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Alva Kelley

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Alva Kelley
Biographical details
Born(1918-06-16)June 16, 1918
DiedAugust 21, 1999(1999-08-21) (aged 81)
Playing career
1938–1940Cornell
Position(s)End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1946–1949Cornell (assistant)
1950Yale (line)
1951–1958Brown
1959–1961Colgate
1963–1970Hobart
Head coaching record
Overall60–98–5
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • First-team All-Eastern (1939)
  • Second-team All-Eastern (1940)

Alva E. Kelley (June 16, 1918 – August 21, 1999) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Brown University (1951–1958), Colgate University (1959–1961), and Hobart College (1963–1970), compiling a career college football record of 60–98–5.

Career

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Kelley graduated from Cornell University in 1941 after playing three seasons of football under Carl Snavely and fellow fraternity brother George K. James, including the 1939 undefeated national championship season. He was a member of Sphinx Head, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and through the latter organization, the Irving Literary Society. He was assistant coach at Cornell from 1946 to 1949, before becoming head coach at Brown University and then Colgate. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980.

Kelley was the 27th head football coach at Colgate University, serving for three seasons, from 1959 to 1961, and compiling a record of 9–18.

Personal life

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One of his great-grandchildren, Will Levis, currently plays football for the Tennessee Titans of the NFL[1] after spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons at the University of Kentucky as their starting quarterback. He also spent three seasons at Pennsylvania State University from 2018 to 2020.[2]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Brown Bears (Independent) (1951–1955)
1951 Brown 2–7
1952 Brown 2–7
1953 Brown 3–5–1
1954 Brown 6–2–1
1955 Brown 2–7
Brown Bears (Ivy League) (1956–1958)
1956 Brown 5–4 3–4 5th
1957 Brown 5–4 3–4 T–4th
1958 Brown 6–3 4–3 T–4th
Brown: 31–39–2 10–11
Colgate Red Raiders (Independent) (1959–1961)
1959 Colgate 2–7
1960 Colgate 2–7
1961 Colgate 5–4
Colgate: 9–18
Hobart Statesmen (NCAA College Division independent) (1963–1970)
1963 Hobart 4–3–1
1964 Hobart 3–4–1
1965 Hobart 4–4
1966 Hobart 3–5
1967 Hobart 0–7–1
1968 Hobart 3–5
1969 Hobart 3–5
1970 Hobart 0–8
Hobart: 20–41–3
Total: 60–98–5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Titans Move Up, Select QB Will Levis in Second Round of Friday's NFL Draft". www.tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "Will Levis". Kentucky Wildcats. Retrieved October 7, 2021.