Bennie Ellender Jr. (March 2, 1925 – December 22, 2011)[1][2] was an American football player and coach.[3] He served as the head football coach at Arkansas State University from 1963 to 1970 and at Tulane University from 1971 to 1975, compiling a career college football record of 79–49–4.
 Ellender pictured in Jambalaya 1976, Tulane yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1925 Sulphur, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 2011 (aged 86) Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1943–1944; 1946–1947 | Tulane |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959 | Tulane (freshmen) |
| 1960–1961 | Tulane (OB) |
| 1962 | Arkansas State (DB) |
| 1963–1970 | Arkansas State |
| 1971–1975 | Tulane |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 79–49–4 |
| Bowls | 2–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 NCAA College Division (1970) 3 Southland (1968–1970) | |
| Awards | |
| AFCA College Division Coach of the Year (1970) | |
Ellender led the Arkansas State program to three consecutive Pecan Bowl games, which was one of the regional bowl games set up for the NCAA College Division to choose a champion. His 1970 team finished 11–0 and was ranked #1 in the final polls, earning his team the College Division championship. Ellender was selected AFCA College Division Coach of the Year following the season.[4] After the 1970 season, Ellender left ASU to become head football coach at his alma mater, Tulane.
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State Indians (NCAA College Division independent) (1963) | |||||||||
| 1963 | Arkansas State | 2–6 | |||||||
| Arkansas State Indians (Southland Conference) (1964–1970) | |||||||||
| 1964 | Arkansas State | 7–0–2 | 2–0–2 | 2nd | 15 | ||||
| 1965 | Arkansas State | 6–3 | 1–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1966 | Arkansas State | 7–2 | 2–2 | T–3rd | 11 | 6 | |||
| 1967 | Arkansas State | 4–5 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1968 | Arkansas State | 7–3–1 | 3–0–1 | 1st | L Pecan | 14 | 15 | ||
| 1969 | Arkansas State | 8–1–1 | 4–0 | 1st | W Pecan | 5 | 7 | ||
| 1970 | Arkansas State | 11–0 | 4–0 | 1st | W Pecan | 1 | 1 | ||
| Arkansas State: | 52–20–4 | 18–7–3 | |||||||
| Tulane Green Wave (NCAA University Division / Division I independent) (1971–1975) | |||||||||
| 1971 | Tulane | 3–8 | |||||||
| 1972 | Tulane | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1973 | Tulane | 9–3 | L Astro-Bluebonnet | 15 | 20 | ||||
| 1974 | Tulane | 5–6 | |||||||
| 1975 | Tulane | 4–7 | |||||||
| Tulane: | 27–29 | ||||||||
| Total: | 79–49–4 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Bennie Ellender Obituary".
- ^ "Former Tulane football player, coach Bennie Ellender dies at age 86". Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Former Arkansas State, Tulane Coach Dies - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana". Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ AFCA Coach of the Year | Coach and Athletic Director | Find Articles at BNET.com