letterman, Ellis was a team captain and All-American in 1975 as the Bulldogs repeated as NAIA-II national champions. For that 1975 title, the Bulldogs defeated California Lutheran 34-8 on CLU's home field in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

 

Ellis is one of only five Bulldogs in TLU's history to be named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.

 

"Gerry was one heck of an athlete," said Billy Davis, Ellis's good friend and former TLC football teammate. "He will be missed by all of his teammates and friends."

 

Ellis was inducted into the TLU Athletics Hall of Fame individually in 2011. He is one of the few Bulldogs in school history to go into the Hall of Fame individually and then twice more as a team member. He joined his teammates on the 1974 and 1975 national championship squads when the entire teams were inducted in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

"As a football player, he was focused and determined," said Steve Tostengard, a fraternity brother, classmate, and teammate of Ellis's. "He was fun-loving, and he enjoyed conversation. He enjoyed finding out what was important to you. He was willing to talk to people. His conversations sometimes were humorous, but most of the time they were full of purpose."

 

Ellis's TLU Athletics Hall of Fame plaque reads in part: "With Ellis paving the way, the Bulldogs won 17 straight games and set school offensive records in 1974 for rushing yards, total offense, points scored, and rushing touchdowns."

 

The Bulldogs were 22-1 over the 1974 and 1975 seasons and had victories in each of the seasons over Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) and Tarleton State. In the four NAIA-II playoff games, the two semi-final wins and the two national championship victories, the Bulldogs out-scored opponents 160-29.

 

Ellis returned to the West Coast after his collegiate days in Texas. He went into healthcare administration. He started as a respiratory therapist and moved into management roles over the remainder of his professional career.

 

Ellis is survived by his sons Alex and Gregor, dear friend Pam Caviness, and their extended families.