Larry Ellis
July 26, 2018 | Men's Track and Field
Larry Ellis was hired as the Princeton head track & field coach in 1970. He and his wife Shirley came to Princeton in the summer of 1970 with their four children Leslie, Robin, Joanne, and Larry, Jr. Ellis served magnificently in his new role for the next 22 years.An All-America at NYU, Ellis had a spectacular high school and college track resume. After graduating in 1951, Ellis joined the Army for two years and served in the Korean War. Upon his return from Korea, Ellis got into the world of coaching.
When Ellis arrived, Princeton had never won a Heptagonal championship in cross country or indoor track & field. Additionally, the school's most recent outdoor Heps title was in 1938 and its only IC4A team championship was in 1879. By late October 1975, Ellis had his first Heps cross country team trophy. Bringing Olympic decathlete Fred Samara on as assistant coach for field events in 1977 added the essential coaching strength for Princeton to secure its first indoor Heps crown in 1980 and two years later won its first outdoor Heps trophy.
At his retirement, 11 years later, Ellis had won eight Heps cross country titles and 11 in indoor/outdoor track & field.
Ellis earned the honor of coaching the US national teams in 1973, '78, '79, '96 and '98. In 1984, he was named head coach of US Olympic men's track & field team. Recipient of a new heart in 1995, Ellis recovered sufficiently to coach a US men's team at the 1996 World Junior Championships and the US men's team to the World Games in Johannesburg, South Africa in the summer of 1998.
He served as President of USA Track and Field from 1992-1996 and served for many years on the U.S. Olympic Committee.
A track & field and cross country fan to the end, he attended the Heps cross country championships just a week before his untimely death at 70 on November 4, 1998.
Ellis' contributions to Princeton also included service as Director of Special Educational Programs, membership on the Equal Employment Opportunities Committee and Chair of the Minority Affairs Committee.
Since 1999, Princeton pays tribute to Ellis and his service to the sport with the Larry Ellis Invitational.
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