Larry Vaught Photo
One of the biggest success stories in the National Football League for any former Kentucky football player in Champ Kelly.
No, he’s not a NFL player. Instead, after playing receiver and defensive back at Kentucky from 1998-2001 he became software engineer at IBM and general manager, coach and player with the Kentucky Horsemen — the indoor arena football team in Lexington.
He worked to become a near expert in player personnel management and got a job as a college scout for the Denver Broncos in 2007 before climbing to assistant director of pro personnel. He joined the Chicago Bears in 2015 as the team’s director of pro scouting and became assistant director of player personnel in 2017.
Kelly interviewed with the Jets, Falcons and Broncos when they had general manager vacancies before becoming assistant general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders on Feb. 2, 2022. On Nov. 1, 2023, he was named the interim general manager of the Raiders and based on comments I heard in Las Vegas on my recent visits fans in Vegas seem to love him.
Kelly set up a tour of Allegiant Stadium for my family and it was great to get a behind the scenes look of the facility that will host the Super Bowl next month. It was about a 90-minute tour and for any sports fan it was terrific.
You not only got to go in the locker room and hear a pregame speech but you got to go on the sideline and field. It’s actually pretty remarkable how the playing surface for the Raiders is real grass but the entire field is moved out of the indoor stadium when the Raiders are not playing to make sure the grass has enough sunlight to flourish. An artificial surface is moved into the dome for use by UNLV and others.
I got to see memories of former UK quarterback George Blanda who is in the Raiders Hall of Fame and sat in the locker for current Las Vegas tight end Michael Mayer, who played at Covington Catholic. I also enjoyed getting a look at the media room and even being able to stand at the post-game press conference podium to share a “few” thoughts with others on the tour.
Allegiant Stadium is not far from the iconic Las Vegas Strip and offers easy access to the climate-controlled facility with a capacity of about 65,000 that also hosts concerts and other events.
You may not remember Kelly as a player but if you were ever around him at UK you would have to remember that contagious smile and big heart he had. Kelly graduated from UK with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science before earning a master’s degree in Business Administration in 2003.
Kelly received the United Indoor Football League Man of the Year Award in 2006 for his leadership both on the field with the Horsemen and in the community
The Florida native and his wife, Stephanie, founded a a non-profit corporation, Heart Power, that hosted youth programs in Illinois, Colorado, Florida, and Kentucky for years. The football clinics were free to youth and emphasized more than just football.
The C.H.A.M.P. Camp’s goal was to instill Character, Heart, Attitude, Motivation and Pride. Kelly always brought in terrific guest speakers to his camp to inspire youngsters and his annual summer camps in Lexington.
