Wilbert Ellis

Sport: Baseball

Induction Year: 2024

University: Grambling

Nationally regarded as one of the finest representatives of college baseball and beloved by Grambling alumni for his expansive yet unofficial role at the university, Ellis spent 30 seasons as the head coach and a grand total of 43, including time as a graduate assistant and assistant coach, for the Grambling baseball program.

Ellis retired in 2003 after posting a 743-463-1 record with three Southwestern Athletic Conference titles, five SWAC Western Division crowns and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He coached future major leaguers Gerald Williams, Ralph Garr, Tommie Agee and Matt Alexander while he was either the Tigers’ coach or assistant coach.

Ellis was Grambling’s second baseball coach after serving as an assistant to program founder Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones, Ellis was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006. He has been a trusted advisor for generations of presidents, athletic directors and coaches at Grambling, and in community and governmental affairs. Ellis was instrumental in the establishment of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum in Grambling, and the school’s Grambling Legends sports hall of fame. He still conducts baseball clinics for kids in Lincoln Parish and serves as an NCAA Regional site supervisor, most recently in June 2023 at the Baton Rouge Super Regional pitting LSU against Kentucky.