Larry Kelley
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Lawrence Morgan Kelley (May 30, 1915 – June 27, 2000) was an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player. He played at the
end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...
position for the
Yale Bulldogs football The Yale Bulldogs football program represents Yale University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Yale's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing ...
program from 1934 to 1936. He was the captain of the 1936 Yale Bulldogs football team that compiled a 7–1 record and was ranked No. 12 in the final
Associated Press poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
. He was selected as a unanimous first-team All-American and won the
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
as the best player in
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
. Kelley rejected offers to play professional football,
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and instead became a high school teacher and coach. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
in 1969. In 1999, he sold his Heisman Trophy at auction for $328,110. He died by suicide six months later.


Early years

Kelley was born in
Conneaut, Ohio Conneaut ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Creek northeast of Cleveland. The population was 12,841 at the 2010 Census. Conneaut is located at the far northeast ...
, in 1915. He moved to
Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...
, at age 8 and attended
Williamsport High School Williamsport High School is a public high school in Williamsport, Washington County, Maryland, United States. Baseball team The school's baseball team, and its coach David Warrenfeltz, were the subject of a 2012 ''Sports Illustrated'' artic ...
. His football coach at Williamsport told him that "the only way I would ever see a college team play would be to pay my way in." After graduating from Williamsport, he spent one year at the
Peddie School The Peddie School is a college preparatory school in Hightstown, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is a non-denominational, coeducational boarding school located on a campus, and serves students in the ninth through twelfth gr ...
, a preparatory school in Hightstown, New Jersey. He graduated from Peddie ranked first in his class.


Yale

Kelley enrolled at
Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in the fall of 1933. He received a scholarship to cover the $900 annual cost of attending the college. He played for Yale's baseball, basketball, and football teams. While at Yale, he was also a member of the
Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...
fraternity and the
Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
society. As a sophomore in 1934, Kelley became a star for the Yale football team. Playing at end on both offense and defense, he played all 60 minutes in multiple games. On November 17, 1934, he caught the game-winning touchdown pass, covering 48 yards, in a 7-0 victory over Princeton. The loss ended Princeton's 15-game winning streak.


Reputation for humor

As a junior in 1935, Kelley gained attention for his pass receptions and his cocky and clever statements to the press. One of his most famous quips came after an opposing Princeton player came onto the field as a substitute and appeared confused as to who he was to replace. Kelley quipped to the referee, "Maybe that sub is in for me, sir. I've been playing in Princeton's backfield all afternoon." Noted newspaperman
Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To N ...
described Kelley as mirthful swashbuckler, always ready with a smart crack on the tip of his tongue, and "the most picturesque football player that Yale has had since
Tom Shevlin Thomas Leonard Shevlin (March 1, 1883 – December 29, 1915) was an American college football player and coach at Yale University and a businessman. He was a consensus All-American for three of his four years, selected a first-team All-American ...
." He became known as "The Great" Kelley (a name Kelley himself suggested) or "Laughing Larry".


1936 season

Kelley was unanimously elected by his 25 fellow lettermen as captain of the 1936 Yale Bulldogs football team. He and
Clint Frank Clinton E. Frank (September 13, 1915 – July 7, 1992) was an American football player and advertising executive. He played halfback for Yale University, where he won both the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award in 1937. In 1954, he founded t ...
led the 1936 Yale team to a 7–1 record and a No. 12 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Kelley played all 60 minutes in six of the team's eight games. He missed only 15 minutes out of 480 for the season. (Over his three years playing for Yale, he was on the field for 1,298 out 1,500 minute played.) The most famous play of Kelley's career occurred on October 17, 1936, against Navy. Navy was leading when a Midshipman fumbled the ball. Kelley kicked the loose ball between 20 and 40 yards (accounts differ as to how far the ball traveled), chased after ball, and recovered it inside Navy's five-yard line. Yale then scored the game-winning touchdown. At the time, Kelley insisted that the play was "absolutely accidental" and pointed out that doing so intentionally "would be one of the hardest to time." After the 1936 season, the NCAA changed the rules to prohibit kicking a loose ball and declare the ball dead at the spot of the impact. The lone loss was to Dartmouth by an 11–7 score. In the final five seconds, Yale got a first down at Dartmouth's one-yard line, but failed to score on two chances. More than 50 years later, Kelley remained disappointed by the ending of the Dartmouth game. Kelley tallied 17 receptions for 372 yards and six touchdowns in 1936.
Allison Danzig Allison "Al" Danzig (February 27, 1898 – January, 27 1987) was an American sportswriter who specialized in writing about tennis, but also covered college football, squash, many Olympic Games, and rowing. Danzig was the only American sportswrite ...
of ''The New York Times'' wrote: "It is usually left to posterity properly to appreciate and bestow the accolade of lasting fame upon heroes of the day, but no player in our time has conclusively left the impress of his personality upon the public than has Kelley of Yale." Another newspaper account opined:
The thing that made (Mr. Kelley) a great athlete was his unusual coordination. His brain is a fire engine, and it drives the splendid chassis of his body smoothly. His reactions are instantaneous. A clear head on a football field is of little use unless the muscles are instantly obedient. He is always there with the sudden dash, the change of pace, the full steam ahead, when it is needed. Like all champions, he is able to do the right thing at the right moment.
At the end of the season, Kelley was a unanimous pick for the 1936 All-America team, receiving first-team selections from the All-America Board,
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
,
United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
, ''
Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...
'', the ''Sporting News'', and others. He is the only player in Yale football history to score a touchdown in every game he played against rivals Harvard and Princeton. In three years at Yale, Kelley totaled 49 passes for 889 yards and 13 touchdowns. He scored three additional touchdowns on pass interceptions.


