Former Aston Villa Chairman Ellis dies at 94

Former Aston Villa Football Club chairman Doug Ellis has died at the age of 94, the English Championship club said on Thursday.

Ellis was chairman of Villa in two separate spells from 1968 to 1975 and from 1982 to 2006.
A businessman who made his fortune in the travel industry, Ellis was nicknamed “Deadly Doug” due to his reputation for being quick to dismiss failing managers.

Ellis served on a number of Football Association and FIFA committees and sold Villa to American businessman Randy Lerner in 2006 but he kept his connection with the club as life president.

He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2005 and a Knighthood in 2012.