Charles Ellzey (2003) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Charles Ellzey

Induction:
2003

There has never been any doubt that the game of football is a tough game. It’s a game in which mental toughness is as big a part of it as catching or running with the football. It takes a special kind of man to play the game, especially those that battle week in and week out in the trenches.
   Charley Ellzey was the type of player that possessed that special heart and spirit when he played center and linebacker for Southern Miss from 1957 to 1959 and his special skills were instrumental in the success of those teams.
   At 6-3, 225 pounds, Ellzey was a superb combination of speed and strength that caused opponents all kinds of trouble whether attempting to stop him from getting to the quarterback or ball carrier or blocking up-front for the superb Southern running attack.
   But one of the things that seemed to separate him from some of the others was his innate ability to feel the flow of the game, to position him in the right place at the right time and make the right play. He always seemed to have a knack for where the ball was going and seemingly be there before the opposition or know where the defense was coming from and protect his teammates.
   It was the combination of his rare athletic skills coupled with his knowledge of the game that placed him among the all-time greats in Southern Miss football.
   Ellzey first saw action with Southern in 1957 and was a key part of a defense that limited its opponents to just 62 points all year and shutout seven of the ten opponents. That defense also held its opponent’s to just an average of 207.9 yards per game on their way to an 8-3 record and an appearance in the Tangerine Bowl against East Texas State. As a reserve center that season he also saw plenty of action and showed the potential that indicated to Coach Vann and his staff that he would be a player to be reckoned with in the year’s to come.
   He was also a key ingredient on the 1958 squad that recorded the school’s only undefeated, untied season. That team went 9-0 and won the United Press International College Division National championship. Ellzey had a great year on a defense that again limited its opponents to just 55 points and posted five shutouts, while limiting them to an average of only 150 yards per game.
   He really came into his own in 1959 as a senior calling the defense signals and leading the team to a 6-4 record. That defense was again one of the best in school history, allowing just 12.2 points per game and 209.5 yards per game. Ellzey was among the leaders on the team in tackles, quarterback sacks and tackles for losses and finished with two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
   When you look at the three defenses that he was a part of at Southern Miss they allowed only 239 points in 29 games and shutout 12 of those 29 opponents.
   Following his outstanding career at Southern Miss, the Chicago Cardinals took Ellzey in the 1960 NFL draft in the third round. And he would play two seasons with the Cardinals before retiring following the 1961 season.