College Football Hall of Fame
2011 Inductees
Divisional class: Mike Kelly, Dayton coach; Dexter Coakley, Appalachian State linebacker; Mike Favor, North Dakota State center; Charles Haley, James Madison linebacker; Mickey Kobrosky, Trinity College offensive back; and Bill Manlove, Widener, Delaware Valley and La Salle coach.
FBS class: Carlos Alvarez, Florida receiver; Doug English, Texas defensive tackle; Bill Enyart, Oregon State fullback; Eddie George, Ohio State running back; Marty Lyons, Alabama defensive tackle; Russell Maryland, Miami defensive tackle; Deion Sanders, Florida State defensive back; Jake Scott, Georgia defensive back; Will Shields, Nebraska guard; Sandy Stephens, Minnesota quarterback; Darryl Talley, West Virginia linebacker; Clendon Thomas, Oklahoma halfback; Rob Waldrop, Arizona defensive lineman; Gene Washington, Michigan State receiver; Lloyd Carr, Michigan coach; and Fisher DeBerry, Air Force coach.
The University of Dayton was in need of a football coach in 1980 after Rick Carter left for Holy Cross, and then-Athletic Director Tom Frericks summoned top assistant Mike Kelly to his office for an urgent meeting.
The unassuming Kelly, who cut short a recruiting trip, had an ominous feeling as he climbed the stairs of the old St. Mary’s Hall for his appointment.
“I thought, ‘OK, I’ve made a terrible mistake, and I’m in trouble,’ ” he said.
Frericks, though, surprised Kelly by handing him the coaching job.
“I was kind of in a daze, and I’m walking down the steps of St. Mary’s and heading to the fieldhouse, and I look up at the chapel and say, ‘Wow, I’m the head coach at the University of Dayton,’ ” Kelly said. “And then it struck me. I forgot to ask how much money I was going to make. So I turned around — I wasn’t worried so much about the salary; I was worried about the length of the contract — and ran back in.
“(Frericks) said, ‘What did we miss?’ I said, ‘Tom, can we talk about the length of the contract?’ He said, ‘We shook hands, didn’t we?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ And he said, ‘That’s good for one year.’ ”
Kelly may not have had a formal contract, but his ability to churn out consistent winners meant he never had to worry about job security. The West Milton product, who racked up a 246-54-1 record in 27 seasons, is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, one of six honorees in the small-college division and part of a 22-member class overall.
Ohio State great Eddie George and Florida State standout Deion Sanders also will be honored during the ceremonies July 15-16 in South Bend, Ind. Former coach Harry Baujan is the only person with UD ties already in the hall.
“I was in the right place. I was working with the right people. And they let me do my job,” Kelly said as his eyes glistened and his voice sometimes wavered during a news conference in Boesch Lounge at UD Arena on Tuesday. “Certainly, we won a few more than we lost, but I look back at all the people who had a piece in this. I might get two pieces, but everybody has a piece of it.”
Before retiring in 2007 to become an associate AD and to supervise several sports at UD, Kelly won seven national coach of the year awards and was named the Pioneer Football League’s top coach six times. His .819 winning percentage is the fourth-best in college football history among coaches in all divisions with at least 25 years on the sidelines.
“He just does it right — everything he does,” UD Athletic Director Tim Wabler said. “He’s been such a model not just in the football program, but for the last three years, in working with so many other programs. Who he is, how he cares and how he shows what’s important rubs off on the rest of the (athletic department). It’s a real gift.”
Rick Chamberlin, though, wasn’t sure how gifted Kelly was in 1977 after being hired by Carter as linebackers coach while Chamberlin was in the midst of an All-American career at the position.
“Initially, it was tough. I thought, ‘Where did this guy come from?’ ” Chamberlin said. “He had a different approach to practice and preparation. But he made it fun, and I learned a lot of aspects about playing linebacker that I was never taught before.”
Chamberlin, who became Kelly’s successor and has won two PFL titles in his first three years as coach, credits his mentor for much of that success.
“I learned from one of the best,” he said.
Kelly said he had at least one regret, wishing he wasn’t so driven in his early years and spent more time savoring the relationships with his players as he learned to do toward the end of his career.
“I mellowed,” he said.
But that attitude adjustment wasn’t always noticeable during games.
“He was a very intense guy on the sidelines,” said former Flyer quarterback and current assistant Kevin Hoyng, who set virtually every UD passing record during his career from 2004-07.
“He demanded the most out of his players. He demanded discipline — and that’s what a lot of us really liked.”
Kelly found out about his induction when a package arrived at his home Monday. His wife, Jeanne, knew what was coming but kept it to herself.
When he opened the box, he pulled out a football inscribed, “National Football Foundation, College Football Hall of Fame, Mike Kelly.”
“I said, ‘I think this is a pretty big deal,’ ” Kelly recalled. “She said, ‘Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal.’ ”
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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