Ed Kelleher
![]() Kelleher from the 1925 Maroon | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, New York | June 29, 1894
Died | July 19, 1945 Munich, Germany | (aged 51)
Alma mater | Niagara University |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1921–1922 | St. John's |
1923–1934 | Fordham |
1938–1943 | Fordham |
1943–1945 | Army |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1942–1944 | NABC (president) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 257–105 |
Tournaments | 1–2 (NIT) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Helms National (1944) Premo-Porretta National (1944) 3 Eastern (1927–1929) | |
Awards | |
Fordham Hall of Fame (1972) | |
Edward Ambrose Kelleher (June 29, 1894 – July 19, 1945)[1] was an American college basketball head coach. He served as the head coach at St. John's University, Fordham University, and the United States Military Academy and amassed an overall career record of 257 wins and 105 losses.[2]
During his tenure at Fordham, Kelleher installed a fast-pace offense that prioritized high-scoring games modeled after the west coast style of play (the east coast played a slower, more defensive-oriented brand of basketball).[3] He coached the famous "Wonder Fives", the teams between 1924 and 1929 who lost only nine total games.[4] During a three-year stretch between 1926–27 and 1928–29, his Rams went 48–4.[1] They were named "Eastern champions" all three years.[4] Kelleher's other highlights as the Rams coach include coaching their first two All-Americans, Frank Dougherty and Bob Mullens, as well as guiding the school to its first-ever postseason tournament.[4] In 1942–43, his last season at Fordham, he led the Rams to a fourth-place finish in the 1943 National Invitation Tournament.[4]
When Fordham temporarily dropped their basketball program due to World War II, Kelleher signed a short-term contract with the Military Academy to be their head coach.[3] The plan was to return to Fordham once they re-commissioned a basketball team.[3] In his first season at Army, his team finished the season with a 15–0 record[5] and was retroactively named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.[6][7] Then, in 1944–45, his Army squad went 14–1, giving his two-year head coaching tenure at Army an overall record of 29–1.[5] He coached Dale Hall, a consensus All-American who later became the head men's basketball coach at New Hampshire and the head football coach at Army.[1]
After the 1944–45 season ended, Kelleher went to Europe as a civilian with the United States Armed Forces.[8] He was killed on July 19, 1945 in Munich, Germany.[8] He is buried at Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France.[8]
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. John's Redmen (Independent) (1921–1922) | |||||||||
1921–22 | St. John's | 10–11 | |||||||
St. John's: | 10–11 (.476) | ||||||||
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1923–1933) | |||||||||
1923–24 | Fordham | 12–8 | |||||||
1924–25 | Fordham | 18–1 | |||||||
1925–26 | Fordham | 18–4 | |||||||
1926–27 | Fordham | 20–2 | |||||||
1927–28 | Fordham | 16–4 | |||||||
1928–29 | Fordham | 18–2 | |||||||
1929–30 | Fordham | 13–5 | |||||||
1930–31 | Fordham | 14–5 | |||||||
1931–32 | Fordham | 10–8 | |||||||
1932–33 | Fordham | 7–11 | |||||||
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1933–1934) | |||||||||
1933–34 | Fordham | 11–5 | 1–4 | 8th | |||||
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1938–1939) | |||||||||
1938–39 | Fordham | 10–8 | 10–8 | 7th | |||||
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1939–1942) | |||||||||
1939–40 | Fordham | 11–8 | |||||||
1940–41 | Fordham | 12–9 | |||||||
1941–42 | Fordham | 12–7 | |||||||
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1942–1943) | |||||||||
1942–43 | Fordham | 16–6 | 4–2 | 3rd | NIT Fourth Place | ||||
Fordham: | 218–93 (.476) | 15–14 (.517) | |||||||
Army Cadets (Independent) (1943–1945) | |||||||||
1943–44 | Army | 15–0 | Helms National Champion Premo-Porretta National Champion | ||||||
1944–45 | Army | 14–1 | |||||||
Army: | 29–1 (.967) | ||||||||
Total: | 257–105 (.710) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- ^ a b c "Ed Kelleher". New-York Historical Museum & Society. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ "Edward Kelleher Coaching Record". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Ed Kelleher, Basketball Mentor, Departs from Fordham Campus". The Fordham Ram. Bronx, New York: Fordham University. September 10, 1943. p. 4. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Edward Kelleher – Class of 1972". fordham.sidearmsports.com. Fordham University. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "Army season-by-season results". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NCAA Division I Champions". Rauzulu's Street. 2004. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 532. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ a b c "Edward A. Kelleher". American Battle Monuments Commission. World War II Memorial Registry. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- 1894 births
- 1945 deaths
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Army Black Knights men's basketball coaches
- Basketball coaches from New York (state)
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches
- Niagara University alumni
- Sportspeople from New York City
- St. John's Red Storm men's basketball coaches
- United States Army personnel killed in World War II
- United States Army civilians
- Burials at Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial