Doug Ellis was the chairman of Aston Villa Football Club from 1968 to 1975, and again from 1982 until 2006.
16 Facts About Doug Ellis
2.
Doug Ellis was born on 3 January 1924 in Hooton, Cheshire.
3.
Doug Ellis met his first wife Audrey Slater in Ceylon in 1946.
4.
Doug Ellis married his second wife Heidi Kroeger in 1963, with whom he had two sons.
5.
Doug Ellis met the German courier in Benidorm when she was working for a rival company and persuaded her to join his corporation.
6.
Doug Ellis was the chairman and major shareholder of Aston Villa for two separate spells, the first being from 1968 to 1975.
7.
Doug Ellis was replaced as chairman and finally ousted from the board in 1979.
8.
In June 1982, Doug Ellis ousted Harry Marshall as chairman of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
9.
Doug Ellis returned to Aston Villa as chairman in 1982 and remained there until selling to Randy Lerner in 2006.
10.
Doug Ellis was reported to be the first football club director to pay himself a salary when it was made legal by The Football Association in the early 1980s.
11.
Doug Ellis served on the boards of Birmingham City, Derby County and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
12.
In 2004, at the age of 80 and suffering from prostate cancer, Doug Ellis agreed to relinquish some of his control of the club by appointing Bruce Langham as chief executive.
13.
Doug Ellis stood aside when the takeover was completed on 19 September 2006, becoming a President Emeritus of the club.
14.
Doug Ellis received an honorary degree from Aston University in July 2007.
15.
In January 2012 the Doug Ellis Learning Hub was opened at the University of Birmingham Medical School.
16.
On 4 March 2012, Doug Ellis was knighted for his charity work.