‘It's really humbling': Analy athletic director, league commissioner wins Northern California honor

Dave and Chip Castleberry, while not related, both had a monumental impact on the career of Joe Ellwood.

The longtime Analy High School athletic director who has also served as the commissioner of the North Bay League since 2022 credits Dave Castleberry, former athletic director and head basketball coach at Tomales, for getting him started on the path of interscholastic athletics.

Chip Castleberry, the former athletic director and football coach at Analy, was the person who showed Ellwood how truly rewarding that path could be.

"Dave got me into coaching and Chip taught me what it was like to make those connections with kids," Ellwood said. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have them in my life, because without them I wouldn't have stuck with it for as many years as I have now."

Now, 40 years into his career, Ellwood has been recognized by the North Coast Section for his contributions to high school athletics. The NCS - the governing body for 176 schools between the Bay Area and the Oregon-California border - honored him as one of the recipients of the prestigious Phil Hempler Award at the Board of Managers meeting last week.

The Hempler award, the highest honor the section can bestow, was established in 1986 and is given to individuals who "exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character in their unique and distinguished service to the North Coast Section."

Hempler, a longtime coach and athletics administrator in the Bay Area, was commissioner of the NCS from 1962-72. He died in 1997.

One of the things that makes the award unique is the selection process, which is run entirely by past winners. Former local Hempler honorees include Russ Peterich (2022), Elmer Brown (1991), Marie Sugiyama (1995), Gene McKamey (2003) and Jan Smith-Billing (2005).

"It's really humbling when I look down that list and look at the names," Ellwood said. "I've worked with so many of them going all the way back to Elmer Brown, who was selected in 1991. He was the North Bay League commissioner for a long time and even before I came to Analy I was lucky enough to work with Elmer, which was pretty cool. There are a lot of people on that list that I admire and I now feel super fortunate to now be part of that list."

Ellwood shared this year's honor with Dublin High School athletic director Kristy Prasad.

A Petaluma High School alum, Ellwood began his path in high school athletics immediately after graduating. He started as a basketball coach at Tomales High School in 1985 and worked alongside Dave Castleberry. After Castleberry's death, Ellwood assumed the role of interim athletic director. Over his 14 years at Tomales, he coached baseball, basketball and football while also leading the school's athletic department.

In 1998, he made the move to Analy to serve as the assistant athletic director to Chip Castleberry and took over the position in a full capacity upon Chip's retirement in 2002.

Over his nearly 30 years at Analy, Ellwood - who also teaches social science - has helped lead the school to some historic highs in athletics and through a difficult consolidation with fellow West County high school El Molino when it closed in 2021.

Mike Roan, co-athletic director at Analy, has known Ellwood for more than 20 years and saw firsthand the care and intent with which he navigated that strenuous and emotional transition for the two schools.

"I was the El Molino guy fighting for recognition and a home for those kids coming over, but Joe was super supportive the whole way," Roan said. "And this was a guy who had been at Analy a long time. I appreciate that - I appreciated it at the time, but I still appreciate the approach he had with all that because he knows it was sensitive for a lot of us."

Over his lengthy career, Ellwood has also served on countless committees with the NCS and is currently the chair of the section's eligibility committee. While retirement may be calling his name at some point in the near future, Ellwood sees himself retaining some of his leadership roles at the league and section levels even after he eventually steps away from his duties at Analy.

"I dig what I'm doing," he said. "I think it's important and as long as I keep enjoying it, I'm going to keep doing it."

What makes Ellwood a worthy recipient of the Hempler award, said Roan, is his passion and unrelenting commitment in his work to improve the experience of high school athletes not just locally but across the region.

"There is no better indication of that then the amount of work that he does with the league and with the North Coast Section," Roan added. "You should see at the AD meetings when we need someone to attend an NCS meeting and nine out of 11 heads immediately drop into their laptops to avoid eye contact - and I'm one of them, to be totally honest - he always jumps at the opportunity because he knows it's important, he knows ultimately it's going to help the student athletes in their experience.

"That's something that's impressive to me, the amount of time he has spent at those higher levels helping to dictate policy and go through eligibility issues and make sure things are done properly. … Joe has always been one to step up and fill those roles when needed."

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