Hall of Fame
A 1970 graduate of Cheyney State, William Ellerbee completed his educational training in mathematics at the Unveristy of Illinios, the Andover Dartmouth Institute and Endicott College. Between 1964-68, he served as a Marine and was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. Between 1964-68, he served as a Marine and was a decorated veteran of Vietnam War.
Ellerbee has a lifetime commitment to the game of baketball. He made his mark coaching Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia for 20 years. His 1990-91 squad posted a record 27-1 and was crowned the mythical national champion in the final ESPN high school poll. In the 1992-93 campaign, the Bulldogs achieved absolute perfection with a 31-0 mark and were again trabbed national champions by USA Today. Among the many accomplishments of his program at Gratz were the 107 game regular season Public League winning streak and a 134 game overall winning streak, including playoffs. In his 20 years at the hem (1998-2002), he guided the Bulldogs to a 452-100 record (.819). Simon Gratz appeared in 20 consecutive playoff tournaments, qualifying for 12 title games before settling on six championships. After retiring from Gratz, Ellerbee coached four more seasons as an Assistant Coach at Temple on the staff of the Lengendary John Chaney. He coached 11 Daily News All-City players, including former Temple Owls Aaron Mckie, Levan Alston and Lynard Stewart.
Ellerbee was named the Philadelphia Public League Coach of the Year in 1991, the Commonweath of Pennsylvania Coach of teh Year in 1993 and 1997, the National Coach of the Year by ESPN and USA TODAY in 1993. Today he adds yet another Hall of Fame to his storied career. He already is a member of three Halls of Fame, including, the Rotary Club of Latrobe, PA, the Myrtle Beach, SC Beach Ball Classic and Five-Star Camps International.
Ellerbee began his career in the Philadelphia Public Schools as a mathematcis instructor at Simon Gratz in 1970 and continued to teach the course until retirement in June of 2002. He served for 31 years as an assistant recreation leader with the City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation.
In 1988, he co-founed and served for five years as deputy director of Total Response, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to the development and coordination of youth motivational programs through athletics.
