Kenneth A. "Wild Bill" Kelly (June 1, 1905 – March 7, 1984) was an American football, basketball, and tennis player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Central Michigan University from 1951 to 1966, compiling a record of 91–58–2, and the head basketball coach at Central Michigan for two seasons from 1954 to 1956, tallying a mark of 23–20. Kelly/Shorts Stadium, the home field of the Central Michigan Chippewas football program, was renamed in Kelly's honor in 1983.[1] Kelly died on March 7, 1984, at the age of 78.[2][3]
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1905 Bowling Green, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 1984 (aged 78) Lakeland, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1926–1929 | Central Michigan |
| Basketball | |
| 1927–1930 | Central Michigan |
| Position(s) | Quarterback (football) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1930–1937 | Cass City HS (MI) |
| 1938–1941 | Mount Pleasant HS (MI) |
| 1942–1950 | Arthur Hill HS (MI) |
| 1951–1966 | Central Michigan |
| Basketball | |
| 1954–1956 | Central Michigan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 91–58–2 (college football) 23–20 (college basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 7 IIAC (1952–1956, 1963, 1966) | |
Head coaching record
editCollege football
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan Chippewas (Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1951–1966) | |||||||||
| 1951 | Central Michigan | 5–3 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1952 | Central Michigan | 7–2 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1953 | Central Michigan | 7–1–1 | 5–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1954 | Central Michigan | 8–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1955 | Central Michigan | 8–1 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1956 | Central Michigan | 9–0 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1957 | Central Michigan | 4–6 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1958 | Central Michigan | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1959 | Central Michigan | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1960 | Central Michigan | 3–5 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1961 | Central Michigan | 2–8 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1962 | Central Michigan | 6–4 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1963 | Central Michigan | 4–5–1 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1964 | Central Michigan | 4–5 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1965 | Central Michigan | 5–5 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1966 | Central Michigan | 5–5 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| Central Michigan: | 91–58–2 | 70–24–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 91–58–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Kenneth "Wild Bill" Kelly". Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ "Kenneth Kelly". The Blade. Associated Press. March 10, 1984. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ "School's most successful: Ex-CMU grid coach dies". Detroit Free Press. March 9, 1984. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.