Kelly
THE CAROLINA KELLYS
Timmy Kelly tried to tell himself he would not end up in Chapel Hill. Fate had other ideas. BY PATRICK STEVENS
arolina blue runs deep in the Kelly family, from the heavy lacrosse roots to the frequent trips from Baltimore to Chapel Hill for football tailgates. So it was obvious Timmy Kelly, one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits, would end up a Tar Heel. Right? “Actually, for me it was quite the opposite,” Kelly said. “I was trying my hardest not to make it a family
thing. I was leaning more toward Hopkins. [North Carolina] coach [Joe] Breschi came in, was really a super-nice guy and wanted what was best for me.”
It was also what was best for North Carolina, which plugged Kelly into its first midfield line for its season opener this season. He started alongside his brother Patrick, a senior. They are the next generation of Kelly ties to the Tar Heels. Timmy’s father David graduated from North Carolina in 1989 and was part of the 1986 NCAA championship team. His uncle Bryan, who also coached him at Calvert Hall in Baltimore, played on the Tar Heels’ last national title team in 1991.
Then there are cousins Frankie and Stephen, former and current
Tar Heels, respectively. On the way is Jacob Kelly (Bryan’s son), who is committed to arrive on campus in 2018. Needless to say, there was at least a little lobbying in the Kelly household when Timmy was nearing a decision.
“My dad and Patrick definitely had a bit of a Carolina bias,” he said. “My older brother David, who went to Rutgers, coached me through it. He wasn’t into Carolina, saying, ‘You should do your own thing. Do you want to make your own name or to be in the shadows?’ But
40 LACROSSE MAGAZINE » April 2016
Family Tree
The Kelly family has left a significant mark at North Carolina, but that’s hardly the only place they’ve made an impact. The four Kelly brothers, who all played college lacrosse, have a combined six sons who have reached the Division I level — with more on the way.
John Kelly
Frank
Kelly Played
football and lacrosse at Cornell and was a three-year letterwinner for Richie Moran
before graduating in 1986.
SONS
Frankie Kelly (North Carolina): Faceoff specialist won 51.1 percent of his draws as a senior in 2014 Stephen Kelly (North Carolina): Junior won 214 faceoffs last year, the fourth-best single-year total in Tar Heel history.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
Played two years at Washington College and was responsible for getting his
brothers interested in lacrosse.
SON
Johnny Kelly (Ohio State): The junior is a midfield starter for the Buckeyes and had 12 goals and eight assists last season.
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