Earlham College

A successful three-sport athlete while at Earlham, Gene “Duke” Ellington was a three-year letter winner in both football and basketball and a two-year letter winner in track. As a testament to his athletic ability, he received the Varsity E Blanket in 1943 in acknowledgement of his numerous varsity letters. After his time at Earlham, Ellington was able to continue his success in the field of athletics. He was head coach of four state championship high school teams, leading a basketball team in 1948 in addition to three track teams.