|
In Memoriam: Don Kelly
Don Kelly, former lacrosse coach at Washington College, died June 23, 2000, in Chestertown. He was 87. Kelly began coaching the men's lacrosse teams at the College in 1957 while he was running his own automobile dealership in Chestertown. Through his efforts, Kelly was able to bring the Sho'men four Strobar Division Championships and later make them NCAA championship contenders in 1970s.
Kelly was a true athlete his whole life, on the field as a player and off the field as a coach. Born in Baltimore, he attended Friends School, where he was the captain of the football, basketball and lacrosse teams. He graduated cum laude in 1930 and attended Johns Hopkins University, where he became one of the school's all-time great sportsmen. In addition to numerous letters, he won All-Maryland honors and was chosen for the All-American Lacrosse Team for four straight years. He also played on the 1932 Olympic Lacrosse Team.
During his coaching career at Washington College, Don served as a member of the NCAA Rules Committee and was honored by his peers as "Coach of the Year" in 1966. In 1995, he was presented with Johns Hopkins' highest athletic honor, induction in the Johns Hopkins Hall of Fame, which lauded his "finesse stickwork, isolations, fast-break lacrosse" style of play.
Kelly practiced a gentle coaching style that encouraged creativity in modifying the game's style of play. "He viewed lacrosse as a very beautiful game to play," said Bryan Matthews, the College's Director of Athletics, who played under Kelly from 1971 to 1975. "He was very low-key and laid-back, but also very competitive." During those years, Kelly made the Sho'men a contending NCAA team by playing a mixed schedule of Division I and III schools, even going on to national championships in 1971 and 1972.
Kelly is survived by his wife, Delphine Stewart Barroll Kelly, five daughters, three stepsons, 14 grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
|
