Brian Kelly
From NCAA Wiki
| Brian Kelly | |
| |
| Sport | Football |
| College | Cincinnati |
| Title(s) | Head Football Coach |
| Record | Career Record: 159-57-2 |
| Years | 18 total |
| Awards | |
| 2002, 03 AFCA Div. II Coach of the Year 2007, 08 Big East Coach of the Year | |
| Championships | |
| 2002, 03 Div. II National Champs Grand Valley State 2008 Big East Champs: Cincinnati | |
| History | |
| 1983-86 (LB, DC) Assumption 1991–2003 (HC) Grand Valley State 2004–2006 (HC) Central Michigan 2006–present (HC) Cincinnati | |
Named the University of Cincinnati's head football coach on Dec. 4, 2006, Brian Kelly has established a reputation for building winning teams.
During a whirlwind first month on the job at UC, Kelly proved that he was up to the challenge. While preparing his new team for the inaugural International Bowl he also managed to complete his coaching staff and fill out a talent-rich recruiting class. The Bearcats' 27-24 bowl victory over Western Michigan, just 34 days after his hiring, was the icing on the cake for a coach who never missed a beat.
In his first full season, Kelly put the Bearcats on the national radar by jumping out to a 6-0 start and earning the Bearcats their first appearance in the Top 25 in more than 30 years. Winning 10 games for the first time since 1951, the Bearcats earned their 10th bowl appearance in program history and sixth bowl appearance in eight years. UC finished at No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll, earning its first appearance in a final poll.
Along the way to the 2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl victory, UC's third straight bowl win, Kelly earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors. Cincinnati listed seven individuals on the all-BIG EAST teams, including Special Teams Player of the Year and consensus All-American punter Kevin Huber.
A program builder, Kelly proved that he can work magic in a short period of time. During his three years at Central Michigan, he transformed a Chippewas program that had won more than three games only once in the past four seasons into a conference champ. CMU posted a 9-4 record in 2006 en route to winning the MAC Championship and qualifying for their first bowl game in 12 years. Kelly inherited a program that had produced a mere 12 wins over its previous four seasons when he took the helm at Central Michigan in 2004. He guided the Chipps to a 4-7 record in 2004 and a 6-5 slate (the school's first winning season in seven years). CMU began to take on Kelly's persona in 2005. The Chippewas defeated both defending MAC divisional chams, Miami (OH) and Toledo, and also knocked off the league's eventual 2005 champ Akron. Kelly's 2006 Chippewas lost non-conference contests to bowl-bound Boston College and Kentucky by a total of 16 points. CMU rolled up a 7-1 record in conference play to win the MAC West, then dominated Ohio, 31-10, in the MAC championship game.
Kelly arrived at Central Michigan after winning back-to-back NCAA Division II national titles at Grand Valley State. The Lakers were 41-2 in Kelly's final three seasons, at one point winning 32 consecutive games. Grand Valley State went 14-0 in 2002 en route to its first national title and was 14-1 in 2003 when it claimed its second crown. Kelly was named the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year after both seasons.
Kelly led the Lakers to five conference titles and six Division II playoff appearances in his 13 seasons at GVSU. The Lakers never finished lower than third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.
Kelly's Grand Valley State players earned 77 all-America awards. Four players moved on to the NFL and another three to the Canadian Football League. His 2001 national runner-up squad set 77 NCAA, GLIAC, and school records, including the all-time Division II scoring record by averaging 58.4 points per game. The 2001 team also became the first Division II unit in 53 years to average more than 600 yards in total offense. Grand Valley State followed up its record-shattering 2001 season by averaging 497.5 yards and 47.0 points during its undefeated 2002 national championship run. The 2003 team, meanwhile, was more noted for its defense.
A native of Chelsea, Mass., Kelly attended St. John's Prep School in Danvers, Mass. He was a four-year letterwinner at Assumption College as a LB. After graduating from Assumption in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in political science, he served as linebackers coach, defensive coordinator, and softball coach from 1983-86.
