Is Brian Kelly a villain?
It's an odd question using a curious word - villain. A villain is more than just a garden variety bad guy; it implies some degree of power and cunning. Villains are not dispatched by mere pedestrians or the average citizen. You require a hero in order to take down a villain.
"An angry, leprechaun-looking *****bag." Via
Kelly is a guy who coached Grand Valley State for 13 years to 118 wins and two titles. That's a long time to be that good at one place in Division II. When he finally took the leap into the FBS it was to Central Michigan just 100 miles away. Three seasons later he left for Cincinnati, which Mark Dantonio had left him in healthy condition.
He's now in his sixth season in South Bend where he's led the Fighting Irish to Sun, Pinstripe and Music City Bowl victories. The Fiesta will be just his second premium postseason invitation in a system that would understandably bend itself into funny positions to get his school more involved. Kelly is 55-22 at Notre Dame; he was 53-22 at CMU and Cincinnati, combined. He's a good coach...but a villain?
Anyway, Is Brian Kelly a Villain? was the title of an article written way back in 2012. That inquiry had nothing to do with his power, cunning or this tragedy; it had everything to do with a particularly deranged and televised tirade. He's a man with a notorious temper who has been known to turn several shades of purple when he's angry.
Interrogative headlines aren't really questions; they're statements disguised as questions. Is Brian Kelly too Angry to be Notre Dame's Coach? was the title of a 2011 story that ran the same week the National Catholic Register innocently asked Should Notre Dame's Coach Be Fired For Cursing?
Absent of gaudy rings (apologies, Division II bling) Kelly's temperament is his reputation. That cake was baked years ago.
Becoming emotionally unhinged while millions are watching only becomes a problem in the coaching profession when you're not winning championships, especially at a title-starved all-or-nothing proud independent like Notre Dame where there aren't any conference or division crowns available for satiety. Kelly wins enough to keep any replacement chatter at a low murmur (it also doesn't hurt his job security that his predecessor fired six years now is still getting giant paychecks from his employer in 2015).
Fifteen years ago and almost 200 miles directly south of campus this became a problem for Bob Knight only as Indiana was steadily in decline. After he famously threw a chair across the court against Purdue in 1985 television cameras became trained to find him after every Hoosier turnover or foul, hoping to catch another tantrum in the act.
When COACHES AREN'T winning enough THEIR personality flaws lose any charm they might have had.
For the better part of his tenure Knight's outbursts were resoundingly cheered by the home crowd. He also coached his teams to 11 Big Ten championships, five Final Fours, three national titles and an Olympic gold medal. The act only grew tired once the Hoosiers slipped from their perch among the nation's elite and it was clear his methods were not producing the same reliable outcomes they once were.
Kelly is a good coach. Knight was a villain.
The General had a large fleet of sympathizers who deployed the Angry Coach Defenders Starter Pack against all haters. This includes graduation rates, turning boys into men along with words like discipline, throwback and old school. Those sting significantly less without the words multiple national championships also supporting them. [Disclosure: I attended IU, covered the basketball team for the school paper and also took Knight's basketball class]
Kelly understandably has had fewer defenders, like the perpetually terrible Hot Take artist Matt Hayes who once said Kelly's tantrums were totally justified because his team was "schizophrenic" which is the dumbest thing you'll read this week unless you regularly read Matt Hayes. After several years of similar mumbling around Lincoln, Bo Pelini's outbursts - both televised and alleged - led to his dismissal from Nebraska. When you're not winning enough your nationally-televised personality flaws lose any charm they might have had.
Pelini was replaced with Mike Riley - the emotional antithesis of Pelini and 14 years his senior - whose personal best season is just an average season for the coach he replaced. The wounds are still fresh and it's too soon for buyer's remorse, but Nebraska will try to avoid its eighth loss of the season this weekend. But nobody is complaining about Nebraska's head man's conduct anymore.
Coaching is an emotional business. Woody's outbursts were part of his appeal until they devolved into assault. Most of his coaching tree - which includes two beloved Notre Dame coaches - was, at kindest, fiery. Coach K, apart from launching projectiles onto the court carries much of the same anger that characterized his mentor. Those guys have all hoisted trophies and eclipsed the pinnacle of their profession. They're legends, which are also sometimes villains depending on your favorite team.
Harbaugh's 2nd straight NFC Championship Game appearance. That makes this passionate.
Michigan's Jim Harbaugh is much like his old college coach too - and as with Kelly the National Catholic Register would take issue with his acerbic language. But he has consistently won big at places and in leagues where winning doesn't come easy. Harbaugh results accompany the whole Harbaugh. That's a deal Michigan and any program outside of the drunk-on-hubris San Francisco 49ers would happily make. It's the same one Notre Dame is still hoping to cash in on with Kelly.
Despite a successful season marked by only two last-second losses to CFP contenders, his temper is again what dominated his team's headlines as recently as this November. If the Irish can't beat the Buckeyes next week, Navy might end up being its best win this year, despite having the most robust and interesting schedule in college football to go along with 10 wins.
Notre Dame's drought of winning a major bowl game would extend into its 23rd season, older than just about every college football player in the game. Tepid, interrogative headlines like Is Brian Kelly's Best Notre Dame Team Good Enough? will flourish and gain additional meaning. He will continue to be the angry, sometimes purple coach who wins games - but doesn't quite win enough of them.
So no, Brian Kelly is not a villain; not yet. Here's hoping the Buckeyes keep it that way.
