After Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mike Dantonio left Cincinnati to pursue coaching the slumping Michigan State Spartans, the Bearcats were left with no head coach. Luckily, Central Michigan head coach Brian Kelly stepped in to fill the void.
Kelly was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts and attended St. John's Prep School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was a four-year letterwinner at Assumption College as a linebacker. 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 at Assumption. Coach Kelly has a wife (Paqui) and 3 children (Patrick, Grace, and Kezel).
Brian Kelly joined the Grand Valley State University staff in 1987 as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach for Coach Tom Beck and became the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 1989. Coach Kelly took over as head coach in 1991. In his final three seasons the Lakers went 41-2, at one point winning 20 consecutive games. The Lakers went 14-0 in 2002 en route to their first national title and went 14-1 in 2003 when they claimed their second National Championship. Kelly was named the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year after each of these championship years.
In his 13 years as head coach at Grand Valley the Lakers won five conference titles and made six Division II Playoff appearances. Grand Valley State never finished lower than third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference under Kelly.
The 2001 team set 77 NCAA, GLIAC, and school records, including setting the all-time Division II scoring record, averaging 58.4 points per game.
His record in 13 years at Grand Valley State University was 118-35-2.
Coach Kelly became the 24th head coach at Central Michigan University after the departure of Mike DeBord following the 2003 season.
Coach Kelly inherited a team with limited success. Central Michigan had won more than 3 games only once in the previous four seasons.
Coach Kelly's first season at Central Michigan was rocked by the suspension of three football players, including 2004 All-MAC selection Jerry Seymour because of alleged criminal involvement in the beating death of DeMarcus Graham. CMU finished with a 4-7 record in 2004.
In Coach Kelly's second year at Central Michigan he coached the team to a 6-5 record, the first winning season in seven years for the Chippewas.
In his third season, the Chippewas posted a 9-4 record under Coach Kelly en route to winning the MAC Championship and qualifying for the Motor City Bowl. At the end of the 2006 season, Kelly was rumored to be a finalist for both the Michigan State Spartans football and Iowa State coaching vacancies. After those positions were filled by other candidates, Coach Kelly issued a statement that he was staying at Central Michigan University and looking forward to CMU's first trip to the Motor City Bowl. It surprised many that Coach Kelly left to accept the Cincinnati coaching vacancy three days after CMU won the 2006 MAC Championship without ever coaching CMU in their bowl game. Coach Kelly's record at Central Michigan in three seasons was 19-16.
Coach Kelly was named Cincinnati's head coach on December 3, 2006, following the departure of Mark Dantonio. Both Cincinnati and Central Michigan were preparing for bowl appearances so while Kelly was in Cincinnati preparing the Bearcats, much of his staff remained at Central Michigan to coach the Chippewas. Following Central Michigan's win in the Motor City Bowl most of his staff joined him in Cincinnati where they went on to coach Cincinnati to a victory over Western Michigan University in that year's International Bowl, 27-24. Entering the 2007 college football season, Coach Kelly is 1-0 in a partial season at Cincinnati.
Now, Brian Kelly looks to improve this season. He has the talent, especially on defense, to finish on the top half of the Big East. Let's see what happens.
Next up: 2007 Big East Media Day
Kelly was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts and attended St. John's Prep School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was a four-year letterwinner at Assumption College as a linebacker. 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 at Assumption. Coach Kelly has a wife (Paqui) and 3 children (Patrick, Grace, and Kezel).
Brian Kelly joined the Grand Valley State University staff in 1987 as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach for Coach Tom Beck and became the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 1989. Coach Kelly took over as head coach in 1991. In his final three seasons the Lakers went 41-2, at one point winning 20 consecutive games. The Lakers went 14-0 in 2002 en route to their first national title and went 14-1 in 2003 when they claimed their second National Championship. Kelly was named the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year after each of these championship years.
In his 13 years as head coach at Grand Valley the Lakers won five conference titles and made six Division II Playoff appearances. Grand Valley State never finished lower than third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference under Kelly.
The 2001 team set 77 NCAA, GLIAC, and school records, including setting the all-time Division II scoring record, averaging 58.4 points per game.
His record in 13 years at Grand Valley State University was 118-35-2.
Coach Kelly became the 24th head coach at Central Michigan University after the departure of Mike DeBord following the 2003 season.
Coach Kelly inherited a team with limited success. Central Michigan had won more than 3 games only once in the previous four seasons.
Coach Kelly's first season at Central Michigan was rocked by the suspension of three football players, including 2004 All-MAC selection Jerry Seymour because of alleged criminal involvement in the beating death of DeMarcus Graham. CMU finished with a 4-7 record in 2004.
In Coach Kelly's second year at Central Michigan he coached the team to a 6-5 record, the first winning season in seven years for the Chippewas.
In his third season, the Chippewas posted a 9-4 record under Coach Kelly en route to winning the MAC Championship and qualifying for the Motor City Bowl. At the end of the 2006 season, Kelly was rumored to be a finalist for both the Michigan State Spartans football and Iowa State coaching vacancies. After those positions were filled by other candidates, Coach Kelly issued a statement that he was staying at Central Michigan University and looking forward to CMU's first trip to the Motor City Bowl. It surprised many that Coach Kelly left to accept the Cincinnati coaching vacancy three days after CMU won the 2006 MAC Championship without ever coaching CMU in their bowl game. Coach Kelly's record at Central Michigan in three seasons was 19-16.
Coach Kelly was named Cincinnati's head coach on December 3, 2006, following the departure of Mark Dantonio. Both Cincinnati and Central Michigan were preparing for bowl appearances so while Kelly was in Cincinnati preparing the Bearcats, much of his staff remained at Central Michigan to coach the Chippewas. Following Central Michigan's win in the Motor City Bowl most of his staff joined him in Cincinnati where they went on to coach Cincinnati to a victory over Western Michigan University in that year's International Bowl, 27-24. Entering the 2007 college football season, Coach Kelly is 1-0 in a partial season at Cincinnati.
Now, Brian Kelly looks to improve this season. He has the talent, especially on defense, to finish on the top half of the Big East. Let's see what happens.
Next up: 2007 Big East Media Day
, so I had to pick a Big East team!
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