Ellison Kelly
Date of birth | May 17, 1935 |
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Place of birth | OT |
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
Weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
US college | Michigan State |
High school | Sandusky High School |
NFL draft | 1959 / Round: 5 / Pick: 59 |
Drafted by | New York Giants |
Career history | |
As player | |
1959 | New York Giants |
1960–1970 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) |
1971–1972 | Toronto Argonauts (CFL) |
Career highlights and awards | |
CFL All-Star | 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971 |
CFL East All-Star | 1961–1964, 1968–1971 |
Career stats | |
| |
Ellison Lamar Kelly (May 17, 1935 – February 11, 2016) was an
Kelly was
Kelly is one of the few football players to have a race horse named after him. "Wildcat Kelly" was a gelding pacer in the stable of Yellow and Black farms of Hamilton, a partnership of Dill (Pickles) Southwick, a former quarterback for the Hamilton Tigers, and businessmen Bruce Woodward and George Ridpath. (Yellow and Black were the colours of the Tiger Cats.) As of 1970, the six-year-old "Wildcat Kelly" had won $14,000 in its lifetime.[1]
Kelly was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He spent his entire post-football life in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, first as a teacher with the Hamilton Board of Education, and later as a Recreations Officer with the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, where he was regarded as a gentle giant and a gentleman. He was a frequent guest on Tiger Cat alumni days and was asked to speak on many occasions. His speeches were often dominated by a spiritual appreciation and gratitude for the wonderful life and opportunities he had been given. He continued to live in Hamilton until his death in 2016.[2]
References
- ^ "Ticats set example for Wildcat Kelly; 1st win of season", Toronto Globe and Mail, Wednesday 14 October 1970, p. 34.
- ^ "Goodbye, Mr. Kelly: Ticats legend dies". thespec.com.