Bull Speed Ahead: Kelly Ready to Help USF Athletics Reach New Heights
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, JULY 2, 2018 – Just like the University of South Florida's
persistent run to preeminence, USF Athletics is relentlessly trying to reach new levels of excellence in all aspects with a new leader who wants to boldly go "Bull speed ahead."
Fittingly, on the same day Judy Genshaft shared her excitement about the Bulls being the state's newest Preeminent State Research University, the USF System President also proudly introduced
Michael Kelly as USF's new vice president of athletics to much fanfare last Friday.
Before a packed crowd at the Yuengling Center Fifth Third Bank Arena Club, Genshaft ran through a checklist of must-haves for the right person and reiterated USF's desire to "make no exceptions" in the hiring process. Requirements included a candidate being a "transformative leader who could take our already strong athletics program and elevate it to new heights," Genshaft said.
Positioning the Bulls for "even greater competition on a national stage," was important, as were other key factors like a leader who could run a successful business, a tireless fundraiser and someone with a high level of integrity.
"I couldn't be happier to say, we found all this and more in
Michael Kelly," Genshaft said.
Notable figures in the media and sports world
enthusiastically agree with the hiring, and it's easy to get excited about the future of USF Athletics with a new leading man who checks all the boxes.
Kelly, 47, provides the program with even more national credibility after serving as chief operating officer for the College Football Playoff since 2012. Kelly ran the CFP's day-to-day operations and managed all aspects of the national championship game, including the highly successful event in Tampa this past year.
Prior to the CFP, Kelly was the senior associate commissioner for the Atlantic Coast Conference for six years while overseeing football, broadcasting and communications. Kelly also knows how to put on a show on the biggest pro stage after becoming the first lead local executive for three different Super Bowls. Learn more about Kelly's many other greatest hits by checking out USF's official appointment announcement
HERE.
On top of all Kelly's accomplishments, something that really speaks to the hearts of Bulls Nation (staff members included) is the fact that he's a Bull coming back home. From June 2001 to July 2002, Kelly thrived in his previous role as USF's associate athletic director for external affairs under the late and great Lee Roy Selmon.
"The fact that I can somehow sit in a similar chair to him in a building that's named after him is not lost on me," Kelly said. "… I can't wait to be able to add to his legacy and to his vision as well as Dr. Genshaft's and the University of South Florida."
In his first run with the Bulls, Kelly played an important role in USF football's transition to Division I-A and led fundraising efforts for the athletic center he made sure to mention above. Just like Lee Roy, Kelly plans to put the shared philosophy of his mentor into practice now that he's back in Green and Gold.
"No one was a better engager than Lee Roy Selmon. He listened, he cared and that's what I mainly learned from him," Kelly said. "That's what I want our whole department to emulate. How do we engage with this community and make them feel good about everything they touch (regarding) the University of South Florida?"
Kelly is a man who has
made customer service a priority since his career began and he'll also keep the lifeblood of the program at the forefront of all matters moving forward.
"Every decision that we make as an athletic department needs to be about what's best for our student-athletes," Kelly said. "Of course, we have to do it responsibly and what's within our resources in what we can do. That will guide our every decision. It's all about them."
And while Kelly officially takes control of USF Athletics, it won't be so much about "me" but more so "we" when it comes to making the USF brand even stronger in the Bay Area and beyond.
"To the residents of Tampa Bay and Bulls fans everywhere, USF is your college team," Kelly said. "I don't care where you went. I don't care who you root for on the professional levels, the USF Bulls are your team."
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With all this in mind, enthusiasm about Kelly and the future of USF Athletics is increasing by the day with social media constantly buzzing about the Bulls. It will be exciting to see what USF Athletics accomplishes down the road with a leader who is the perfect fit for the position and arrives at the perfect time.
"We expect to differentiate our athletic program," Kelly said. "We expect to be the next preeminent athletic department going forward."
Buckle up, USF fans, because it's "Bull speed ahead" from here.
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About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, having begun with a men's soccer contest in 1965. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 15 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including four in 2016-17, and own 112 conference championships overall. Ten USF programs reached national post-season competition in the 2016-17 season and nine were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a program-record 86 percent Graduation Success Rate in 2016, have logged an annual department grade-point average over a 3.0 for the seven straight semesters, and have seen 179 student-athletes earn their degrees since the fall of 2016.Â
Follow @USFAthletics on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Athletic program.
- #GoBulls–
