Editing Doug Ellis

{{Short description|English businessman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[Sir]]
| name                = Doug Ellis
| honorific_suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image               = Doug Ellis, 2014 (cropped).jpg
| image_size          = 
| caption             = Doug Ellis, in 2014
| order               = 
| office              = Chairman of [[Aston Villa F.C.]]
| term_start1         = 1982
| term_end1           = 2006
| predecessor1        = [[Ron Bendall]]
| successor1          = [[Randy Lerner]]
| term_start2         = 1968
| term_end2           = 1975
| predecessor2        = [[Norman Smith (executive)|Norman Smith]]
| successor2          = [[Sir William Dugdale, 2nd Baronet|Sir William Dugdale, Bt]]
| birth_name          = Herbert Douglas Ellis
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1924|1|3|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Hooton, Cheshire|Hooton]], England
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2018|10|11|1924|1|3|df=y}}
| death_place         = 
| occupation          = President Emeritus (Life President) of Aston Villa
| spouse              = {{marriage|Audrey Slater|1946||end=divorced}}<ref name=express>{{cite news |title=Sir Doug Ellis: A man who split opinion but forever had Aston Villa in his heart |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2018/10/11/sir-doug-ellis-a-man-who-split-opinion-but-forever-had-aston-villa-in-his-heart/ |access-date=11 October 2018 |work=Express & Star |date=11 October 2018}}</ref><br> {{marriage|Heidi Marie Kroeger|1963}}<ref name=express/>
| children            = 3<ref name=express/>
}}

'''Sir Herbert Douglas Ellis''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (3 January 1924 – 11 October 2018)<ref name=glanville>{{cite news |last1=Glanville |first1=Brian |title=Sir Doug Ellis obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/11/sir-doug-ellis-obituary |access-date=11 October 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=11 October 2018}}</ref> was an English [[entrepreneur]]. He was the chairman of [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa Football Club]] from 1968 to 1975, and again from 1982 until 2006. Ellis was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2012 New Year Honours]] List for charitable services.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=60009 |date=31 December 2011 |page=1 |supp=y }}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Ellis was born on 3 January 1924 in [[Hooton, Cheshire|Hooton]], [[Cheshire]].<ref name=glanville/> When he was three years old, his father, also named Herbert, died. His mother Jane did not remarry but worked to support him and his younger sister, and paid his fares to attend secondary school in [[Chester]].<ref name=cheshire>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Graham |title=Tributes to legendary football club chairman who was born in Ellesmere Port |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/tributes-legendary-football-club-chairman-15267173 |access-date=11 October 2018 |publisher=Cheshire Live |date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

According to Ellis, he attended trials for a football career with [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] as a child, but chose to pursue his business career rather than football.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2343299/Ellis-loved-being-centre-stage.html |title=Ellis loved being centre stage |author=Mihir Bose |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |date=15 August 2006}}</ref> During World War II, he was based with the [[Fleet Air Arm]] of the [[Royal Navy]] in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and the experience of his first trip abroad inspired him to provide low-cost foreign holidays to people of a similar economic background.<ref name=glanville/> Before he was 40, he had become a millionaire by pioneering [[package holiday]]s to Spain,<ref name="GuardianProfile">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jul/21/football.comment |date=21 July 2006 |work=The Guardian |title=The Guardian profile: Doug Ellis}}</ref> with his company Sunflight.<ref name=cheshire/>

Ellis met his first wife Audrey Slater in Ceylon in 1946. They had a son together and later divorced.<ref name=cheshire/> He married his second wife Heidi Kroeger in 1963, with whom he had two sons. He met the German courier in [[Benidorm]] when she was working for a rival company, and persuaded her to join his corporation.<ref name=cheshire/>

