Former Ohio State tight end Jeff Ellis died last week at the age of 50 in Roseville, California, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, an Ohio State spokesperson said Wednesday.
Ellis, who played for the Buckeyes from 1987-91, caught 70 passes for 863 yards and five touchdowns in his Ohio State career.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, and the son of heavyweight boxing champion Jimmy Ellis, Jeff Ellis had his best season in 1988, when he caught 40 passes (fourth-most for an Ohio State tight end in a single season) for 492 yards (fifth-most for an Ohio State tight end in a single season), before his career was set back by a knee injury.