DAYTON, Ohio, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- University of Dayton football Coach Mike Kelly announced Tuesday he is resigning after 27 years.
Kelly will remain at the school and expand his duties as an associate director of athletics. Kelly said current defensive coordinator Rick Chamberlin would take over as head coach.
Kelly said he made the decision to leave before the 2007 season, when the Flyers went 11-1 and won the Sports Network Cup, which is awarded to the nation's top mid-major program in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Overall, Kelly's teams were 246-54-1. His.819 winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among college coaches with at least 25 years of experience. Only Florida A&M's Jake Gaither (.844), Nebraska's Tom Osborne (.836), and Michigan's Fielding Yost (.828) had higher success rates.
Kelly started at Dayton in 1977 as defensive coordinator, and helped the Flyers win the NCAA Division III national championship under head coach Rick Carter in 1980. The following season, Kelly was named head coach.
