Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2023 45 Kelly was then hired by Ne- braska and again survived a head coaching change, as fu- ture Hall of Famer Bob Devaney replaced Bill Jennings in 1962. The Cornhuskers defense, known as the Blackshirts, had tremendous success and Kelly guided such notable lineback- ers as Barry Alvarez during an eight-year span from 1961-68. But his heart was always in South Bend, and in 1969 his career continued there when Parseghian brought him in to coach linebackers. Over the next 17 seasons, Kelly guided numerous All-Americans and future pros as well as Irish captains Bob Olson (1969), Greg Collins (1974), Bob Golic (1978) and Bob Crable (1980-81). The Irish defense ranked among the top 10 nationally six times during his tenure, including 1974 when it ranked first (195.2 yards per game). And in 1973 and 1977, Kelly joined Boulac and the rest of the staff in guiding the Irish to national championship seasons. In 1986, Kelly moved into athletic administration for the Irish, becoming special assistant to the athletics direc- tor, handling several roles in football and basketball operations for the next 17 years until his death in 2003 at age 75. Kelly was remembered by his Notre Dame colleagues as someone who "un- derstood the fiber of Notre Dame as well as anyone … there's no way to measure his love for Notre Dame, much less all the contributions he has made to the University over the years." At Notre Dame, Kelly re- c e ive d n u m e ro u s awa rd s, including the Notre Dame Alumni Association's Harvey Foster Award (1989); Notre Dame Special Presidential Award (1990); the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Award (1991); the Notre Dame Club of Chicago's Moose Krause Award (1993); and the Notre Dame Monogram Club's mem- ber of the year award (1997). But beyond any award is the enormous respect gained and count- less friends made by coaches Boulac and Kelly. They exemplified the best that was possible in intercollegiate athlet- ics, and the excellence that is always the goal of any Notre Dame endeavor. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com George Kelly (center), a 1953 Notre Dame graduate, started his coaching career at St. Joseph High School in South Bend before moving to the col- lege ranks. He eventually returned to his alma mater as an assistant football coach from 1969 to 1986, before becoming an Irish athletic administrator until his death in 2003. PHOTO COURTESY KNUTE ROCKNE MEMORIAL SOCIETY For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org The Knute Rockne Memorial Society is dedicated to preserving and promo ng the life story of Coach Knute Rockne and all he stood for. Through its annual Rockne Awards, the Rockne Society recognizes and inspires great achievement in athle cs…and in life.