Ed Kelleher
Kelleher from the 1925 Maroon
Biographical details
Born(1894-06-29)June 29, 1894
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 19, 1945(1945-07-19) (aged 51)
Munich, Germany
Alma materNiagara University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1921–1922St. John's
1923–1934Fordham
1938–1943Fordham
1943–1945Army
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1942–1944NABC (president)
Head coaching record
Overall257–105
Tournaments1–2 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Helms National (1944)
Premo-Porretta National (1944)
3 Eastern (1927–1929)
Awards
Fordham Hall of Fame (1972)

Edward Ambrose Kelleher (June 29, 1894 – July 19, 1945)[1] was an American college basketball head coach. He served as the head coach at St. John's University, Fordham University, and the United States Military Academy and amassed an overall career record of 257 wins and 105 losses.[2]

During his tenure at Fordham, Kelleher installed a fast-pace offense that prioritized high-scoring games modeled after the west coast style of play (the east coast played a slower, more defensive-oriented brand of basketball).[3] He coached the famous "Wonder Fives", the teams between 1924 and 1929 who lost only nine total games.[4] During a three-year stretch between 1926–27 and 1928–29, his Rams went 48–4.[1] They were named "Eastern champions" all three years.[4] Kelleher's other highlights as the Rams coach include coaching their first two All-Americans, Frank Dougherty and Bob Mullens, as well as guiding the school to its first-ever postseason tournament.[4] In 1942–43, his last season at Fordham, he led the Rams to a fourth-place finish in the 1943 National Invitation Tournament.[4]

When Fordham temporarily dropped their basketball program due to World War II, Kelleher signed a short-term contract with the Military Academy to be their head coach.[3] The plan was to return to Fordham once they re-commissioned a basketball team.[3] In his first season at Army, his team finished the season with a 15–0 record[5] and was retroactively named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.[6][7] Then, in 1944–45, his Army squad went 14–1, giving his two-year head coaching tenure at Army an overall record of 29–1.[5] He coached Dale Hall, a consensus All-American who later became the head men's basketball coach at New Hampshire and the head football coach at Army.[1] He also coached Edward C. Christl, for whom Army's home basketball arena is named, as well as future four-star general John Hennessey.[8]

After the 1944–45 season ended, Kelleher went to Europe as a civilian with the United States Armed Forces.[9] He died on July 19, 1945, in Munich, Germany, of a heart attack.[9][8] He is buried at Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France.[9]

Kelleher is memorialized by the Edward A. Kelleher Trophy, which is awarded each year to the winner of the National Invitation Tournament.[8]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
St. John's Redmen (Independent) (1921–1922)
1921–22 St. John's 10–11
St. John's: 10–11 (.476)
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1923–1933)
1923–24 Fordham 12–8
1924–25 Fordham 18–1
1925–26 Fordham 18–4
1926–27 Fordham 20–2
1927–28 Fordham 16–4
1928–29 Fordham 18–2
1929–30 Fordham 13–5
1930–31 Fordham 14–5
1931–32 Fordham 10–8
1932–33 Fordham 7–11
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1933–1934, 1938–1939)
1933–34 Fordham 11–51–48th
1938–39 Fordham 10–810–87th
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1939–1942)
1939–40 Fordham 11–8
1940–41 Fordham 12–9
1941–42 Fordham 12–7
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1942–1943)
1942–43 Fordham 16–64–23rdNIT Fourth Place
Fordham: 218–93 (.476)15–14 (.517)
Army Cadets (Independent) (1943–1945)
1943–44 Army 15–0Helms National Champion
Premo-Porretta National Champion
1944–45 Army 14–1
Army: 29–1 (.967)
Total:257–105 (.710)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ed Kelleher". New-York Historical Museum & Society. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Edward Kelleher Coaching Record". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ed Kelleher, Basketball Mentor, Departs from Fordham Campus". The Fordham Ram. Bronx, New York: Fordham University. September 10, 1943. p. 4. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Edward Kelleher – Class of 1972". fordham.sidearmsports.com. Fordham University. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Army season-by-season results". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NCAA Division I Champions". Rauzulu's Street. 2004. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 532. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  8. 1 2 3 Noles, Jim (2018). