CHSL NAMES KELLY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
(From De La Salle Collegiate High School — March 25, 2015)
De La Salle Athletic Director Brian Kelly, who graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1977, has been named the Tom Kelly “Athletic Director of the Year” and will be honored at the Annual Catholic High School League (CHSL) Hall of Fame Day on Monday, June 8, at the Fern Hill Golf and Country Club.
The CHSL first presented the Athletic Director of the Year award in 1976. Brian accepted the award, named for his father, a longtime fixture in the CHSL. Tom Kelly passed away in 1976 when Brian was about to enter his senior year at Harper Woods Notre Dame.
De La Salle Principal Patrick Adams, a close friend of Brian Kelly since their high school days at Harper Woods Notre Dame in the 1970s, said, “Brian’s work ethic, passion, and love of De La Salle have served to elevate him to an elite status as an educational leader. He exemplifies all that is right and good at the Collegiate. His efforts are a main reason De La Salle is flourishing at this time, and we are fortunate he wears purple and gold.”
As athletic director, Kelly is responsible for 13 sports, nearly all of which have freshmen, JV, and varsity-level teams.
He has initiated post-season coaching evaluations, pre-season coaches’ meetings, concussion training, AED training, coaches’ manuals, and a focus on safety and security of athletes and coaches.
His duties extend beyond the gymnasium and weight room.
As an assistant principal, along with the other administrators, he is responsible for teacher mentoring and evaluation, interviewing and hiring of teachers, and encouraging and supporting professional development of the teachers and staff.
He also oversees the school’s random drug testing program and the student monitors who are primarily focused on the safety of the school’s campus.
Kelly said, “Obviously, I am deeply appreciative of all the people I work with at De La Salle and the Catholic League. In particular, I have benefited greatly from the outstanding work of Shannon Bischoff and Kellie Mehl, the two administrative assistants I have had the pleasure of working with. My wife, Donna, and our three sons are the ones who have made my passion possible. De La Salle and the Catholic League mean so much to me. I am honored and humbled to be a part of both.”
Kelly began his teaching career at De La Salle in 1982, and coached freshman and JV baseball in his first years at DLS. He took over the head coaching job in 1985, and led the Pilots to three Division 1 state championships (1993, 2000, 2009). He became athletic director in 2004, and stepped away from the head coaching position in 2010.
In 2011, the school dedicated the baseball field to him in recognition of his accomplishments.
He began his college career at Michigan State University and transferred to the University of Detroit after his sophomore year. He pitched for both the Spartans and the Titans for two years each.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.