Spring Break
Professor Mike Kelly leaving to coach in CFL
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports
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The former Drexel sports management professor is heading north of the border after accepting the position of wide receiver's coach with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Kelly, however, is no stranger to the coaching ranks.
Prior to coming to Drexel in 2005, he coached for 25 years on both professional and collegiate levels.
Kelly held coaching positions in three different professional football leagues in various capacities, serving as an offensive coordinator in both the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1992-1996) and the now defunct XFL with the Orlando Rage (2001). In 2002, he was an offensive assistant for Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Kelly served in player personnel for the Washington Redskins under head coach Steve Spurrier from 2003 to 2004.
He held the head football coaching position at Valdosta State University in Georgia from 1997-1999. Previously he had been with Ohio Wesleyan University (1986-1987) and San Francisco State University (1990-1991).
"Anyone who has had classes with me knows I'm a coach," Kelly said. "I'm a coach, so I need to go coach."
Being out of coaching left him out of the loop, and he had to take the appropriate steps to comeback.
"It's a process getting [back] in," Kelly said. "I've been out for three seasons now and people were starting to question what happened to me."
However, he has kept in contact with those who he befriended over the years, such as the San Diego Chargers linebacker's coach Ron Rivera and Reid.
"I've maintained some really close relationships in the CFL and NFL," Kelly said.
Those relationships gave Kelly his most recent opportunity.
Eskimos general manager Paul Jones, who worked with Kelly during his stint with the Blue Bombers, informed Kelly that there was a job opening in the organization. Jones set up an interview for Kelly with Eskimos head coach Danny Maciocia and he was offered the position less than an hour into the talks.
After weighing his options and consulting family and friends, he made what he called "the most difficult and gut wrenching decision" to return to the coaching ranks and pursue his true passion.
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