Those who knew him said he was “Fighting Irish” through and through, whether he was playing for coaching legends Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame or Mickey Hannon at Central.
“When I think of him, I think of the outstanding effort he always gave, an unbelievably intense effort,” said Hannon. “It’s really a tribute to the tradition at Catholic Central, even today. He was the epitome of that Catholic Central effort. They have always scratched and clawed for everything they have.”
Hannon recalled one incident that so captured Kelly’s tenacity.
“I remember once when we played Dayton Dunbar in the snow,” he said. “He pulled his shoulder out of socket, came off the field, the doctor put it back in and he went back in and scored a touchdown and won the game for us.
“His dad was an electrician,” he continued. “And Tim came to the house once to put in an outlet, and he approached that task just like he did football.”
That work ethic allowed Kelly to make a major impact on the field. He was captain of the 1970 Notre Dame team that ended Texas’ 30-game winning streak. He played in two Cotton Bowls, two college all-star games, was drafted by the New England Patriots of the National Football League and played professionally for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
“He was a great individual,” said Russ Guenther, who was the boys basketball coach at Central for 10 years and athletic director for 25 years. “He was one of the best football players I’ve seen at Central. He was a linebacker and fullback. I remembered when he ran, he bruised the opponents. He ran right over them.
“He went on to do an outstanding job at Notre Dame, too,” he continued. “And even though he was out of town, he stayed in touch with the school. He was just great friend.”
Kelly was inducted into the Wall of Fame at Central. His heart was never far from his hometown.
“Tim was very active in Springfield before he left,” said Thompson, citing Kelly’s effort in the Springfield Jaycee Club. “He also ran the Special Olympics track and field events over at North High for years. You talk to anyone and they’ll tell you, he was a giver from the word ‘go.’ ”
Kelly resided in Lake Wylie, S.C., with his wife of 26 years, Karen, and his two children.
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