Two of the biggest names in the sports world in South Carolina, Buddy Pough and Cliff Ellis, ended their coaching careers in 2023. Pough’s retirement was expected. Ellis’s was not.
Pough retired as the all-time winningest football coach at SC State with a record of 151-93. He won one HBCU National Championship and eight MEAC crowns.
Ellis, at age 78, decided in early December the new world of college athletics was not for him. He retired as the 9th winning basketball coach in Division one with a record of 858-559. His 906 overall wins made him the third winningest active coach in college basketball at the time of his retirement.
Both men joined us separately on SportsTalk to discuss their career and what’s ahead.