WEBSTER CITY - Brandon Kelley has been consumed with piling up victories on the basketball court and baseball diamond for Northeast Hamilton for more than a decade. But come the fall his job, at least in part, will be to help beat the Trojans.
Kelley confirmed yesterday that he has accepted an offer from Colo-NESCO to become the school's new secondary principal and athletic director. His new positions with the district will begin July 1.
"My family and I are excited for this new opportunity," Kelley, who has taught math and coached in the Northeast Hamilton school district since 1999, said. "To advance professionally and the challenges I'll face, it's just a new chapter in my life that I'm excited for."
Article Photos
DFJ photo by Troy Banning
Brandon Kelley (right) talks with Collin Swenson (23) and Marcus Mechaelsen during a break in action in February. Kelley compiled a 186-87 record as the Trojans’ coach in 13 years at the helm.
A graduate of Ballard High School and Iowa State University, Kelley received his masters degree in administration from Drake University last August.
In 13 years in charge of the Trojans' basketball program, he compiled an overall record of 186-87. Northeast Hamilton was a stellar 67-6 over the past three seasons and the Trojans spent the entire 2011-12 regular season ranked in the top three in Class 1A by the Associated Press.
Kelley has a record of 157-180 in 13 years in the Trojans' dugout, and in 2008 he led the program to the 1A state tournament. He will still coach the team this summer.
"I'm going to miss the coaching aspect a ton. Working on a daily basis with the kids, and the relationships and memories that I've built, those will be hard to leave," Kelley said. "But as the AD, I'm still going to be involved in the sports side of things and with Colo-NESCO being in the Iowa Star Conference, I'm still going to be able to keep tabs on the guys from Northeast Hamilton."
Kelley was one of eight full-time instructors that had his teaching position terminated by the Northeast Hamilton School Board last month, and it left him scrambling to find new employment. His wife, Jody, will remain as an elementary teacher at Northeast Hamilton.
"As a coach we always preach to our players that you have to adjust to things in life, and that's basically what I had to do as an adult is adjust to the situation," Kelley said. "It definitely wasn't easy going through the whole (basketball) season knowing that my job probably wasn't going to be there, but I think the school did the right thing for the kids and made the right decision to give the kids the best opportunities.
"I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason."
Kelley says that while his allegiance will now shift to the blue and silver of the Colo-NESCO Royals, the navy and gold of the Northeast Hamilton Trojans will always hold a special place in his heart.
"I've built a lot of great relationships here over the last 13 years," he said. "I just want to thank the community for always supporting our teams and players. It's been a great ride and I've been lucky enough to have some great assistant coaches, and great kids and athletes.
"You're only as good as the athletes that you coach."