From the outside, Kenny Kelly looked like he had it made.
After spending 11 years playing professional baseball, he finished the finance degree he started at the University of Miami while playing football. He got a job with Merrill Lynch after graduating in 2010, but something was missing from his life.
“I had the corporate job and lifestyle, but I came to realized that I’d rather be out here in the hot sun helping kids,” he said.
Kelly held his first youth football camp, the Kenny Kelly Kidz Football Camp July 27, at Plant City’s Otis M. Andrews Park. More than 50 kids participated in the camp, and in the future, Kelly wants to continue the camp and secure support from businesses to offer it for free.
“I was born and raised here and Plant City, and my goal for this camp is to bring quality instruction to local kids here,” he said. “Plant City has never had anything like this before.”
Kelly said he was pleased with the numbers of the first year but believes the total can double or triple in year two. The camp featured several other former players and current coaches with impressive résumés, including Plant City High standout and former Canadian Football League player Russell Evans and Lakeland High and Western Kentucky standout Deshun Walker.
MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE
Growing up in Plant City, Kelly played football, basketball and baseball at Tampa Catholic, where he turned into a star in all three.
Kelly passed for 7,486 yards and 77 touchdowns in his high school career. He continued playing at the University of Miami, where he was redshirted in 1997 and served as the backup quarterback in 1998 before winning the starting job in 1999.
Unlike many multi-sport athletes, who focus on one sport after high school, Kelly decided to take on two. Drafted in the second round of the MLB draft in 1997, by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kelly played in the minor leagues while playing football at Miami.
“It felt like I was going 23 hours a day,” he said. “Balancing football workouts, school and traveling with baseball had me going all the time.”
In 2000, Kelly decided to focus solely on his pro baseball career.
Kelly made his big league debut Sept. 7, 2000, with the Devil Rays. He played 26 games in the big leagues for three teams — Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and Washington, with his last appearance coming in 2005, with the Nationals. He finished his career with the Chicago White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights and would retire from baseball in 2008.
BASEBALL HEAVEN
After retiring, Kelly attended Alabama State University in Montgomery to finish the finance degree. He served as an assistant baseball coach for the Hornets before graduating in 2010.
In addition to running youth football camps, Kelly is involved with Florida Baseball Heaven, which seeks to provide a higher level of competitive sports for local youths. Mark Persails, a former minor league pitcher who moved to Plant City after retirement, founded the program. Persails also coached the Plant City High baseball team for two seasons.
Kelly helps with instruction and development at Baseball Heaven.
“I just love helping the kids, whether its through football or baseball,” Kelly said.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.