Heisman Trophy

On December 2, 1936, the Downtown Athletic Club announced that Kelley had won the
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
as the year's best college football player Against competition that included Hall of Famers
Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...
and
Ace Parker Clarence McKay "Ace" Parker (May 17, 1912 – November 6, 2013) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played professional football as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–1941 ...
, Kelley won the award in a landslide, receiving 213 points, more than quadruple the point total received by any other player. Kelley was the first recipient of the award after it was named the "Heisman Trophy". The award was established in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy. It was renamed after
John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...
died in October 1936. Kelley recalled learning about the honor: "I got the telegram telling me that I had won it, and I didn't even know there was such a thing." Kelley was one of only two linemen (
Leon Hart Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an American football end. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight se ...
was the other) ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Kelley later donated a replica of his Heisman Trophy to the Peddie School. He gave the replica to Peddie because "Peddie had the greatest influence on my life." In December 1999, several months before his death, Kelley sold his Heisman Trophy at an auction. Kelley explained, "I wanted to right my affairs and my estate and take care of my 18 nieces and nephews." It sold for $328,110 to the owner of The Stadium Museum, Restaurant & Bar in
Garrison, New York Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Garrison Metro-North Railroad ...
. The sales price was a record for a Heisman, surpassing the $230,000 that O. J. Simpson's Heisman earned at auction in February 1999.


Rejection of pro sports and Hollywood

In December 1936, Kelley was selected by the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in the
1937 NFL Draft The 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, ...
. Kelly said he would not play professional football or baseball, despite receiving offers in both sports, including an $11,000 offer from the Lions. He also rejected an offer of $5,000 to play professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals of the
Major League baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. Kelley said at the time: "I don't ever want to be known as a professional. I don't like the word and neither do the friends I am fond of." Kelley later recalled that friends had advised him that pro football "was not a stable career." He also noted that pro football players in those days "were pretty much a rough and ready bunch, generally speaking." He added: "If I had come along later, when they offered more money, I probably would have played pro." He also turned down a $15,000 offer to star in an autobiographical film titled, "Kelley of Yale".


Career after Yale

Instead of playing a professional sport or going to Hollywood, Kelley accepted an offer to teach mathematics and history and coach football at the Peddie School, his alma mater. He was recruited by Peddie's head master, Dr. Sanders, and recalled that Dr. Sanders' pitch "hit the right spots." He was paid $2,000 a year when he started at Peddie. He remained at Peddie until 1941. He tried to enlist during World War II, but was ruled ineligible because both ear drums had been ruptured by playing football. He got a 2B designation and worked in war industries for the duration of the war. Kelley went into business after the war. From 1946 to 1958, he worked for glove manufacturers in upstate New York. In 1958, he joined the teaching staff at the
Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United ...
, located 15 minutes from the
Yale Bowl The Yale Bowl Stadium is a college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in New Haven, Connecticut, on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles (2½ km) west of the main campus of Yale University. The home of the American footb ...
in Connecticut. He returned to Peddie in 1970 as alumni director. He retired from Peddie in 1975.


Family and later years

Kelley was married four times. He married Katharine Duncan in September 1939, but the marriage lasted only three years. He was married for a second time in March 1946 with Anne Goodwin. In July 1961, he married his college sweetheart, Lovdie Augusta Webb. They were married for 13 years. He married his fourth wife, Ruth, in 1975. They remained married until Kelley's death. He had a daughter, Katharine Lynne Libby, with his first wife. However, she grew up believing that she was the daughter of her mother's second husband and had no contact with Kelley until later in life. Kelley was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
in 1969. After retiring from the Peddie School, Kelley moved to
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. In his final years, Kelley suffered a stroke and had heart bypass surgery. On June 27, 2000, six months after selling his Heisman Trophy, Kelley shot himself in the head with a handgun in the basement of his house in Hightstown.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Larry 1915 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American educators American football ends American men's basketball players Yale Bulldogs baseball players Yale Bulldogs football players Yale Bulldogs men's basketball players High school football coaches in New Jersey All-American college football players Heisman Trophy winners College Football Hall of Fame inductees Peddie School alumni People from Conneaut, Ohio People from Hightstown, New Jersey Sportspeople from Ohio Sportspeople from Pensacola, Florida Sportspeople from Williamsport, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Pennsylvania Schoolteachers from Connecticut Suicides by firearm in New Jersey 2000 suicides