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BILL ELLINGTON - INDUCTEE #70

hall of fame fast fact:

Bill Ellington was given the nickname "Duke" during his high school coaching days.

Bill Ellington

Bill Ellington is remembered as a coach and administrator during his 22 years with the Texas Longhorns. Ellington was a multisport athlete at Lefors and Mcmurry where he was a starter in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated from McMurry in 1943.

After serving in the Air Force, he began his high school coaching career at Winters in 1946. In 1958, Ellington came to the Panhandle to build a program at Amarillo’s new school, Tascosa.

He was offered a position on Darrell Royal’s coaching staff at Texas in 1959. He was UT’s offensive backfield coach in the early 1960s when the Longhorns finished four consecutive seasons with a ranking of fifth or better, including the 1963 national championship. He coached the freshman team to a 33-5-2 record from 1966-73.

Ellington retired at age 60 after serving as athletic director for 20-plus months.