Tyndall civilian receives Florida Coach of the Year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alex Echols
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A member of Team Tyndall has been named Coach of the Year by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

Mr. Kelly, 325th Fighter Wing Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern)/Tyndall command center chief, coaches the Rutherford High School girl's basketball team.

This year was the team's first winning season since 1997 and its first district championship in the history of the program. The Rutherford High School girls basketball team ended this season with 13 wins and eight loses, said Mr. Kelly.

Mr. Kelly joined the team in 2007 volunteering as assistant coach and manager. His first year with them, the team went nine and 11.

"They had good ball players," Mr. Kelly said. "They just needed somebody to get them organized and teach them a few fundamentals."

Before the start of the 2011 season, L. Coy Pilson, Rutherford High School principal, called Mr. Kelly to offer him the head coach position.

"The players respect and admire Coach Kelly," said Mr. Pilson. "He inspires his team to play hard. He sets high expectations, and the team rises to those expectations."

"He did a good job as an assistant coach, and when we decided to make a change he expressed interest in the position," Krik Harrell, Rutherford High School athletic director, said. "He earned the respect of the players and the parents, both of which, I think, pushed him to take on this new position."

Becoming head coach helped Mr. Kelly gain a different perspective on the community and changed the way he handles certain situations.

"I think it made me a better communicator because if you tell them something, they don't forget what you said," Mr. Kelly said. "It also helped me to develop more patience and helped me to not make irrational decisions."

On the other side, Mr. Kelly implemented many of the values the Air Force taught him into his coaching style.

"You have to have integrity and discipline in your program," said Mr. Kelly. "I think the team lacked discipline and the belief that they could win. This year they started believing."

Discipline is a core theme in Mr. Kelly's coaching style, which lead to the drastic improvements in the team has made.

"Coach Kelly achieved great success with this team," Mr. Harrell said. "He has taken a program that recently had a tradition of losing, and in just two seasons, they won a district championship and advanced further in the playoffs than any other girl's basketball team in the school's history. He has worked hard to instill discipline back into the program."

During basketball season, Mr. Kelly spends most of his free time on the court with the team, but being their coach allows him to support the community in a way he enjoys, he said.

"It is not about me," said Mr. Kelly. "It is about giving back to a sport I love to play and giving back to the community. It is about getting out there and making a difference. You really don't know what is happening in your community until you get involved. Working at the school level you really get to see what is happening."

"I am honored to know Coach Kelly," Mr. Pilson said. "I have known him for more than a year now, and I have witnessed his dedication and commitment to his players and to Rutherford High School. He is simply a great human being, and I appreciate all his efforts. Coach Kelly is more than a good coach, he is a good man. He is a true role model for students at Rutherford. He cares about the students and the overall well being of the school. He deserves to be Coach of the Year because he went over and beyond to ensure the success of his team."