Former Cowboy Greg Ellis Becomes Head Coach at NAIA program

As reported yesterday, Greg Ellis has been named the head coach at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, an NAIA school with about 2,000 students in the Texas town of Waxahachie, 30 miles south of Dallas. The SAGU Lions went 9-3 last season.

Ellis has prior experience as a college football coach and athletic director at Texas College.

A press release from the university said Ellis will utilize the coaching styles of three former coaches Mack Brown, Mike Zimmer, and Bill Parcells.

Ellis was a member of the Cowboys for nearly his entire career. Ellis played for the Tar Heels and went on to be the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick in 1998.

Ellis found himself starting nearly every game for the next decade. An Achilles injury put a halt to his 2006 campaign. Ellis returned in 2007 and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Ellis earned the only Pro Bowl of his career that season. He played one finish season with the Oakland Raiders to end his playing career.

Ellis was moved to outside linebacker as Bill Parcells introduced his 3-4 defense. Ellis started 35 games and made 38 total appearances at outside linebacker from 2006-2008.

A a solid player for a long time. He was a player you knew would go out every week and give it all he had. He did not make any huge mistakes or put himself in bad spots. He totaled 377 tackles in Dallas, 77 sacks, 20 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, four interceptions, and two touchdowns in his career.

Ellis is one of many former Cowboys to become a head coach at some level. We all know Deion Sanders and what he is doing at Jackson State University. Jason Witten retired after the 2020 NFL season and took over as head coach at Liberty Christian.

I enjoy seeing former players continue to do what they love after they get done playing. I wish great success for Ellis and his new team.