Ed Kelly is in his third year with the Owls where he serves as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator. Before Southern Connecticut, Kelly served as the head coach at Boston College for 32 seasons, retiring at the end of the 2019 season. He spent three years at Seton Hall prior to his time at BC.Â
Between the two schools he amassed a record of 329-252-73 and was one of 15 active coaches with 325 or more career wins. Â
He left Boston College with the most wins in program history and conference championships in both the Big East and ACC. Kelly coached to 13 NCAA Tournament births, four Sweet Sixteen appearances, and two Elite Eight appearances. In 2007, his squad was ranked No. 1 in the country – they also were ACC Regular Season Champions, ACC Champions, and he was named ACC Coach of the Year. Â
Kelly was named the 2002 Soccer America Coach of the Year after the team set the program record for most wins in a single season finishing with an 18-5-0 record. He was also named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Regional Coach of the Year four times. Â
In the Big East, he led the team to three conference championships and was named Big East Coach of the Year three times. He also won two Big East Championships during his stint at Seton Hall. Â
Kelly coached two Big East Offensive Player of the Year recipients and one Big East Defensive Player of the Year. When BC moved to the ACC, he coached two Offensive Player of the Year honorees, and an ACC Freshman of the Year recipient. He also coached eight NSCAA All-Americans – including Reuben Ayarna who is a member of the Owls coaching staff. Â
Prior to coaching, Kelly competed professionally for eight years in the American Soccer Leage and North American Soccer League. He was selected to represent the United States in international play five times.
