Coming home: Mike Kelly returns to Blue Bombers as head coach
Published Tuesday December 2nd, 2008
WINNIPEG - When Mike Kelly told his two daughters he was going to be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers new head coach, they weren't excited.
"I said, 'Well, what's the matter?"' Kelly recalled at a news conference Tuesday announcing his hiring. "They said, 'Dad, that's the only job you've ever talked about.' "And that's the truth."
The Bombers' offensive co-ordinator from 1992 to 1996, Kelly succeeds Doug Berry, who was fired Nov. 12 after three seasons.
It's third time lucky for the 50-year-old Kelly, who was the Edmonton Eskimos receivers coach this past CFL season.
Kelly, Dave Ritchie and Jeff Reinebold made the Bombers' shortlist after head coach Cal Murphy was fired following the '996 season, but the job went to Reinebold. Ritchie got his turn in 1999, but he was fired partway through 2004 and replaced by Jim Daley. Kelly was approached, but he'd become a professor of sport management at Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2005.
"This is me coming home," said Kelly, whose daughters, aged 13 and 15, were born in Winnipeg.
"I am just thrilled and honoured, and failure is not an option. It's just not an option because of how I feel about this city and this organization."
The club's 27th head coach will double as offensive co-ordinator.
"No one's touching the quarterbacks but me," said Kelly, a native of Waterbury, Conn., and former quarterback at Bluffton College in Ohio.
Despite the rumour that former CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan would be the team's offensive co-ordinator, Kelly said Dunigan is happy doing CFL analysis for TSN and spending time with his family.
As for his defensive co-ordinator and other coaching staff, Kelly said he has some thoughts but hasn't made any decisions yet. He plans to spend the next month doing reports on each of the Bomber players, which include 14 set to become free agents in February.
"This isn't a situation where we're going to come in and blow it up," Kelly said of the team, which went 8-10 last season just a year after losing the Grey Cup to Saskatchewan.
"It's just tweaking that needs to be done. Sometimes a different message to the same player brings positive results."
Kelly said he didn't want the title of general manager. He'll have control of the roster and only report to team president and CEO Lyle Bauer, who's been his friend since Bauer was the club's assistant GM from 1992 to 1995.
Former GM Brendan Taman will be the team's vice-president of player personnel and work side by side with Kelly to find players.
Bauer said Kelly met all the criteria he was looking for in a new head coach who will hopefully lead the team to its first Grey Cup since 1990 - the CFL's current longest championship drought. Those skills included CFL experience, head coaching experience and the ability to be a good communicator, motivator and teacher.
Kelly was the head coach/quarterbacks coach with Valdosta State University in Georgia (1997-99) and offensive co-ordinator for the Orlando Rage in the now-defunct XFL (2001).
He was also a pro scout and offensive assistant coach with the NFL Philadelphia Eagles (2001-02) and pro personnel assistant with the Washington Redskins (2003-05).
He's been an offensive coach with a number of U.S. colleges (1982-92) and has coached high school and university track, softball, baseball and basketball.
He's also media-savvy, having owned ScoreMore Enterprises Inc., a marketing and promotions company for things such as radio and TV shows. While with the Bombers, he was co-host of a local radio show called "The Bald Man and Robin," with former CBC sports reporter Robin Brown.
Former Bombers receiver Gerald Wilcox attended the news conference for his old coach.
"I'm really happy for this guy and happy for the club," Wilcox said. "He's going to do a great job."
Former Bombers punter Bob Cameron brushed shoulders with dozens of coaches while playing for Winnipeg from 1980 to 2002 and said Kelly got to know every player.
"I guarantee you he will be the type of guy that will make personal connections with everyone and try to find out how they tick and what makes them motivated to try to get the best out of his players," Cameron said.
"To me, that's good coaching."
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