Colin Kelly is a Gaelic football manager and former player from Drogheda, County Louth. He made 33 (Leinster Senior Football Championship|Championship]] appearances for the Louth senior football team between 1989 and 2002[1] and is the Wee County's leading scorers of all-time.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Left Corner-Forward | ||
| Born | Drogheda, County Louth | ||
| Nickname | Super | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1983–1987 1988–2001 2002– |
O'Raghallaighs Newtown Blues Dreadnots | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1989–2002 | Louth | ||
Playing career edit
Kelly played for his county as a 16 year-old in the 1987 Leinster Minor Football Championship. At the beginning of the 1988 season, he transferred from the O'Raghallaighs to another Drogheda club, Newtown Blues.[2] That same year he would win his first county senior championship medal, scoring four points for the Blues in a 0–7 to 1–03 defeat of Clan Na Gael at Castlebellingham.
In February 1989 against Mayo while still attending secondary school, he made his competitive debut for the county senior team aged 17, in a National League Division 2 match played at St. Brigid's Park, Dowdallshill.
He received the Man of the Match award for his performance in the 2000 Louth SFC Final, when Newtown Blues defeated Stabannon Parnells.[3]
Kelly won his third senior championship medal with the Blues in 2001 with victory over Mattock Rangers.[4] By then resident in Clogherhead, he transferred to the local club Dreadnots for the start of the 2002 season.[5]
Coaching career edit
After retiring from inter-county football in 2002, Kelly was joint manager of the Louth Under-21s with Colm Nally and Niall O'Donnell for three seasons from 2003 to 2005.
In 2012, he managed the Under-21s to a first Leinster championship final in sixteen years, losing to Dublin.[6]
He later managed the Louth senior team for three years.[7] He led Louth to successive promotions in the National Football League in 2016 and 2017, though Louth did not make any championship impact during his time in charge.[7]
He was appointed Westmeath senior manager on a two-year term in late 2017 but left in mid-2018, citing family commitments.[8][9]
He was appointed Wicklow senior manager in October 2021.[7] However, he left in March 2022, citing work commitments.[10]
At club level, Kelly was player-manager in 2008 when Dreadnots won the Louth Intermediate Championship.[11]
Honours edit
As player edit
Louth edit
- All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship: 1997
- National Football League Division Two: 1996–97
- O'Byrne Cup: 1990
Newtown Blues edit
- Louth Senior Football Championship: 1988, 2000, 2001
- ACC Cup: 1997
Dreadnots edit
- Louth Intermediate Football Championship: 2004, 2008
- Intermediate Football League: 2004
As manager edit
Louth edit
- National Football League Division 4: 2016
- National Football League Division 3 Runners-Up: 2017
Dreadnots edit
O'Raghallaighs edit
- ACC Cup: 2010
- Louth Intermediate Football Championship: 2011
- Intermediate Football League: 2011
References edit
- ^ "Kelly retires". The Argus. 13 June 2022.
- ^ "GAA star Colin Kelly got big break as schoolboy". Drogheda Independent. 26 August 2009.
- ^ "Kelly hero of Blues final win". Drogheda Independent. 3 November 2000.
- ^ "Blues bonanza". Irish Independent. 17 September 2001.
- ^ "Where are they now?". Irish Independent. 20 January 2013.
- ^ "Louth's 2012 Leinster U21 final team – where are they now?". The Argus. April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Colin Kelly appointed as new Wicklow manager". RTÉ. 15 October 2021.
- ^ "Westmeath appoint Kelly as new manager". Hogan Stand. 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Colin Kelly quits as Westmeath football manager". RTÉ. 9 June 2018.
- ^ "Wicklow boss Colin Kelly resigns due to work commitments". RTÉ. 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Third light". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2022.