L.M. Ellis & the Burt High Trifecta

BY JEFFREY V. BIBB

The mid-1950s to mid-1960s saw the launches of three Burt High School athletic stars who followed different trajectories to reach widespread recognition, admiration and respect.

Established in 1923, the all-Black school was the namesake of Dr. Robert Tecumseh Burt – among Clarksville’s most notable, benevolent and beloved citizens. Dr. Burt was an African American physician who founded the Home Infirmary in 1906 as Clarksville’s first and only hospital. The Burt High School Tigers, donning black and gold uniforms, were known throughout Tennessee – and ultimately, the world –for success in multiple sports. These teams became the springboard for barrier-breaking athletes like Wilma Rudolph and L.M. Ellis.

After the desegregation of Montgomery County public schools, Burt High was closed in 1970 with its students integrating into three other local high schools. The school building is in use today as Burt Elementary School on Bailey Street contiguous to the Austin Peay State University campus. If only Burt High’s hallways, classrooms and gymnasium could tell stories of all the notable athletic achievements that took place on the premises!

L.M. Ellis played center on Burt’s 1961 State and National Negro High School Championship basketball team, and later became the first Black basketball scholarship signee and player in the Ohio Valley Conference at Austin Peay. This trailblazing man with a deep but gentle voice, giving spirit and wide smile made history, changing the game of basketball in Clarksville and beyond.

THE ELLIS FAMILY MOVES TO TOWN

L.M. Ellis’ ancestors lived in Stewart County, but eventually migrated just east to Montgomery County. His father, L.M. Ellis Sr., and mother, Sadie Stewart Ellis, were farmers in the Woodlawn community where L.M. was born. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis sold the family's 44 acres for $1,400 when little L.M. Jr. was six years old… $700 to pay off debt and $700 to buy a home on Ford Street in Clarksville. Today, Ford Street is the eastern-most boundary of Austin Peay’s campus.

Future Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph was about three years older than L.M. when the Ellis family arrived on Ford Street.

“Wilma’s family lived just a few doors away on St. John’s Street,” recalled L.M. in a recorded interview. “Us neighborhood kids called her dad [Ed Rudolph] ‘Papa Ed.’ They had an old shed with a peach basket hanging on it, which was our basketball goal. Wilma taught us a lot about the game… and she would always beat the boys.”

“We always had a great friendship,” said L.M. of his relationship with Wilma.

LIFE LESSONS AND BURT HIGH BASKETBALL

L.M. and his Tiger teammates achieved notable success during his three varsity seasons (1958-1961). Playing center during Burt High’s magical 1961 basketball run under Coach Davey Whitney, L.M. was named to both the State and National Negro High School All-Tournament Teams.

“In addition to learning finer points of the game, including teamwork, Coach Whitney was a strong disciplinarian,” remembered Ellis. “He and his wife Bernice taught us to shake a man’s hand and look him in the eye. They taught us to be responsible young men with self-pride. Coach didn’t allow any thugs or bad influences around our team. We wore dress jackets with buttoned shirts with ties on the road. He gave us mental toughness to survive and succeed in life after basketball.”

After Burt High’s basketball success, L.M. was contacted by multiple colleges and universities which invited the Burt High senior to consider casting his lot with them. L.M. ultimately chose Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference –considered at that time among the nation’s elite basketball leagues. Due to NCAA rules of that era, freshmen were required to play exclusively on a school’s freshman team.

L.M.’s freshman year at Drake was successful in that he averaged 14 points per game. That spring, L.M. attended the Drake Relays, a notable track and field event, where he ran into Wilma Rudolph. By that time, Wilma was attending the all-male relays as an Olympic Gold Medalist.

“Wilma introduced me to a lady during the Drake Relays who would later become my wife,” recalled L.M.

L.M. began his sophomore year on the Drake Bulldogs’ varsity team. However, he became disappointed with the team’s relatively slow, methodical style of play and desired to transfer to his hometown Austin Peay State College. Drake University consented to L.M.’s transfer request and L.M. signed with APSC on Jan. 8, 1963. Under NCAA transfer rules, he would not be eligible to compete at APSC until Jan. 9, 1964.

BREAKING THE COLOR BARRIER IN OVC BASKETBALL

The 1963-64 season was the first for the Austin Peay Governors in the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. The other “big first” for APSC was signing L.M. Ellis, the first Black basketball scholarship athlete in OVC history. By contrast, Perry Wallace of Vanderbilt University became the Southeastern Conference’s first Black basketball scholarship athlete three years later, in 1967.

L.M. Ellis’ arrival was a timely and fortunate roster addition for firstyear Govs head basketball coach George Fisher. Ellis was eligible for all but two OVC games. APSC needed a strong rebounder and Ellis delivered on his potential, grabbing a team-leading 10.5 rebounds per game, plus team fourth best 9.3 points per game. The Governors surprised their new OVC rivals with a 14-9 overall and 7-7 won-loss record in the competitive OVC. Fisher was named OVC Coach of the Year.

Steve Miller, a senior from Louisville, Kentucky, was the 1963-64 team captain. Steve married June Fearneyhough, his high school sweetheart, in August 1963. He was the most settled player on the team and his maturity, leadership and playing ability were essential to this team’s chemistry and success.

“We had a terrific team environment, and L.M. was completely accepted by his teammates,” said Miller. “By transferring from Drake, L.M. had the 1963 spring and fall semesters to practice, allowing him to bond with his teammates before becoming eligible to play in games.”

Miller added, “Our team was tight-knit, and we had each other’s backs. If we were on a road trip and a restaurant would not allow a Black player to be seated, Coach Fisher moved us down the road until we found an eatery that would serve every one of us.”

That first OVC team organized 25- and 45-year reunions. “I am extremely proud that every player showed up for both reunions, which was significantly important and underscored a long-term respect and commitment to each other,” said Miller.

L.M. Ellis remained loyal to both of his Alma Maters – Burt High and Austin Peay. He was generous with both his presence and financial support. His number “45” is one of only six in men’s basketball annals to be permanently retired. He was inducted into the APSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 and the prestigious Red Coat Society in 2020 for his long-time support of APSU Athletics.

The U.S. Army veteran spent several decades as a regional supervisor with J.C. Penney and later founded the Ellis Consulting Group Inc. L.M. died in Clarksville June 1, 2022. He was married four times and was the father of three children, three stepchildren and 13 grandchildren. His oldest child, Yvetta Denise Johnson (née Ellis) was born May 27, 1961, the day he received his diploma from Burt High School – L.M. walked straight from graduation to Clarksville Memorial Hospital that day. L.M. was survived by his wife Mary and faithful dog Boney, named after his Burt teammate and lifelong best friend Tommy “Boney” Gray.