Dec 2, 2018 7 min read

At Washington High School in the mid-to-late 1970s, he was known as the strong guy, the quiet guy, the hard-working guy, the nice guy.

In the eyes of many people, he was one of the best guys.

Curtis Ellis was a two-time WPIAL wrestling champion (1976-77). He was a PIAA semifinalist in 1977 and came within less than 30 seconds of upending Bob Weaver, who was pursuing a third state championship. Weaver went on to win a gold medal for the U.S. in the 1984 Olympics. He also was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1980 when the U.S. did not compete in the Games.

While Ellis was a gifted wrestler, and an all-around good guy, he earned his reputation as a humble, easy-going young man who worked as hard as anybody.

“He’s as nice a young man as I ever coached,” said Dave Cook, who coached Ellis in junior high school. “Curtie had pure talent and he worked really hard. He wasn’t an excuse-maker. With Curtie, it was always, ‘Yes sir, no sir.’

“For a small guy, believe me, he had tremendous, pure strength. He wasn’t one of those guys you would look at and say he is really strong. But he was really strong. He came within one move of beating Bobby Weaver. That’s the caliber of wrestler he was.

“I had essentially an all-star team of wrestlers when I was the junior high coach at Washington,” Cook continued. “Curtie would wrestle any of them, up to a point, in the room and give them fits. When I left Washington to start the program at Ringgold, probably one of the hardest things about that was having to leave Curtie behind.”

Ellis, 59, moved on from Washington to wrestle on scholarship at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

James Phillips, who played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and in the CFL, was the coach of Morgan State’s wrestling team and he made a significant impression on Ellis at the old Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic at the Civic Arena, where Ellis was participating.

“I never heard of Morgan State,” Ellis said. “I had been talking with Clarion, Lock Haven and Bloomsburg. Coach Phillips was there and we had a talk. It was inspirational. He had me amped. He ended up staying over at our house and told me about putting together the program at Morgan State.

“He never wrestled. But he could condition and motivate and I liked him and Morgan State. I was pulled in completely with his enthusiasm and spirit. I felt he was someone who would really care about me.”

Ellis was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American for the Bears (1978, 1979 and 1981) at 118 pounds. He was undefeated against MEAC competition (36-0) and was undefeated at home against nonconference competition. He was a four-time MEAC champion and two-time East Regional champion (1980-1981).

Ellis was invited to and won the Penn State Invitational in 1980 and finished eighth in the NCAA Division I Championships in 1980.

Ellis, who was a team captain, finished his collegiate career with a 102-17-21 record. He was inducted into Morgan State’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

“Coach Phillips groomed me all the way through,” Ellis said. “He fostered my growth as a wrestler and as a man.”

Ellis said he was fortunate throughout his life to have had positive male guidance in his life. He credited his older brother Dean, wrestling coaches Bernie Porto (Brownson House midget league), Cook (junior high school) and the late Stan Mousetis (high school).

He added that the father of one of high school teammates at Washington, the late Tom Diamond, Sr., would take him and his son Tom – who became a state champion – to freestyle tournaments across the country during the summer,

“Growing up in a house absent a father, I was lucky to have all of them in my life,” Ellis said. “My brother was my father. But I had great men in my life. From Bernie Porto taking me to two Junior Olympics to Mr. Diamond taking Tommy and me to freestyle tournaments. They all took me into their homes.

“We had a tough household. My mom was raising six kids. The men in my life helped grow me, not just as a wrestler but as a person. Dave Cook took incredible interest in me. I will never forget him taking me shopping to buy clothes and to his home to feed me. Stan took care of me always. It went beyond wrestling with all of them. I am forever grateful.”

Ellis’ wrestling greatness was born at the Brownson House. It was a day in the fourth grade at the former 8th Ward Elementary School that drew Ellis’ attention to the sport.

“Tommy (Diamond) just won a Junior Olympics championship,” Ellis explained. “The teacher had him stand up and show his medal. I was like ‘Wow.’ My brother was a wrestler but that was the moment that drew me to wrestling.”

Ellis was part of some excellent teams at Washington and credits his success and growth to having great coaches and workout partners.

“I got discipline from my background,” Ellis said. “I don’t recall missing a practice. I looked forward to going every day. We’d get out of school and hustle to the armory, where we practiced. I just liked working hard. I knew that’s what it took. If I didn’t work that way, I felt someone else would work a minute longer and harder.

“My workout partners were fantastic. Frank Rotunda, Larry Moore and Tommy. They all had tremendous ability in our room. You were forced to be ready.”

Rotunda wrestled against Ellis, at least as much as anybody. His respect runs deep.

“He had natural ability but he developed it through working real hard all the time,” Rotunda said. “He was quick and fast. Curtis was all business. We called him ‘Curtie Concrete.’

“His grip … he’d grab my arm and cut off my circulation. He made me better. Because of him, I was in survival mode all the time. It’s why I was a defensive wrestler.”

Ellis’ epic battle with Weaver remains indelible to wrestling fans in the area. In the final 20 seconds, Weaver allowed Ellis to escape and then hit a late takedown to secure a 6-4 victory and a chance to win a third straight PIAA crown, which he did.

So impressed with Ellis’ effort and talent, Weaver took Ellis’ hand in his and raised it as his arm was being raised in victory by the mat official.

“The match came so fast,” Ellis said. “It wasn’t like today. You didn’t have all the tape to watch. I never scouted him. I knew he had a motor and never, ever stopped.

“My strategy was to shoot first, be on the aggressive. I used the ‘sugar foot,’ fake, fake, fake and shoot. I wanted to keep him on the defensive. I hit it and took him down and rode him out. At the end, he let me up and took me down. His motor was better than mine.”

Weaver’s acknowledgment of the effort and his gesture will never be lost on Ellis.

“I felt special,” Ellis said. “(Weaver) accomplished what he wanted. What he did showed that is wasn’t just another victory to him. When he raised my hand and hugged me, he said, “Amazing match, amazing.’

“I was OK. He knew it was a tough match and he let everyone know that. It was a special moment.”

Ellis, who has two children, Amberly, 28, and Corbin, 26, resides in Baltimore. He owns and operates Reel Image Media, which he founded in 1998.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications in 1983 from Morgan State. His work centered on video and photography and he previously worked at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. From there he moved on to Johns Hopkins University where he produced medical videos. He now focuses on his company, travels around the world and until three years ago served as a volunteer diver at the National Aquarium, where he fed sting rays and sharks.

“Morgan State was a nice cultural experience for me,” Ellis said. “It felt good to be part of a program that brought respect to wrestling at the school. It really was great for me culturally, educationally and athletically.”