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Number "9."
"Ellis."
The number will never be worn again at Red Bank High.
The name will never be forgotten.
[0]One month after his death, Victor Ellis is immortalized. Not just as a football player, but as a student, as a brother and as a son.
"To have have such a wonderful son who accomplished so much in such a short time...it meant the world to me that Red Bank would honor him," says Debbie Ellis, Victor's mother.
Victor moved to Chattanooga for his junior year of highschool. His two years as a Lion earned him four years at the University of Alabama, where he made the SEC Academic Team.
[0]But long after his victories on the field, Victor found himself in a battle off the field he couldn't win.
A rare cancer claimed his life only 9 months after he was diagnosed.
"We were privileged to be a part of such an incredible human being. I think that the fact that Red Bank highschool decided to retire not just jersey but his number, really is a testament to what kind of person he was," says sister Kim Ellis.
[0]Victor becomes one of only 3 athletes in School History to have their number retired. The crimson jersey going in Red Bank's trophy case was worn by Victor in the 1998 Music City Bowl in Nashville.
"I'm sure had he lived later on sooner or later it would have been retired anyway. I just think it's great. And I appreciated the school for doing it," says Tom Weathers, Victor's former coach.
Victor's former classmates wore "Victor-y" shirts, with the number 9 on the backs.
[0]"He was just a wonderful person, and to have the oppurtunity to honor him this way, it's the least any of us could have done," says Erin Thurman, Class of 1998.
There's no shortage of kind words about Victor Ellis. And now his legacy with forever be a part of Red Bank High.
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