Mike Kelly (gridiron football)

Last updated
Mike Kelly
Biographical details
Born (1958-02-11) February 11, 1958 (age 65)
Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Playing career
1976–1979 Bluffton
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1980–1981 Ridgedale HS (OH) (RB/S)
1982 Edinboro (WR)
1983–1985 Marietta (RB)
1986 Ohio Wesleyan (OC)
1987–1989 Capital (OC)
1990–1991 San Francisco State (associate HC)
1992–1996 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (OC)
1997–1999 Valdosta State
2001 Orlando Rage (OC)
2002 Philadelphia Eagles (OA/QC)
2008 Edmonton Eskimos (WR)
2009 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2014–2018 Widener
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2001 Philadelphia Eagles (advance scout)
2003–2005 Washington Redskins (pro pers. asst.)
2009 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (GM)
Head coaching record
Overall50–35 (college)
7–11 (CFL)
Tournaments2–1 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 MAC (2014)
Awards
MAC Coach of the Year (2014)
ECAC South Region Co-Coach of the Year (2014)

Mike Kelly (born February 11, 1958) is an American gridiron football coach and former player, scout, and executive. He served as the head football coach at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia from 1997 to 1999 and Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania from 2014 to 2018. In 2009, Kelly was the head coach and general manager for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has worked as an assistant coach at the high school football level, for several college football teams, and for professional teams in the CFL, XFL, and the National Football League (NFL). Kelly played college football as a quarterback at Bluffton College—now Bluffton University—in the late 1970s.

Contents

Playing career and education

Kelly graduated from Muncie Northside High School in Muncie, Indiana in 1976, where as a senior he set a school record for passes attempted and completed in a single season. In 1996, Kelly was inducted into the Delaware County, Indiana Athletic Hall of Fame. Kelly's father was a high school football coach in Waterbury, Connecticut. [1]

Kelly played quarterback for Bluffton College—now known as Bluffton University—in Bluffton, Ohio from 1976 to 1979 and earned his bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation. When he graduated, Kelly ranked third in career completions (95), fourth in career attempts (242) and fifth in career passing yardage (1,028). He was just the sixth player in BC history to pass for over 1,000 yards. In 2002, Kelly was inducted into the Bluffton College Hall of Fame. [2]

Kelly earned a master's degree in education at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1983.

Coaching career

Kelly was the offensive play-caller with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers between 1992 and 1996, as part of the teams that captured three regular season division titles and appeared in the Grey Cup twice. Kelly's offence set 29 club records during his tenure in Winnipeg, including Matt Dunigan's record 713 yards passing in a game. [3]

Kelly was the head coach at Valdosta State University from 1997 to 1999. In his three seasons there, Kelly coached 23 players to all-conference honours and had two players earn All-American status and four more recruited players later achieving All-American status. Kelly's Valdosta State teams set 13 school records during his tenure. Kelly was fired nine games into the 1999 season and replaced by assistant Mark Nelson, who was appointed interim head coach. [4]

In 2000, Kelly added the XFL to his coaching resume, where he worked as the offensive coordinator for the Orlando Rage. The Rage went a league best 8–2 during that season, winning the Eastern Division. Kelly's offence led the league in red zone scoring percentage, with quarterback Jeff Brohm named First-Team All-XFL.

Kelly spent five years in the National Football League (NFL) working as an advanced pro scout for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles where he also was an offensive assistant/quality control. [1] During his time with the Eagles, while working alongside head coach Andy Reid, the club won two NFC East championships, while Kelly also coached in the 2003 Pro Bowl.

In 2008 Kelly was the receivers coach for the Edmonton Eskimos. Quarterback Ricky Ray had a personal best 5,600 yards passing while slot receivers Kamau Peterson caught over 100 passes and was named Most Outstanding Canadian Player and Kelly Campbell led the CFL averaging 23.7 yards per reception.

