Armwood assistant Kelly named Strawberry Crest coach

Posted Jan 27, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 27, 2012 at 03:33 PM

John Kelly, an assistant coach for state football champion Armwood and a former head coach at Cambridge Christian, has been named the new head coach at Strawberry Crest, Chargers athletic director Melvin Williams announced Friday morning.

The 33-year-old Kelly is a 1996 Armwood graduate and played tight end for Hawks coach Sean Callahan. Kelly has worked for Callahan as a strength and conditioning coach, as well as a tight ends coach. Prior to that, he was Cambridge’s head coach for three seasons and was also an assistant under former Strawberry Crest coach Todd Donohoe.

Inheriting a 1-9 squad and a program that will see it’s third coach in four seasons, Kelly says he understands the challenges he faces at The Crest. But he says he is determined to do things “the right way.”

“Everything I do, I want to do it the right way so that hopefully, down the road, these kids will look back at their time with me and they will say ‘That’s a coach who valued character and integrity as much as he did winning,’ ” Kelly said. “That’s the type of student-athletes I want to produce.”

Kelly is a teacher at Strawberry Crest, so his transition into his first head position should be a smooth one, Williams said. Williams said he and Chargers principal David Brown were also impressed with Kelly’s vision for the program and personal character

“He’s an excellent teacher who is already here on the campus so he has a good rapport with the kids, Williams said. “I think he has a good plan for the program and I think his style of coaching will be a good fit for the athletes we have.”

Kelly replaces Gerold Dickens, who went 1-9 in one season on the job. In late October, Dickens was suspended one game by school officials following an internal investigation for what principal David Brown called “inappropriate behavior” during a practice session. The incident involved a comment Dickens made to his squad. Earlier this month, Dickens said he and the school had decided to “move on” and he stepped down from the position.

Armwood coach Sean Callahan says Kelly was a “great pick” and believes Kelly is ready for the head position.

“He’s been here at Armwood so he knows what he’s getting into and knows the work it takes to build a program.” said Callahan, who has had several assistants become head coaches. “We’re just so happy for coach Kelly. We expect him to do great things at Strawberry Crest, he is very deserving and has done a fantastic job for us here at Armwood.”

Photo: John Kellly has been a strength and conditioning coach and a tight ends coach at Armwood. He now takes over as Starwberry Crest’s third foootball coach since the school opened in 2009. Photo by Bill Ward/The Tampa Tribune.