Say what you will about coach Brian Kelly, but there’s one thing that no one can deny about him. He’s a winner. Whether it was his first head coaching stint at Grand Valley State University or his current position with LSU football, he’s always found a way to win. Now, with the Tigers’ game vs. Army on Saturday, Kelly has the opportunity to reach the career milestone of 3oo wins.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for current LSU football coach Brian Kelly
“Who the hell hired this guy?”
Those were the words former Grand Valley State University football coach Brian Kelly heard as he was coaching his first collegiate game.
“In my first game, I remember the president at Grand Valley State opening up the press box window, and I could hear him because there was probably 300 people there,” Kelly said to the media earlier this week.
Kelly began his head coaching career with the small Division II program in 1991 and would end up coaching there until 2003.
Regardless of what former GVSU president Arrend D. Lubbers thought about the coaching hire at the time, it’s safe to say things turned out pretty well for Kelly and the Lakers program.
In 13 seasons with the program, Kelly led them to an overall record of 118-35-2. Even better, he took his team to the NCAA Division II Playoffs six times, winning it all in each of his final two seasons with the team.
Now, Grand Valley State University is a staple in college football, and Kelly was a significant part of it.
With a win on Saturday, Kelly would reach a major career milestone
As we’re all largely aware, that winning tradition didn’t slow down with coach Brian Kelly. Since moving on from the Lakers of Grand Rapids, MI, he’s made four other coaching stops, including Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU football.
Notably, as the Tigers get set for week eight of the 2023 season, coach Brian Kelly finds himself dangerously close to a major career milestone.
In his 34th season as a head coach, and second in Baton Rouge, Brian Kelly is just one win away from 300 career wins.
According to the LSU sports website, Kelly has an overall career record of 299-103-2. It’s notable to mention that this total includes 21 vacated Notre Dame wins by the NCAA between 2012 and 2013.
However, if you talk to coach Brian Kelly about it, he’s not thinking too hard about the potential milestone. As a matter of fact, he barely knew of the possibility of meeting it on Saturday.
“I mean, I don’t really think about it that much,” stated Kelly. “This is the first time I’ve heard that that’s the case, to be quite honest with you. I think when you love what you do, you’re not counting wins.”
“You’re thinking about what do we need to do from a player development standpoint, what do we need to do to get better in this area, you’re not really counting – listen if I was thinking about wins, I would’ve gotten out of this business a long time ago. Having said that, I think going back and looking at the journey, I had no idea I’d be in it this long.”
Regardless of how much coach Brian Kelly thinks about winning is irrelevant. He’s a winner and one of the best at developing his players.
For now, though, it’s Army on the clock.
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