Bennie Ellender Jr. (March 2, 1925 – December 22, 2011) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

from 1963 to 1970 and at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

from 1971 to 1975, compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

record of 79–49–4. Ellender led the Arkansas State program to three consecutive

Pecan Bowl The Pecan Bowl was the name of some December college football bowl games played in two different eras. In 1946 and 1947, the game was contested between historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). From 1964 through 1970, the game was a reg ...

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.AFCA Coach of the Year , Coach and Athletic Director , Find Articles at BNET.com
/ref> After the 1970 season, Ellender left ASU to become head football coach at his alma mater, Tulane.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellender, Bennie 1925 births 2011 deaths American football quarterbacks American football safeties Arkansas State Red Wolves football coaches Tulane Green Wave football coaches Tulane Green Wave football players United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Sulphur, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana Neurological disease deaths in Louisiana Deaths from Alzheimer's disease