Hall of Fame
Of all the honors and accolades that Kevin Kelly had attained during his career, this is perhaps is the most eye-opening: he earned four All-NJAC selections, including three First-Team honors, while playing both sides of the ball. A four-year starter, Kelly came to MSU in 1997 and earned a spot on the offensive line helping Montclair State to a 6-4 record. The next season with Kelly anchoring the offensive line, he earned First-Team All-NJAC honors as the Red Hawks returned to the postseason for the first time in five years capturing the ECAC Southeast Championship finishing with an 8-3 mark. In 1999, after two outstanding years on offense, in what could be described as a “surprising” move, Kelly jumped to the defensive line. All he did that season was post the seventh-best single-season sack total in school history with 14 as Montclair State claimed the NJAC Championship for the first time in a decade while earning a berth into the NCAA Division III Playoffs. A First-Team All-NJAC selection, Kelly registered 14 sacks along with 49 tackles, including 17 for losses as the Red Hawks, with one of the best defenses in Division III that season, reached the quarterfinals. Kelly was selected to the D3Football.com All-America Team for his efforts. The following season was perhaps even better. Despite being doubled and sometimes triple-teamed, Kelly still managed to record 44 tackles with a whopping 20 for loss and six sacks in addition to two forced fumbles and three pass breakups. He was again named First-Team All-NJAC, his fourth All-Conference honor and was chosen as the NJAC Defensive Player of the Year as Montclair won the conference title and qualified for the NCAA Division III Playoffs for a second consecutive year. In his two seasons, Kelly amassed 20 sacks, which still ranks in the Top 10 all time at Montclair State.
