Thomas Kelley
American football player and coach, basketball coach, college athletics administrator
About Thomas Kelley
Born 1888. Thomas Kelley was an American basketball coach.
Thomas Kelley (born c. 1888) was an American college football player and coach, college basketball coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Muhlenberg College from 1911 to 1913, the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy—now known as the Missouri University of Science and Technology—in 1914, the University of Alabama from 1915 to 1917, the University of Idaho from 1920 to 1921, and the University of Missouri in 1922, compiling a career college football head coaching record of Kelley was also the head basketball coach at Muhlenberg from 1912 to 1914 and Alabama for the 1916–17 season, tallying a career college basketball record of In addition, he served as the athletic director at Alabama in 1915 and Idaho from 1920 to 1922.
Playing career Kelley played college football at the University of Chicago as a tackle for the Maroons under head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Coaching career In 1915 at Alabama, Kelley coached only the first half of season (4–0) before he came down with typhoid fever. Athletic director B. L. Noojin and former Alabama quarterback Farley Moody took over the head coaching duties for the remaining four games of the season. The 2–2 mark achieved in Kelly's absence is still credited to his record at Alabama
Kelley served in the U.S. Army in World War I and returned to coaching as an assistant at Missouri in 1919. He moved west in March 1920 and accepted the dual position of athletic director and head football coach at Idaho; under his leadership the Vandals were admitted to the Pacific Coast Conference In addition to his duties at the university, he was also the state's boxing commissioner. After two years in Moscow, Kelley accepted the position of head football coach at Missouri in June 1922 at a salary of $4,500 per year,
Kelley also coached college basketball for three seasons, two at Muhlenberg College (1912–14) and one at Alabama with an overall record of
Head coaching record Football
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Important facts
Frequently asked questions
Who was Thomas Kelley?
American football player and coach, basketball coach, college athletics administrator
When was Thomas Kelley born?
Thomas Kelley was born in 1888.
What was Thomas Kelley's occupation?
Thomas Kelley was a basketball coach.
What nationality was Thomas Kelley?
Thomas Kelley was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Thomas Kelley (coach)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Kelley. https://biography.guide/thomas-kelley/
MLA: "Thomas Kelley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-kelley/.
Chicago: "Thomas Kelley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-kelley/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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