Kelly served as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2009. [5] Kelly also coordinated the offense for half of the season, in which the team went 7–11 missing a home playoff berth by a single game. On December 17, 2009, Kelly was arrested in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania and charged with assault and harassment following a domestic dispute at his home. Kelly was fired from his post with Winnipeg later that day. Ken Hildahl, chairman of the Blue Bombers, indicated that Kelly's dismissal was due to the performance of the team, not the incident earlier that day. [6] [7] [8] [9] The charges were dropped after Kelly took anger management counseling. [10] [3]

In his first season with Widener, Kelly led the Pride to its record-setting 20th Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship and appearance in quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. His record 12 consecutive wins broke a school record that had stood since 1912 for wins by a first-year coach. For his efforts he was named the MAC Coach of the Year and the ECAC South Co-Coach of the Year. [11] In 2017, Kelly was named the East Coast Football Officials Association (ECFOA) Division III Coach of the Year. [12] He was fired after the 2018 season. In 2019 he joined Next College Student Athlete, a for-profit organization that connects middle and high school student-athletes with college coaches. [3]

Teaching career

Kelly is a former professor of sports management at Drexel University. [11]

Head coaching record

College

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Valdosta State Blazers (Gulf South Conference)(1997–1999)
1997 Valdosta State6–55–3T–4th
1998 Valdosta State5–64–5T–5th
1999 Valdosta State4–5 [n 1] 3–4 [n 1] [n 1]
Valdosta State:15–1612–12
Widener Pride (Middle Atlantic Conference)(2014–2018)
2014 Widener12–19–01stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
2015 Widener6–46–34th
2016 Widener6–46–34th
2017 Widener7–47–2T–2nd
2018 Widener4–64–4T–4th
Widener:35–1932–12
Total:50–35
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

CFL

TeamYearRegular SeasonPost Season
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostResult
WPG 2009 7110.3893rd, East--Missed Playoffs
Total7110.3890 Division
Championships		--0 Grey Cups

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Kelly was fired after the first nine games of the 1999 season. Mark Nelson served as interim head coach for the final two games of the season. Valdosta State finished 4–7 overall and 3–6 in Gulf South Conference play, tying for sixth place.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnipeg Blue Bombers</span> Canadian football team

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Riley (American football)</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1953)

Michael Joseph Riley is an American football coach who was most recently the head coach of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He has previously served as the head coach of two college football programs: Oregon State and Nebraska (2015–2017). Riley has also been the head coach of teams in four different professional leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), World League of American Football (WLAF), National Football League (NFL), and Alliance of American Football (AAF). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Zorn</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

James Arthur Zorn is an American former professional football player and coach. Zorn was a left-handed quarterback, and is best known as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for their first eight seasons. He was the quarterback coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2001 until the 2007 season. Before the 2008 season Zorn was originally hired by the Washington Redskins to serve as offensive coordinator. Two weeks after being hired, he was promoted as the team's head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Clements</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1953)

Thomas Albert Clements is an American football coach and a former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He also served as an assistant coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and the University of Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Glenn</span> American gridiron football player (born 1979)

Kevin Glenn, Jr. is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football for the Illinois State Redbirds and high school football at Detroit St. Martin de Porres. Glenn is a journeyman quarterback who is the only player to ever have had his rights held by every team in the CFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khari Jones</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1971)

Khari Okang Jones is a former professional Canadian football player and was most recently the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was formerly the head coach for the Montreal Alouettes. He is also a former television sports reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Jones played quarterback in the CFL, where he enjoyed his most success with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jones also played briefly for the Arena Football League's Albany Firebirds and the World League of American Football's Scottish Claymores. He has also been the offensive coordinator for the BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Doug Berry is an American Canadian football coach who was most recently the senior advisor to Jim Popp, the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Previously, he has served as the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Ralph Dieter Brock is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL) player and coach. He is best remembered as the quarterback for the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he led the league in passing for four years.

