March 1, 2008

Photo Gallery | Q&A With Jack Kelley

BOSTON - With numerous former players in attendance, legendary men's hockey coach Jack Kelley was honored prior to and during the Terriers' home contest against UMass on Friday evening. A bust depicting Kelley in a pose from the 1966 Beanpot was unveiled and will permanently reside in the main concourse of Agganis Arena.

The bust was funded almost entirely by former players and managers, and the majority of them returned to campus with their families to join Kelley's family for the pre-game revealing of the statue.

On the ice during the second intermission of Friday's game, Kelley was presented with an embroidered Terrier hockey jacket, honoring his legacy with the program.

Below is an extended version of the script from Friday's on-ice ceremony:

Jack Kelley proved you can go home again.

A standout defenseman on three Boston University hockey teams from 1949 to 1952 that compiled an overall record of 50-13-1 and advanced to two NCAA final fours under the direction of coach Harry Cleverly, Kelley concluded his playing career by being named first team All-New England, All-East and team MVP.

In 1955, Jack's career as a college hockey coach began at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he coached for seven years, culminating with NCAA Coach of the Year honors in 1962 after leading Colby to the semi-finals of the first ECAC Hockey Tournament at the Boston Arena.

In the spring of 1962, after the resignation of Cleverly Jack's alma mater came calling. The time was right to come home.

Jack Kelley became head coach of the Boston University hockey team for the 1962-63 season and immediately went to work founding the Friends of BU Hockey, an organization that took initiative toward the building of the first campus home of the Terriers, Walter Brown Arena.

On the ice, Kelley proceeded to mold the Terrier program in his own sharply focused, keenly disciplined image, advocating a relentless forechecking, uptempo style of play that would culminate in back-to-back Boston University National Championships in 1971 and 1972. A mark that would stand unequaled for 31 years.

Guided by Kelley's firm, steady hand, the Terriers captured six Beanpots, the ECAC championship in 1972 as part of an unprecedented "Triple Crown"(Beanpot, ECAC, NCAA) championship campaign, and advanced to four NCAA final fours.

Kelley's clubs featured 14 first team All-America selections and 14 future BU Hall of Famers. His overall coaching mark of 206 wins, 80 losses, and 8 ties, a winning percentage of .720 set a standard of excellence at Boston University that remains unsurpassed in Eastern college hockey. A standard that has been maintained by his former captain and assistant coach Jack Parker during his 35-year tenure as Terrier head coach.

Kelley went on to serve as coach and general manager of the New England Whalers, and later as an administrator in the Detroit Red Wings organization. He also served president of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins until his retirement in 2001.

Today Kelley and his wife, Ginny, split their time between their winter home in Florida and summer getaway in their beloved Maine, enjoying the company of their four children and nine grandchildren.