RIP, Steve Ellis

[Wendy Parker]

Longtime Tallahassee Democrat FSU beat writer Steve Ellis was 54.

http://nolesports.tallahassee.com/article/20091119/FSU03/91119019/Tallahassee-Democrat-sports-writer-Steve-Ellis-dies

 

[Moderator1]

Damn. That's just awful. RIP.

 

[BigRed]

Just terribly sad news - I wasn't aware he had suffered a heart attack. Steve was always one of the good guys on the ACC road - I always enjoyed talking with him at FSU and ACC events. A truly nice guy who worked his butt off and, I believe, wrote a book or two with Bobby Bowden.
He will be missed. RIP.

 

[FlipSide]

Very sad to hear this. Steve was one of the nicest guys out there and a hell of a reporter.

 

[Mighty_Wingman]

That is incredibly sad...Steve was a genuinely great guy who did a damn fine job and was never too busy to give a young guy a kind word. He'll be missed by many people, including me. RIP.

 

[bdangelo]

Wow, that blows my mind. Thoughts and prayers are with his family.

 

[scribe steve]

Steve Ellis worked harder on his beat that anybody I have ever known in the business, yet he took the time to help the new guys, like me, who breezed through Tallahassee over the years and didn't know nearly as much abou FSU. Famous story, and true, is that when he was on his first honeymoon, he called in a recruiting story to the paper. THAT'S how hard the guy worked at his craft. You can bet your butt that Bobby Bowden will attend the funeral. He respected Steve, and rightly so.

 

[GB-Hack]

Very, very sad news.

 

[Scott Carter]

Steve Ellis worked harder on his beat that anybody I have ever known in the business, yet he took the time to help the new guys, like me, who breezed through Tallahassee over the years and didn't know nearly as much abou FSU. Famous story, and true, is that when he was on his first honeymoon, he called in a recruiting story to the paper. THAT'S how hard the guy worked at his craft. You can bet your butt that Bobby Bowden will attend the funeral. He respected Steve, and rightly so.

This sounds exactly like the Steve I know...Still having a hard time getting my head around this news today...I've been splitting my time between Tampa and Tallahassee past couple of weeks and went by to visit Steve in the hospital on Sunday...He looked worn down physically, but he was chatty as always and in good spirts...

He called me last night about 9:15 and left a voice mail just checking in, saying not to worry about calling him back since it was getting late for him...and then today he is gone...Incredibly hard worker who was one of the true grinders our biz.

He'll be missed around Tallahassee, that's for sure.

 

[hondo]

Incredibly hard worker and a genuinely nice person. Hard to imagine anyone staying on the same college beat for almost 20 years any longer. His readers knew one thing for certain: with him on the beat, chances were good that they got the news first and failing that, got it accurately. And most of the time, he gave them both.

 

[Tim Layden]

Couldn't agree more with everything here. Steve was a passionate beat writer and great company at all times, especially on long afternoons in the old FSU atrium, waiting for players and coaches to wander through. The last time I saw him he was at the 08 U.S. Olympic track trials, all the way to Eugene to cover a single FSU athlete, sprinter Walter Dix. Steve was tlrelessly working the mixed zone and unselfishly doling out tidbits to any writer -- bigtime or small -- who asked about Dix. A terrific journalist and a better guy. Sad day.

 

[YankeessSuck]

All the accolades written here about Steve Ellis are spot on. One of the best in the business. I was just starting out in the biz and one of our local players got in trouble and was kicked off the Florida State team. We needed a comment from Bobby Bowden and it was late. We called Ellis to see if he could help us out. Ten minutes later, Bowden called US, we didn't call him. Steve didn't have to do that, but that's the kind of guy he was. Damn, he will be missed.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

I'm really sad to hear about Steve.

Like everyone else has written here, he really was a great guy, and very helpful. I remember coming into Tallahassee for football games or baseball regionals and he was always friendly, a good guy. And he did a nice job for the Democrat. Really in tune with FSU sports.

Tim's story about Steve going to the U.S. Track and Field trials to cover that one FSU kid pretty much summed it up.

I haven't seen Steve in a few years, but he'll be missed by a lot of us.

Condolences to the Ellis family.

 

[KJIM]

I'm so shocked by this, especially coming on the heels of a Peace Corps colleague also dying this week.

I didn't know Steve professionally at all, but I grew up in Tallahassee and read his work.

Condolences to his family.

 

[BrianMcLaughlin]

RIP Steve. Terrible news.

 

[Jersey_Guy]

This line in the story made me incredibly sad:

He insisted Karen Detrick Ellis, his wife of four years, e-mail the story to the newspaper before he would let her call 911.

There was a time I would have admired that. When I was in my 20s and believed there was no greater calling than newspapers and no greater fun than watching a big story roll off the presses. Today I watch my friends who loved newspapers their whole lives get laid off and cast aside, and read about a much-loved man putting off critical medical care to file a story that will be forgotten in a matter of hours or days.

Save your love for someone that will love you back, ladies and gents. Don't let the paper be your life.

And rest in peace, Steve.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Wow... Hadn't seen him in years, but knew him pretty well several years back...

Awful news... Man that sucks...

RIP

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Terrible news

 

[spud]

Looks like they had a moment of silence for him before the Maryland game today. Pretty neat.

 

[BigRed]

Looks like they had a moment of silence for him before the Maryland game today. Pretty neat.

There was also a moment of silence for Steve and Virginia assistant sports information director Michael Colley (who died of a heart attack last summer) before the Clemson-Virginia game today. Steve was a Clemson grad before becoming a fixture on the FSU beat. Very sad.