John Kelley (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
John "Snooks" Kelley is a former American
ice hockey
coach. Kelley was coach of the Boston College
Eagles ice hockey team for 36 years. Kelley won the 1949 NCAA ice hockey title and was the first coach to win 500 games in the NCAA. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
, in 1974
. He was a two sport athlete for the Eagles, playing both baseball
and ice hockey. Kelley finished his collegiate playing career following his graduation in 1930. Kelley’s graduation came just after hockey was removed from as a varsity sport due to the Great Depression
.
On January 8, 1933 Kelley agreed to coach a group of BC students while he was completing his teaching at Cambridge Latin. The position offered no pay, and forced him to give up playing with the Boston Hockey Club, but it was the beginning of a career that would last until 1972. Kelley’s coaching career was put on hold with the outbreak of World War II
. In 1942 Kelley joined the United States Navy
and remained enlisted until 1946, before returning to coaching.
Just three years after serving with the Navy Kelley lead his Boston College team over Dartmouth
and win the NCAA National Championship
. It would be the first championship won by an Eastern school. The 1949 National Championship was the only one of his career, however he would lead the Eagles back to the title game in 1965. Boston College lost the championship game to Michigan Tech 8-2.
On December 26, 1952 Boston
’s famous Beanpot
Tournament was established. Kelley enjoyed great success in the tournament winning 5 of the first 10. Some have pointed to his success in the Beanpot leading to Kelley gaining his stature as the face of BC hockey. Kelley coached BC to eight Beanpot titles in thirteen years, including three in a row from 1963-65.
In addition to the National Championship and his Beanpot wins Kelley also racked up an impressive amount of accolades including: eight New England Championships, nine appearances in the ECAC
Division I playoffs, one ECAC playoff title and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. Kelley won the Spencer Penrose Award
as College Hockey's Coach of the Year in 1959 and 1972. His success at BC earned him the nickname "Dean of American College Hockey Coaches".
In a February, 23 1972 game against rival Boston University
Kelley eared his 500th win making him the first NCAA Division-I men's hockey coach to reach that mark. For his career Kelley posted a record of 501-243-15 in his 36 year career.
In 1970 Kelley was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. Two years later, in 1972, Kelley received the Lester Patrick Trophy
for his contribution to hockey in the United States, not only for his accomplishments on the ice but also because he steadfastly refused to recruit players from Canada. Kelley felt recruiting Canadians would deprive Americans of a chance to develop their hockey potential. In 1974 Kelley be inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
On April, 10 1986 following a long bout with an illness John ”Snooks” Kelley died, he was 78 years old.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach. Kelley was coach of the Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
Eagles ice hockey team for 36 years. Kelley won the 1949 NCAA ice hockey title and was the first coach to win 500 games in the NCAA. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
, in 1974
Career
Kelley arrived at Boston College in 1925 after attending Boston College High SchoolBoston College High School
Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...
. He was a two sport athlete for the Eagles, playing both baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and ice hockey. Kelley finished his collegiate playing career following his graduation in 1930. Kelley’s graduation came just after hockey was removed from as a varsity sport due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
On January 8, 1933 Kelley agreed to coach a group of BC students while he was completing his teaching at Cambridge Latin. The position offered no pay, and forced him to give up playing with the Boston Hockey Club, but it was the beginning of a career that would last until 1972. Kelley’s coaching career was put on hold with the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1942 Kelley joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and remained enlisted until 1946, before returning to coaching.
Just three years after serving with the Navy Kelley lead his Boston College team over Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and win the NCAA National Championship
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known...
. It would be the first championship won by an Eastern school. The 1949 National Championship was the only one of his career, however he would lead the Eagles back to the title game in 1965. Boston College lost the championship game to Michigan Tech 8-2.
On December 26, 1952 Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
’s famous Beanpot
Beanpot
The Beanpot refers primarily to a men's ice hockey tournament among the four major college hockey schools of the Boston, Massachusetts area, held annually since the 1952-53 season. The tournament gives the winner bragging rights over its cross-town rivals, and the quest for this highly sought-after...
Tournament was established. Kelley enjoyed great success in the tournament winning 5 of the first 10. Some have pointed to his success in the Beanpot leading to Kelley gaining his stature as the face of BC hockey. Kelley coached BC to eight Beanpot titles in thirteen years, including three in a row from 1963-65.
In addition to the National Championship and his Beanpot wins Kelley also racked up an impressive amount of accolades including: eight New England Championships, nine appearances in the ECAC
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
Division I playoffs, one ECAC playoff title and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. Kelley won the Spencer Penrose Award
Spencer Penrose Award
The Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association.The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division I men's ice hockey conference, plus the coaches of the...
as College Hockey's Coach of the Year in 1959 and 1972. His success at BC earned him the nickname "Dean of American College Hockey Coaches".
In a February, 23 1972 game against rival Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
Kelley eared his 500th win making him the first NCAA Division-I men's hockey coach to reach that mark. For his career Kelley posted a record of 501-243-15 in his 36 year career.
In 1970 Kelley was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. Two years later, in 1972, Kelley received the Lester Patrick Trophy
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL...
for his contribution to hockey in the United States, not only for his accomplishments on the ice but also because he steadfastly refused to recruit players from Canada. Kelley felt recruiting Canadians would deprive Americans of a chance to develop their hockey potential. In 1974 Kelley be inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
On April, 10 1986 following a long bout with an illness John ”Snooks” Kelley died, he was 78 years old.