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 Vance in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1923-02-25)February 25, 1923 Clinton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 2012(2012-02-16) (aged 88) Champaign, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Clinton (Clinton, Illinois) |
| College | Illinois (1941–1943, 1946–1947) |
| NBA draft | 1947: – round, – |
| Drafted by | Chicago Stags |
| Playing career | 1947–1952 |
| Position | Guard /forward |
| Number | 25 |
| Career history | |
| 1947–1949 | Chicago Stags |
| 1949–1952 | Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks |
| Career BAA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 1,437 (8.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 103 (2.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 399 (2.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Ellis Eugene Vance (February 25, 1923 – February 16, 2012) was an American professionalbasketball player. He played in theBasketball Association of America (BAA) andNational Basketball Association (NBA) for theChicago Stags andTri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks.
Vance playedcollege basketball for theIllinois Fighting Illini where he led the team as a member of the famed "Whiz Kids" of the 1940s. He and the other Whiz Kids,Andy Phillip,Art Mathisen,Ken Menke, andJack Smiley, are regarded as some of Illinois' all-time greats, but only he and Phillip are on the team's all-century team. Vance and his Whiz Kids teammates left basketball to serve in World War II in 1943. Vance was selected by the Stags in the1948 NBA draft, and played professionally for five seasons. He served as theathletic director of theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1967 to 1972.[1]
Vance was married to Grace Hoberg from 1943 until her death fromstomach cancer in 1980. They had four children and seven grandchildren together. Vance later married Janann Duffy. He died on February 16, 2012, at age 88.[1]
| Season | Games | Points | PPG | Big Ten Record | Overall Record | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941–42 | 23 | 98 | 4.2 | 13–2 | 18–05 | Big Ten Champions |
| 1942–43 | 18 | 126 | 7.0 | 12–0 | 17–1 | Big Ten Champions Premo-Porretta National Champions |
| 1946–47 | 20 | 135 | 6.75 | 8–4 | 14–6 | — |
| Totals | 61 | 359 | 5.9 | 33–6 | 49–12 |
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 | Chicago | 48 | – | .264 | .603 | – | 1.0 | 8.4 |
| 1948–49 | Chicago | 56 | – | .338 | .724 | – | 3.0 | 10.3 |
| 1949–50 | Tri-Cities | 35 | – | .338 | .717 | – | 3.5 | 8.7 |
| 1950–51 | Tri-Cities | 29 | – | .404 | .701 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 4.8 |
| 1951–52 | Milwaukee | 7 | 16.9 | .269 | .643 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| Career | 175 | 16.9 | .315 | .687 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 8.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Chicago | 5 | – | .258 | .765 | – | .2 | 9.4 |
| 1949 | Chicago | 2 | – | .229 | .833 | – | 3.5 | 10.5 |
| 1950 | Tri-Cities | 3 | – | .226 | .500 | – | 3.0 | 6.3 |
| Career | 10 | – | .242 | .697 | – | 1.7 | 8.7 | |
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