University of Tennessee Athletics
1980-81 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
Ellis, Dale
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Jersey Number 14
Dale Ellis
- Height:
- 6-7
- Weight:
- null
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Marietta, Ga.
- High School:
- Marietta High School
Bio
One of the most efficient interior scorers in Tennessee history, Dale Ellis was an All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and developed into one of the league's first great 3-point shooters—becoming the first NBA player to make 1,000 3-point shots. Ellis played 19 NBA seasons and was an All-Star in 1989. He is one of only four Tennessee basketball players to have his jersey retired, as his No. 14 was hung from the rafters on March 1, 2014.
Additional Post-Tennessee Honors: Named to the Lakeland Ledger's 25-Year All-SEC Team in 1986 ... Named the NBA's "Most Improved Player" in 1986-87 ... NBA statistical champion for 3-point attempts (240) in 1986-87 ... NBA statistical champion for 3-point percentage (.464) and effective field-goal percentage (.588) in 1997-98 ... Selected to the Clarion Ledger/Jackson Daily News "SEC Team of the 80s" in 1989 ... NBA Player of the Week on Jan. 8, 1989 ... Won the NBA Long Distance Shootout during 1989 All-Star Weekend ... Third-team All-NBA in 1988-89 ... NBA Player of the Week on Nov. 17, 1996 ... Selected as an SEC Legend in 2004 ... Inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 ... Named to UT Basketball All-Century Team in 2009 ... Inducted into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Additional Post-Tennessee Honors: Named to the Lakeland Ledger's 25-Year All-SEC Team in 1986 ... Named the NBA's "Most Improved Player" in 1986-87 ... NBA statistical champion for 3-point attempts (240) in 1986-87 ... NBA statistical champion for 3-point percentage (.464) and effective field-goal percentage (.588) in 1997-98 ... Selected to the Clarion Ledger/Jackson Daily News "SEC Team of the 80s" in 1989 ... NBA Player of the Week on Jan. 8, 1989 ... Won the NBA Long Distance Shootout during 1989 All-Star Weekend ... Third-team All-NBA in 1988-89 ... NBA Player of the Week on Nov. 17, 1996 ... Selected as an SEC Legend in 2004 ... Inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 ... Named to UT Basketball All-Century Team in 2009 ... Inducted into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
CAREER HIGHS
- Points: 39 // vs. Oklahoma City, 12/22/1982
- Rebounds: 12 // 3x, last vs. New Orleans, 12/11/1982
- Field Goals: 16 // at Alabama, 1/30/1982
- Free Throws: 12 // vs. Florida, 2/19/1983
- Steals: 7 // at Mississippi State, 1/20/1982
HONORS
- 1983 Consensus First-Team All-American
- 1983 SEC Player of the Year (AP)
- 1983 First-Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, UPI)
- 1983 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team
- 1983 NABC All-District 7 Team
- 1983 USBWA District 3A Player of the Year
- 1983 USBWA All-District 3A Team
- 1982 Volunteer Classic All-Tournament Team
- 1982 Holiday Classic Tournament MVP
- 1982 First-Team All-American (Converse, Helms Athletic Foundation, USBWA)
- 1982 Second-Team All-American (AP, Basketball Times, Basketball Weekly)
- 1982 Third-Team All-American (NABC)
- 1982 SEC Player of the Year (AP, UPI)
- 1982 First-Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, UPI)
- 1982 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team
- 1982 NABC All-District 7 Team
- 1982 USBWA District 3A Player of the Year
- 1982 USBWA All-District 3A Team
- 1982 Tuscaloosa Tipoff Club Player of the Year
- Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week (Jan. 30, 1982)
- 1981 Volunteer Classic Tournament MVP
- 1981 Far West Classic All-Tournament Team
- 1981 Volunteer Classic Tournament MVP
- 1981 First-Team All-SEC (Coaches)
- 1981 Second-Team All-SEC (AP, UPI)
- 1981 NABC All-District 7 Team
- 1981 UT's Lowell Blanchard Most Improved Award
- 1980 SEC All-Freshman Team
1982-83 - SENIOR
- Finished his career ranking third on Tennessee’s all-time scoring list with 2,065 career points (now ranks sixth).
- His career field-goal percentage of .595 (832-1,399) still stands as Tennessee's all-time record.
- Finished with nine career 30-point games and 14 career double-doubles.
- Appeared in 32 games and averaged a team-best 22.6 points, the best scoring average of his career and a mark that remains on UT's top-10 single-season list.
- Set the Tennessee record (has since been broken) for single-season scoring with 724 points; that remains the most points ever scored by a Tennessee senior.
- His 279 made field goals as a senior stands as the second-most by a Vol in any season in program history.
- His .6012 field-goal percentage (279-464) is the fifth-best single-season mark in school history.
- Still ranks eighth in program history with 154 career steals.
- Started all 32 games for the Vols.
- Had his highest career scoring output when he dropped 39 points during UT's win over Oklahoma City (12/22/1982)
- Scored a season-high 35 points in Tennessee's home win over Auburn (2/22/1983).
1981-82 - JUNIOR
- Led Tennessee to a 20-10 (13-5 SEC) record and the regular-season SEC Championship.
- Was the catalyst for Tennessee setting a program single-season record for team field-goal percentage (.542).
- Started all 30 games while leading the Vols and ranking third in the SEC with a scoring average of 21.1 points.
- Led the SEC and ranked second nationally with a .654 field-goal percentage, a mark that still stands as Tennessee's single-season record (minimum 200 attempts).
- His season average of 37.8 minutes per game is the third-highest in Tennessee history.
- Scored at least 20 points in 16 different games.
- Led the team in steals with 1.6 per game (47 in 30 games).
- Set a Tennessee single-game record with seven steals in UT's win at Mississippi State (1/20/1982).
- Helped the Vols improve to 9-0 in SEC play with a huge effort in UT's win at Georgia (1/27/1982), finishing with a game-high 28 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in his home state.
- Followed that performance at Georgia with a 38-point outburst at Alabama (1/30/1982); the 66 points in back-to-back games earned him Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week honors.
1980-81 - SOPHOMORE
- Received the program's "Lowell Blanchard Most Improved" award after the season.
- Started 28 of UT's 29 games and averaged 17.7 points and 6.4 rebounds.
- His .597 field-goal percentage (215-360) is the sixth-best single-season mark in school history.
- Tied his career-high with 12 rebounds during Tennessee's win at Colorado (12/8/1981)
1979-80 - FRESHMAN
- Appeared in 27 games, with six starts, and averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
- Grabbed a then-career-high 12 rebounds in UT's win at Auburn (2/23/1980).
HIGH SCHOOL
- Graduated from Marietta High School, where he was coached by Charlie Hood.
- Averaged 23.6 points and 15.6 rebounds per game while garnering All-America, All-State, All-Region and All-County honors.
- Was also named the Atlanta Area Player of the Year in 1979.
PERSONAL
- Full name is Dale Ellis
- Born Aug. 6, 1960, in Marietta, Georgia
- Academic major: Business Administration (but he returned to complete his degree in Sociology in 1985)
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