On this episode of Coffee with Cool People, host Chip Munn sat down with Coach Cliff Ellis to talk about music, basketball, leadership, and the mindset that carries you from small beginnings to big moments. Ellis grew up in Florida’s Panhandle, the son of hardworking parents, earned his degree at Florida State, and married his college sweetheart, Carolyn. He started coaching at the junior high level at 22 and became a college head coach at 26. Along the way, he discovered another gift. He could sing.
A single song at a high school dance changed everything. During college, Ellis’ impromptu performance led to a music career that took him to Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, radio charts across the South, and stages shared with legends like Roy Orbison, Etta James, Charlie Rich, and the Four Tops. He still remembers the nerves before opening for Orbison, bigger than any ACC championship game. Music taught him rhythm, timing, and how to connect with people, lessons he carried into every locker room he ever led.
Coaching eventually called Ellis home. His first college job came at Cumberland, followed by a move to South Alabama, where he helped launch the Sun Belt Conference and built the program into a Top 10 contender. After a recruiting heartbreak and a well-timed phone call, he accepted the Clemson job, a program many considered a long shot. In 1990, the Tigers captured the ACC title, a victory born from years of persistence, discipline, and a builder’s mindset. Ellis went on to lead Auburn to SEC success, spent several years in television, and later returned to the sidelines at Coastal Carolina. There, he helped raise the HTC Center, defeated programs from his past, and guided the Chanticleers back to the NCAA Tournament.
Ellis has also been writing for decades. Cleaning out his desk after retiring, he found years of notes to himself and to players. Friends urged him to compile them, and his latest book is the result. It is a leadership guide anchored in attitude, self-worth, adversity, and action. Write your goals. Plant the right thoughts. Practice until you cannot get it wrong. Find your breaking point and do not break when adversity hits. He tells players and readers the same thing. Do it now. Be bold. Dare to dream.
Ellis brings the discussion down to earth, pointing out that success always reflects the effort you invest. He urged teams to set clear goals, rehearse the details, and protect their mindset from outside noise. When a layup is missed or a headline doubts you, the next possession still matters. Meet adversity. Shake its hand. Move on. That approach carried him through 900-plus wins at places where winning was never assumed. It is also the spirit behind the Cliff and Carolyn Ellis Foundation, which invests in early literacy for children in Horry and Georgetown counties. The foundation funds learning center access before first grade and raises support through an annual Legends golf event and ACC reunion.
Asked for a favorite fictional character, Ellis chose Batman. He likes builders. He likes partners who help. He likes knocking down doors to save a city. In his case, that meant lifting programs at Cumberland, South Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, and Coastal Carolina. The resume is impressive. The through line is clearer. Coach Cliff Ellis believes in dreaming big, doing the work, and helping the next person believe they can too.
