Topic: Ellis Johnson

[herdfan48]

I saw something interesting on Facebook about Ellis Johnson. He was quite the athlete before his coaching days. This is the only way that I could get the article to post.

[mu79grad]

Nice find, thanks for posting.  I never knew he coached at Williamson High School. 

[herdfan48]

I saw something interesting on Facebook about Ellis Johnson. He was quite the athlete before his coaching days. This is the only way that I could get the article to post.

I didn't know that neither until I saw it in this article


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[coalherd]

Believe Coach Johnson was also Adolph Rupp's FIRST All-American basketball player at UK!

[marshallmark]

Believe Coach Johnson was also Adolph Rupp's FIRST All-American basketball player at UK!

He was.

I recall a great quote from Ellis after MU got put on probation.  It was something to the effect that "If football hadn't been so brazen with its cheating, I'd never have been caught!" 

[Flat Tire 2]

I remember when MU hired Ellis to be the MU basketball coach around 1962. He had been out of coaching  for about 10 years and was selling insurance (very successfully) in his hometown of Ashland, KY. I asked my father about the hire and he said Ellis use to beat Marshall when he was coaching at Morehead and not to worry about the hire.

[coalherd]

He was.

I recall a great quote from Ellis after MU got put on probation.  It was something to the effect that "If football hadn't been so brazen with its cheating, I'd never have been caught!"

Yep, MU's weak administration in Old Main had essentially knuckled under from pressure and public opinion from people in government in Charleston along with local media boosters of that city's pro football team like Charleston Gazette sportswriter Shorty Hardman and hired Perry Moss of the Charleston Rockets as the HERD's Head Football Coach.  Don't believe there was a NCAA rule that Moss didn't break while at Marshall, at least in the area of recruiting!!

[Wall Jumper 25]

Does anyone out there have a copy of Ellis Johnsson pointing a Dog at the official during a game at Memorial Fieldhouse back in the late 60's   

If so please post if for all of us to enjoy and remember. 

Maybe someone remembers some of the details that led up to the picture.  I know Ellis was given a technical for his efforts.  LOL

One of my favorite memories of Ellis. Some of the younger posters may not have seen it.  It was totally classic. 

[mu79grad]

Does anyone out there have a copy of Ellis Johnsson pointing a Dog at the official during a game at Memorial Fieldhouse back in the late 60's   

If so please post if for all of us to enjoy and remember. 

Maybe someone remembers some of the details that led up to the picture.  I know Ellis was given a technical for his efforts.  LOL

One of my favorite memories of Ellis. Some of the younger posters may not have seen it.  It was totally classic.

Here is a link from a Rivals thread from 2018 that gives great detail about that iconic day in Herd history.  https://marshall.forums.rivals.com/threads/ellis-and-his-dog.37235/

[Wall Jumper 25]

Here is a link from a Rivals thread from 2018 that gives great detail about that iconic day in Herd history.  https://marshall.forums.rivals.com/threads/ellis-and-his-dog.37235/

WOW.  That link was amazing.  Thank you MU70Grad. 

My father took me to the Infamous Toledo game.  We were sitting in the bleachers behind the Toledo bench.  This was the west end of the Memorial field house.  The benches were underneath the baskets back then.  The fight started when a Toledo defender knocked the ball out of Parky Beams hand into the lap of a Toledo player who then stood up and hit Parky with the basketball.  To this day I can remember looking up and Jim Davidson was charging down the floor with his fist raised.  When he arrived at the pushing and shoving that started when Parky was hit with the ball,  Davidson dropped Babaone (SP?) with a single punch.  Babaone (sp?) was knocked out. 

Toledo was undefeated and ranked in the top 20 when the heart beat them that night.  GREAT MEMORY for an Old man like me.  LOL
   

Oh the memories of Marshall Basketball.  Love the HERD.
   

[coalherd]

WOW.  That link was amazing.  Thank you MU70Grad. 

My father took me to the Infamous Toledo game.  We were sitting in the bleachers behind the Toledo bench.  This was the west end of the Memorial field house.  The benches were underneath the baskets back then.  The fight started when a Toledo defender knocked the ball out of Parky Beams hand into the lap of a Toledo player who then stood up and hit Parky with the basketball.  To this day I can remember looking up and Jim Davidson was charging down the floor with his fist raised.  When he arrived at the pushing and shoving that started when Parky was hit with the ball,  Davidson dropped Babaone (SP?) with a single punch.  Babaone (sp?) was knocked out. 

Toledo was undefeated and ranked in the top 20 when the heart beat them that night.  GREAT MEMORY for an Old man like me.  LOL
   

Oh the memories of Marshall Basketball.  Love the HERD.
 

Toledo had really talented teams in those years around the mid 60s.  Steve Mix was a very good offensive center at around 6'8" or so and I believe was All MAC a few years.  They did have a good player named Babione, I think, but not sure of exact spelling.  Also had a strong forward named John Brisker, IIRC, who was physical and liked to mix it up, similar to the HERD's Jim Davidson in that respect.  Clear that there was "no love lost" when the HERD and Rockets clashed in those days!

[Flat Tire 2]

WOW.  That link was amazing.  Thank you MU70Grad. 

My father took me to the Infamous Toledo game.  We were sitting in the bleachers behind the Toledo bench.  This was the west end of the Memorial field house.  The benches were underneath the baskets back then.  The fight started when a Toledo defender knocked the ball out of Parky Beams hand into the lap of a Toledo player who then stood up and hit Parky with the basketball.  To this day I can remember looking up and Jim Davidson was charging down the floor with his fist raised.  When he arrived at the pushing and shoving that started when Parky was hit with the ball,  Davidson dropped Babaone (SP?) with a single punch.  Babaone (sp?) was knocked out. 

Toledo was undefeated and ranked in the top 20 when the heart beat them that night.  GREAT MEMORY for an Old man like me.  LOL
   

Oh the memories of Marshall Basketball.  Love the HERD.
 

I was also at that Toledo game. The games was sold out I was sitting about mid court upstairs in the chair back seats on the north side of the Field House.. The player Jim hit was Bill Babion. I watched Jim run the entire length of the floor before he hit Babion, who went down like a sack of potatoes. Toledo wan the MAC championship that year.

The MAC was a really good basketball conference during that era. The MAC had a regional TV market for games on Saturday afternoon in those days. WSAZ carried the network. I remember watching MU play at Miami in their band box arena Millet Hall which was a small dump.  Miami had a student dressed as an Indian who banged a bass drum most of the game.