Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame
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Francis Kelly, class of 1956, was a four-year letter winner and starter in football and was named Little All-American and All-Conference in 1955 and 1954 in football. Kelly still has the football from the time he blocked an extra-point attempt against Wartburg in 1955 as the Peacocks edged out a 7-6 Homecoming victory. He was also a three-year letter winner in both basketball and baseball.
Following graduation from UIU, he played four years of semi-professional baseball in California before becoming a teacher and coach for 30 years. During his coaching days, Kelly was a track coach for 25 years and an assistant football coach for 27 years in Ohio. He earned District Coach of the Year honors for boys track in 1986 as the team earned a state championship. He coached Mark Croghan who won two events in the Ohio State AAA meet, was a two-time NCAA Champion and ran his first Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and Greater Akron Basketball Officials Association.
He and his wife, Susan, live in Akron, Ohio. They have one son, Todd.
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