Any list of the best coaches in college football history has to include the University of Dayton’s Mike Kelly. It now does, as Kelly was inducted July of 2011 into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame.
One of the winningest coaches in college football history, Kelly had a 27-year record (all at UD) of 246-54-1 and an .819 winning percentage. That is the fifth-best percentage among coaches with 25 or more years’ experience. Mount Union’s Larry Kehres is No. 1 (.929), Florida A&M's legendary Jake Gaither (.844) is second, Nebraska's Tom Osborne (.836) is third, and Michigan's Fielding Yost (.828) is fouth. 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.
That coaching career came to an end when Kelly stepped down as head coach of the Flyers on January 22, 2008; however, it was not the end of Kelly’s impact on UD athletics. He immediately took on the duties of Senior Associate Athletics Director and was promoted to Assistant Vice-President for Athletics in 2013.
A man who has dedicated his life to mentoring, Kelly had no trouble stepping into his new expanded role. In addition to overseeing the departments of Academics, Athletics Communications, and Equipment, he also serves as an adviser to up-and-coming coaches. The University's past president, Brother Raymond L. Fitz, once said: "I regard Mike Kelly as one of the best teachers the University of Dayton has." Kelly developed innumerable players and coaches to experience success both on the field and in life. Those teaching skills are just some of the many he possesses that made his transition to administration seamless. Kelly draws from his nearly 40 years of coaching experience to develop UD's young professionals. His goal is to contribute to a continued raising of the bar in all areas of the University of Dayton Athletics Division. He's shown with his team's successes on the football field that he can set it high. A true reflection of Kelly's character is the way he operated the football program.
Taking a stand on integrity has always been paramount in his philosophy, and the Ohio High School Athletic Association took notice, honoring Kelly with the OHSAA Ethics and Integrity Award. This award is presented annually to an Ohioan who has displayed outstanding ethical behavior and integrity in performing his duties and is a role model for others. Some of the previous winners include: astronaut and former U.S. Senator John H. Glenn Jr., Archie Griffin, Wayne Embry, Bill Hosket, Jim Tressel and Clark Kellogg. In February of 2008, Kelly became the 150th member of one of UD's most exclusive clubs, the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame, and was the sole inductee that year. Dayton went to the national title game four times under Kelly's leadership, winning the 1989 and 2007 national titles. 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. He 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 played for Kelly, and UD produced 84 first team All-Americans in the Kelly era. Before being selected as the Flyer's head coach in 1981, Kelly was defensive coordinator under Rick Carter at UD for four seasons. Carter and Kelly first teamed together in the same positions at Hanover College in 1975 and 1976.
Kelly is a graduate of Milton-Union High School in West Milton, Ohio, and later attended Manchester (IN) College. He was quarterback on the football team and catcher on the baseball team while lettering in both sports for all four years. After graduating with a degree in physical education and health, he taught and coached at the high school level from 1970-75. During that time, he also earned his master's degree in physical education from Ball State University.
Mike and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Kettering and have two daughters, Jodie Beth and Nikki.
Kelly's list of feats is extraordinary.
Consider these:
• Kelly's career winning percentage of .819 was the best of any active coach who had been in the profession 25 years or more, and was the fifth-best-all time (25 years or more experience). Mount Union's Larry Kehres is No. 1 (.929),Florida A&M's legendary Jake Gaither is second (.844), Nebraska's Tom Osborne is third (.836), and Michigan's Fielding Yost (.828) is fouth.
• At the time of his retirement from coaching, only two active coaches at the Division I level -- Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno had more wins than Kelly.
• Kelly cemented his place among college football's coaching giants during the 2002 season when he became the second-fastest coach in NCAA history to reach 200 wins. He made it in just 242 games--faster than Joe Paterno (246), Bo Schembechler (262), Woody Hayes (<270), and bear="" bryant=""><270). in="" fact,="" only="" gaither="" (240="" games)="" won="" 200="" games="" faster="" than="" mike="" kelly="" when="" kelly="" joined="" that="" exclusive="" club="" (mt.="" union's="" larry="" kehres="" has="" since="" reached="" the="" milestone="" in="" 220="">
• He was the Pioneer Football League's Coach of the Year seven out of the first 15 years the league was been in existence, and the Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA (FCS) Non-Scholarship Coach of the Year four times.
• During his first 12 years as head coach, the Flyers were in the NCAA Division III category and went to the playoffs eight times, including six consecutive appearances dating from 1986. When UD moved up to Division I-AA, that streak was the longest among all D-III schools.
• Dayton went to the national title game four times under Kelly's leadership, winning in 1989 and 2007. The Flyers also won the 1980 Division III national championship when Kelly was the top assistant coach.
• From the time the Pioneer Football League began play in 1993 until his final season in 2007, Kelly's Flyers won the championship outright six times and tied for the title in 1994, 1999 and 2007. The league expanded in 2001, and UD won the first two PFL championship games. Dayton beat Jacksonville at home 46-14 in 2001, and shutout Morehead State at Morehead 28-0 in 2002.
• In February, 2002, Kelly was awarded one of the annual Lackner Awards. The award is named for Brother Elmer Lackner, S.M., who served the University for 45 years. The recipients are chosen based on behavior congruent with the Catholic and Marianist identity of the University.
• The Flyers produced 48 Academic All-Americans and 84 first team All-Americans under Kelly.
• In the 27 years Kelly was Dayton's head coach, every other Division I football team in Ohio had at least three coaches.
