MORGANTOWN — The world has changed a lot since 1987.
What has remained the same these past 37 years is the stability of the University High School football program with John Kelley at the helm.
Kelley, however, will be the first to admit that he has changed too since assuming the head coaching role nearly four decades ago.
“I’ve changed drastically,” Kelley said. “I was a raging maniac back then. Demanding, hooting, hollering, a total control freak. Now, there’s a system in place. I’m more of an administrator. You let your coaches coach and you kind of piece the whole thing together.
“You just can’t coach the way you used to. I’m proud of the way I’ve adapted and changed with the times and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been at this thing for 37 years.”
Kelley has been the head coach for more than 400 games at University. He owns a .622 winning percentage with 22 winning seasons. He started off his tenure at UHS 1-0. On opening night in 1987, the Hawks beat Liberty, 14-6, for Kelley’s first victory at UHS.
A milestone win, number 250, came last Friday in a 42-7 season-opening win against John Marshall.
“It’s a milestone for me personally, but at the same time, it’s 250 wins for the program,” Kelley said. “That’s attributed to great assistant coaches and great players who have bought in and played hard. Not a whole lot of people have accomplished that.”
Today’s players may look a lot different than those of the late 1980s. Fashions and hairstyles have certainly changed, though it’s apparent that the mullet may be back in style. In Kelley’s eyes, it’s not the players that have changed, it’s the world around them that has evolved — in both positive and negative ways.
“I don’t think kids have changed, society has changed,” Kelley said. “Expectations for kids have changed. Kids today might be spoiled a bit. But the tough kids today are pretty good football players, as they were back then, too. One of the things I’m most proud of is that the kids have bought into the program. They believe in the pride and tradition of University and they show their dedication all year round.”
It’s that year-round, no-days-off mentality that is new for today’s kids, Kelley said. Football just wasn’t thought of beyond the boundaries of the fall calendar in years past.
“Schools having nice weight rooms and training year-round is different because back in the old days, you showed up in August and played until the end of the season, then it was ‘see you next year,'” he said.
What Kelley says is the biggest, most positive evolution of football in 37 years is the safety of the game.
“There’s been a lot of rules implemented for safety,” he said. “Equipment has changed for the better and for better safety. Also, we’ve got so many multi-faceted offenses. Back then, everybody was basically a run-oriented team. Today, teams are spreading it out and throwing it all over the place.”
This week’s challenge for the Hawks, as Kelley begins the quest for win No. 251, is stopping Parkersburg South’s dynamic offense, led by Gage Wright. Kelley said Wright is “probably the best player in the state.”
In the Patriots’ season-opening win, an 83-26 romp of Capital, Wright scored five touchdowns — three rushing, one receiving and an 88-yard kickoff return. Quarterback Turner Garretson threw for 219 yards.
“I haven’t seen any weaknesses in their team,” Kelley said of Parkersburg South.
What Kelley sees in his team is a renewed fire to avenge last year’s 78-14 loss to the Patriots.
“We talked about it and our kids think they can win the game,” Kelley said. “We have to put points up and control the line of scrimmage again. We did a great job of that against John Marshall.”
BY MATTHEW PEASLEE