==Sport==
Ellis was the [[chairman]] and major shareholder of Aston Villa for two separate spells, the first being from 1968 to 1975. Ellis was replaced as chairman and finally ousted from the board in 1979. During his absence, Aston Villa enjoyed its greatest period of success in modern times, winning the [[Football League]] title in 1981 and the European Cup in 1982.  In June 1982, Ellis ousted Harry Marshall as chairman of [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]]. At the time, he noted the club was 24 hours from extinction, with debt as high as £2.5m.<ref>''Wolves saved on the brink'', 19 June 1982, [[The Times]], Issue: 61264</ref> In November 1982, he was elected to the board of the [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]].<ref>''In Brief'', The Times, 17 November 1982</ref>

Ellis returned to Aston Villa as chairman in 1982, and remained there until selling to [[Randy Lerner]] in 2006. Some fans blame him for the decline of the club after the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] victory in 1981–82.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/teams/a/aston_villa/5191072.stm Who is the Villain of the piece?] – BBC Sport, 18 July 2006</ref> Within five years, the club was relegated from the top flight, with many of the European Cup-winning team being sold to other teams, although it can be argued that this was due to large debts built up during the previous regime.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pye |first1=Steven |title=Remembering the last time Aston Villa were relegated |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2015/dec/31/aston-villa-relegation-1987-european-cup |access-date=11 October 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 December 2015}}</ref>

Ellis was nicknamed "Deadly Doug" by football pundit [[Jimmy Greaves]], after sacking numerous managers during his tenures as chairman.<ref name="GuardianProfile"/> Aston Villa had 13 different managers during his two spells.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aston Villa Manager History |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=154&teamTabs=managers |website=Soccerbase |access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="GUP">{{cite news |last1=Culf |first1=Andrew |title=The Guardian profile: Doug Ellis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jul/21/football.comment |access-date=11 October 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 July 2006}}</ref> Only two won any trophies for the team – [[Ron Atkinson]] and [[Brian Little]] with the [[Football League Cup]] in 1994 and 1996 respectively.<ref name=express/>

In 1996, Ellis owned 47 per cent of Aston Villa. In May 1997, the club floated on the stock market with a valuation of £126m.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/aug/15/sport.comment2 |title=Ellis, relic of a vanishing breed, finally gets on his bike |author=David Lacey |work=The Guardian |date=15 August 2006}}</ref> Ellis sold a number of his shares at flotation, reducing his shareholding to around 39% of the total shares.<ref>{{cite news |work=Birmingham Mail |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/interview-sir-doug-ellis-price-15266583 |title=An interview with Sir Doug Ellis – the price he paid for his devotion to Villa |date=1 October 2018}}</ref>

Ellis was reported to be the first football club director to pay himself a [[salary]] (in 2005 it was £290,000 after a 12% increase from the previous year) when it was made legal by [[The Football Association]] in the early 1980s.<ref name="GUP" /> He also served on the boards of [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] and [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] (as chairman).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodger |first1=James |title=Birmingham City fans put rivalry aside to pay classy tributes to Sir Doug Ellis |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-fans-put-rivalry-15267835 |access-date=11 October 2018 |newspaper=The Birmingham Mail |date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

In 2004, at the age of 80 and suffering from [[prostate cancer]], Ellis agreed to relinquish some of his control of the club by appointing [[Bruce Langham]] as [[chief executive officer|chief executive]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2006-08-13 |title=Doug Ellis factfile |url=http://www.birminghampost.net/news/local-news/doug-ellis-factfile-3979241 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Business Live |language=en}}</ref> Langham resigned in May 2005, reportedly after a disagreement with Ellis. In 2005, underwent a heart bypass operation and, after a three-month absence, returned to his role at [[Villa Park]] soon after the start of the 2005–06 season. By this time, some supporters and former club managers criticised Ellis's alleged lack of ambition, noting that the club often struggled to bring in top players.<ref>[http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article1178580.ece Villa squad attack Ellis for lack of ambition] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716154627/http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article1178580.ece |date=16 July 2006 }} – [[The Independent]], 15 July 2006</ref><ref>[https://www.expressandstar.com/articles/sport/villa/article_91852.php O'Leary departure no surprise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926132724/http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/sport/villa/article_91852.php |date=26 September 2012 }} – The Express and Star, 20 July 2006</ref>

