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Former Aston Villa owner and chairman, Doug Ellis. EMPICS Sport
RIP

Former Aston Villa owner Doug Ellis dies aged 94

The former Villa chairman enjoyed two stints in charge of the club.

DOUG ELLIS, FORMER owner and chairman of Aston Villa, has died aged 94.

The news was confirmed to the Birmingham Mail by a relative on Thursday morning. He is survived by his second wife, Heidi, and his three sons.

Ellis spent two terms as Villa chairman, from 1968 until 1975 and again between 1982 and 2006.

Current Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill was one of 14 managers to hold the reins during Ellis’s two stints in charge of the club and was his last appointment before the club was sold to Randy Lerner in 2006. 

Stepping down as club chairman due to ill health during this time, he became Emeritus President of the club and continued to attend matches.

Ellis did spend some time in the game as a schoolboy, although a fledgling career never flourished with Tranmere Rovers after two years with the club.

His first spell as Villa chairman lasted seven years, and after missing the club’s European Cup success in 1982, he rejoined the board later that year.

Soccer - Barclays Premier League - Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Villa Park Former Aston Villa chairman, Doug Ellis, at Villa Park in 2011. EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Upon his return to the board, he oversaw the club regaining promotion, winning two League Cups, and finishing as runners-up in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93.

Ellis owned multiple companies during his lifetime and received a knighthood in 2012. He is remembered for his charitable work which included donations to help establish the Doug Ellis Learning Hub at the University of Birmingham Medical School.

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