Cal Murphy was a Canadian football coach, general manager and scout, most notably for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. In his career as a coach and/or general manager, he led various teams to nine Grey Cup championships, earning a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. In his retirement years he spent some time as a scout for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck Pierce</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1981)

Buck James Pierce is the offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and a former professional quarterback who played nine seasons for the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He spent the first five years of his career with the Lions before signing with the Blue Bombers for the 2010 CFL season. During the 2013 CFL season, he rejoined the Lions when the Blue Bombers traded him for Akeem Foster. He played in two Grey Cup games, winning a championship in 2006 and also won as part of the coaching staff with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021. He played college football at New Mexico State from 2001–2004, starting at quarterback for most of his senior year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Austin</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1963)

Richard Kent Austin is an American gridiron football coach and former player, who is currently a senior analyst under head coach Hugh Freeze at Auburn. Austin served as the head football coach at Cornell University from 2010 to 2012. He was the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2007 and CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2013 to 2017 and the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Dinwiddie</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1980)

Ryan Dinwiddie is the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. After playing college football at Boise State University, he went undrafted and signed with the Chicago Bears, however he was cut from their training camp. Dinwiddie later went on to play professionally for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe, and also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

Scott Stewart Milanovich is an American gridiron football coach who is the head coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Football Team of the CFL. Milanovich has also held positional coaching roles in the NFL Europe and the National Football League (NFL).

Maurice Lamar Leggett is a former American football cornerback. He was previously a member of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in May 2008. He played college football for Valdosta State University. He was the last interim head coach of the National Arena League's Albany Empire in 2023 before the team was removed from the league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Miller (American football coach)</span> American gridiron football coach (born 1970)

Mike Miller is the quarterbacks coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also coached in the National Football League (NFL) from 1999 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Collaros</span> American gridiron football player (born 1988)

Zachary J. Collaros is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Collaros won the 107th Grey Cup and 108th Grey Cup as the starting quarterback with the Blue Bombers when they defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in both games. He had previously won the Grey Cup as the backup quarterback with the Toronto Argonauts in the 100th Grey Cup. Collaros played football at the University of Cincinnati, and has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul LaPolice</span> American gridiron football coach (born 1970)

Paul LaPolice is a football coach who was most recently the head coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion as an assistant coach, most recently in 2019 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the offensive coordinator. He formerly served as head coach for the Blue Bombers from 2010 to 2012, compiling a record of 16 wins and 28 losses. He currently works as a broadcaster for TSN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nichols</span> American football player (born 1987)

Matt Nichols is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. He last played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Nichols played college football at Eastern Washington. He has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos, and Toronto Argonauts. He officially retired in July of 2022.

The 2019 CFL season was the 66th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 62nd Canadian Football League season. The regular season began on June 13 and concluded with the playing of the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary on November 24 —where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33–12 to win their first Grey Cup since 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Cornelius</span> American gridiron football player (born 1995)

Taylor Cornelius is an American professional gridiron football quarterback who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Oklahoma State.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kelly Settling In As New Widener Football Head Coach". CBS Local Philadelphia. 11 March 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Mike Kelly '80". Bluffton University Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Friesen, Paul (July 29, 2019). "Out of coaching, Mike Kelly looks back fondly at time with Bombers". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Valdosta State fired head coach". The Courier-Journal . Louisville, Kentucky. November 2, 1999. p. D7. Retrieved December 13, 2019– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  5. ↑ Owen, Judy (3 January 2013). "Former Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly hoping to return to CFL". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Bombers coach charged with assault". The Province . Vancouver, British Columbia. December 18, 2009. p. A63. Retrieved December 13, 2019– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  7. ↑ Lawless, Gary; Santin, Aldo; James, Peter (December 18, 2009). "Bombers fire Kelly amid charges". Calgary Herald . Calgary, Alberta. p. 66. Retrieved December 13, 2019– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  8. ↑ Hicks, Brandon (December 17, 2009). "Bombers coach Kelly charged with assault". CBC Sports . Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Naylor, Davdd (December 17, 2009). "Bombers coach Kelly arrested, fired". The Globe and Mail . Toronto, Ontario . Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. ↑ Penton, Kirk (February 28, 2014). "Mike Kelly back coaching football". Winnipeg Sun . Winnipeg, Manitoba . Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Mike Kelly". Widener Pride. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Kelly of Named ECFOA Division III Coach of the Year". 26 March 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.