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Mike Kelly joins Harry Baujan as UD's two representatives in the College Football Hall of Fame. |
DALLAS --The National Football Foundation has announced that former University of Dayton football head coach Mike Kelly has been selected to be enshrined in the NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame. Kelly is one of five other inductees who make up the 2011 Divisional Hall of Fame Class. The announcement was made by Archie Manning, chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
The Divisional class includes players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), Divisions II, III, and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for induction. This year's class will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the Enshrinement Festival, July 15-16, in South Bend, Ind.
The six members of the Divisional Class are part of the 22-man College Football Hall of Fame class that also includes 14 players and two coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Kelly is one of the winningest coaches in college football history, with a 27-year record (all at UD) of 246-54-1 and an .819 winning percentage. That is the fourth-best percentage among coaches with at least 25 years experience. Florida A&M's legendary Jake Gaither is No. 1 (.844), Nebraska's Tom Osborne is second (.836) and Michigan's Fielding Yost (.828) is third.
Kelly, 63, came to UD in 1977 as Rick Carter's defensive coordinator. After the Flyers won the 1980 NCAA Division III national championship, Carter moved on to Holy Cross and Kelly was named Dayton's head coach. During his first 12 years as head coach, the Flyers were in the NCAA Division III category and went to the playoffs eight times. Dayton went to the national title game four times under Kelly's leadership, winning the 1989 national title.
In addition to the 1989 NCAA Division III national title, Kelly's Flyers were also NCAA FCS Mid-Major national champions (by a national poll) in 2002 and 2007. Kelly cemented his place among college football's coaching giants during the 2002 season when he became the second-fastest (now third-fastest) coach in NCAA history to reach 200 wins. He made it in just 242 games--faster than Joe Paterno, faster than Bo Schembechler, faster than Woody Hayes, faster than Bear Bryant.
Kelly was the Pioneer Football League's Coach of the Year seven out of the first 15 years the league was in existence and a national coach of the year seven times. Forty-eight of UD's 50 Academic All-America selections have played for Kelly, and UD produced 84 first team All-Americans in the Kelly era.
The Ludlow Falls, Ohio native is UD's record holder in wins, having almost twice as many as College Football Hall of Famer (Class of 1990) Harry Baujan's 124. Kelly's 27 years as a head coach is also the longest tenure of any head coach in any sport at the University of Dayton.
Joining Kelly in the 2011 Divisional Hall of Fame Class are Dexter Coakley (App. State, LB, 1993-96), Mike Favor (North Dakota State, C, 1985-88), Charles Haley (James Madison, LB, 1982-85), Mickey Kobrosky (Trinity (Conn.), B, 1933-36) and Bill Manlove (Coach, Widener (1969-91), Delaware Valley (1992-95), La Salle (1997-2001)).
The FBS Hall of Fame Class was announced on May 17. It includes Carlos Alvarez (WR, Florida, 1969-71), Doug English (DT, Texas, 1972-74), Bill Enyart (FB, Oregon State, (1966-68), Eddie George (RB, Ohio State, 1992-95), Marty Lyons (DT, Alabama, 1975-78), Russell Maryland (DT, Miami, Fla., 1986-90), Deion Sanders (DB, Florida State, 1985-88), Jake Scott (DB, Georgia, 1967-68), Will Shields (OG, Nebraska, 1989-92), Sandy Stephens (QB, Minnesota, (1959-61), Darryl Talley (LB, West Virginia, 1979-82), Clendon Thomas (HB, Oklahoma, 1955-57), Rob Waldrop (DL, Arizona, 1990-93), Gene Washington (WR, Michigan State, 1964-66), Lloyd Carr (Coach, Michigan(1995-2007) and Fisher DeBerry (Coach, Air Force (1984-2006)).
The NFF launched its Divisional Hall of Fame program in 1996 during its annual enshrinement festival. A total of 130 players and coaches, counting this year's class, have been inducted from the divisional ranks, including Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech), Walter Payton (Jackson State), John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley), and Eddie Robinson (Grambling). Of the 4.79 million who have played college football since 1869, the newest class of inductees joins only 896 players and 192 coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame.