On 14 August 2006, it was announced that Ellis had agreed to sell the club to American [[billionaire]], [[Randy Lerner]] in a deal worth £62.6 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/18/randy-lerner-agrees-65m-sale-of-aston-villa-to-chinese-businessm/ |date=18 May 2016 |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |title=Randy Lerner agrees £65m sale of Aston Villa to Chinese businessman Dr Tony Xia}}</ref> Ellis stood aside when the takeover was completed on 19 September 2006, becoming a [[President Emeritus]] (Life President) of the club.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2018/10/11/rip-sir-doug-ellis |work=Aston Villa F.C. |date=11 October 2018 |title=RIP Sir Doug Ellis}}</ref>

==Honours and later life==
In 1994, a stand at Villa Park was named after Ellis.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Doug Ellis: Former Aston Villa chairman dies aged 94 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45823730 |access-date=11 October 2018 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=11 October 2018}}</ref> and in 2005, he was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in the [[2005 New Year Honours]] List.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ellis awarded New Year accolade |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4135083.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-12-31 |access-date=2007-08-31}}</ref>

Ellis received an [[honorary degree]] from [[Aston University]] in July 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aston.ac.uk/alumni/news/meet-our-alumni/50-aston-greats/doug-ellis/ |work=Aston University |title=50 Aston Greats: Sir Doug Ellis |access-date=11 October 2018 |archive-date=30 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430233636/http://www.aston.ac.uk/alumni/news/meet-our-alumni/50-aston-greats/doug-ellis/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In January 2012 the Doug Ellis Learning Hub was opened at the [[University of Birmingham Medical School]]. Ellis donated £416,000 towards the feature.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/alumni/news/items/2010/September2010/MedicalSchoolRefurbishment.aspx |work=University of Birmingham |date=September 2010 |title=Medical School Refurbishment |access-date=11 October 2018 |archive-date=11 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214428/https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/alumni/news/items/2010/September2010/MedicalSchoolRefurbishment.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2013, the newly refurbished [[Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre]] at [[Aston University]] opened, featuring a new sports hall and squash courts. This work was partly funded by Ellis.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aston.ac.uk/news/releases/2011/october/new-university-sports-centre-honours-former-villa-chairman/ |title=New University sports centre honours former Villa Chairman |date=4 October 2011 |work=Aston University}}</ref> Also in 2012, Ellis donated £10,000 to the building of a new school gymnasium at [[Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls]]. In his letter to the school, he wrote: "You clearly have a school to be proud of … and I wish you every success in achieving your goal".<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417030137/http://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/downloads/newsletter/2011-2012/feb12.pdf |archive-date=17 April 2014 |title=SCGSG Newsletter |work=Sutton Coldfield School for Girls |url=http://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/downloads/newsletter/2011-2012/feb12.pdf |access-date=16 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 4 March 2012, Ellis was knighted for his charity work.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-16365005 |title=Ex-Villa chairman Doug Ellis knighted in New Year Honours|publisher=BBC News |date=31 December 2011}}</ref> He died on 11 October 2018, aged 94.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-aston-villa-owner-sir-15266202|title=Former Aston Villa owner Sir Doug Ellis dies aged 94 – tributes pour in|first=Mat|last=Kendrick|date=11 October 2018|access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Doug}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Derby County F.C. directors]]
[[Category:Aston Villa F.C. directors and chairmen]]
[[Category:Birmingham City F.C. directors and chairmen]]
[[Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. directors and chairmen]]
[[Category:People from Cheshire West and Chester]]
[[Category:People from Ellesmere Port]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People associated with Aston University]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Cheshire]]