#MIZHOF17: Mark Ellis

In the era of routine success by Mizzou Wrestling, it is important to look back and acknowledge when the run of domination first began. Mark Ellis, one of Mizzou’s all-time greats, played a big role in establishing the success of Mizzou’s wrestling program.

Ellis is one of just five Mizzou wrestlers to win a National Championship. He was the first to do so in the heavyweight division for Mizzou, and remains the only one to this day. He holds a special place in Mizzou Wrestling history, and will soon receive yet another honor. On Oct. 20, Mizzou will honor six athletes by inducting them into the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame.

Ellis was a two-time NCAA All-American, and won his National title during his junior season. He finished with a career record of 90-39, and his 30 career falls remain sixth-best in program history. Despite all of this, Ellis would be the first to admit that he did not achieve his level of success without a little help.

“When I think about Mizzou, I just think about the people,” Elli said. “I think about Columbia and the people and everybody that helped me to get to have the success that I was able to have at the University of Missouri. It was a huge effort by everybody and by no means was it me on my own. It was a lot of people that helped me accomplish my dreams and goals.”

When asked about his success as both a wrestler and a person, Ellis credited former coach and current friend, Brian Smith. The two have remained in consistent contact since Ellis’ graduation in 2010. Ellis has kept his eyes on Mizzou’s wrestling program throughout the years, and doesn’t seem surprised by the empire that Smith has built there.

“No matter who he gets in there, he develops wrestlers, he develops coaches. He’s just one of the best wrestling coaches I’ve ever seen,” Ellis said.

He cites both Smith’s God-given gift of building and his determination as reasons that the program has remained as successful as it has.

“Now it’s to a point where – I don’t want to say it’s on cruise control because there is still a lot of work that goes into it – but he has built that [program] to where it is a powerhouse. It is a top-five program, and considered one of the best wrestling programs in the entire country,” Ellis said.

Throughout his career, Ellis has been the recipient of various awards, including the Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2009 and the Ed Lampitt Award in 2010. This particular honor, however, came of great surprise to Ellis.

“It’s obviously a great honor, and I think that one of the first things that comes to mind is…[that] it is one of the higher honors that I’ve received thus far in my life,” Ellis said. “It’s humbling to get recognized in such a way.”

After graduating from Mizzou, Ellis stayed very involved in the sport of wrestling. He coached at the collegiate level at various schools for five years, and then his career path took a different approach. Ellis, along with a few other guys, worked to establish a strand of Fellowship for Christian Athletes groups geared specifically towards wrestlers. Ellis is the director of the Midwest Region, and his responsibilities cover five states.

The men work to integrate the messages of faith and Christianity into coaching and the sport of wrestling, and gear their messages more specifically towards coaches.

Ellis hopes to help coaches gain the ability to be positive role models in their players’ lives, similar to the role models he had alongside him throughout his wrestling career.

The 2017 Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Hampton Inn & Suites. Tickets are on sale now here.