University of South Florida athletic director Michael Kelly has accepted the same position at the United States Naval Academy, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Capital Gazette.
Kelly is expected to be announced as the new president of the Naval Academy Athletic Association on Wednesday afternoon. He replaces Chet Gladchuk, who announced his retirement in March after 24 years at the helm.
Kelly has been athletic director at South Florida since 2018 and has doubled the department’s budget to $100 million and has secured more than $100 million in philanthropic gifts. He has overseen multiple major facility projects, including plans for a new $407 million on-campus stadium and training center that is set to open in 2027.
The University of South Florida Board of Regents formally approved that long-awaited initiative a month ago. In addition to spearheading the launch of the stadium project, Kelly has seen a $22 million football indoor practice facility and $3 million football locker room renovation come to fruition during his tenure.
Under Kelly’s leadership, USF athletics expanded to 21 varsity sports with the addition of women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball. During his seven-year tenure, the Bulls have captured 21 American Athletic Conference team championships, two NCAA championships and eight cheer national championships.
USF student-athletes have also excelled academically, maintaining a collective grade point average of 3.0 or higher for 21 consecutive semesters.
In 2024, South Florida was named to the “Best College Athletic Departments” inaugural list compiled by Front Office Sports.
Some of Kelly’s most significant hires while at South Florida include men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, football coach Alex Golesh and baseball coach Mitch Hannahs.
Abdur-Rahim led USF to its first regular season American Athletic Conference championship in his lone season before dying at the age of 43 due to complications from a medical procedure. Golesh has guided USF football to back-to-back bowl victories, while Hannahs led the baseball program to its first winning season since 2021 this past spring.
Kelly has served in numerous NCAA leadership capacities, including as a member of the Division I Council and Sports Oversight Committee. He’s a founding board member of the Collegiate Event and Facilities Management Association, serves on the board of directors for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and the executive committee of the Gasparilla Bowl.
Related Articles
-
Ex-Navy safety Rayuan Lane III signs NFL rookie contract with Jaguars -
Navy at Notre Dame football game to be played under the lights -
Army baseball beats Navy, 6-5, to win Patriot League semifinal series -
Clemson women’s lacrosse beats Navy, 11-8, in NCAA Tournament -
Navy women’s lacrosse’s Alyssa Daley became a record-breaking draw specialist
Obviously, Kelly has great familiarity with the American Athletic Conference of which Navy is a football-only member.
Kelly is a native of Washington, D.C. and attended St. John’s College High and Wake Forest University. He earned a master’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University and was pursuing doctoral degree at USF.
He grew up attending Navy football games as his father, Dennis, is a 1967 Naval Academy graduate and served as an officer in Vietnam.
Kelly is well connected within the world of college athletics, having previously served as senior associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (2007-12) and chief operating officer for the College Football Playoff (2012-2018). He was president of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee.
The longtime industry professional began his career in athletic administration at his alma mater Wake Forest as director of facilities and event management. He had an earlier stint at South Florida as associate athletic director.
Kelly, 54, and his wife Lisa have two daughters — Cara and Seana.
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
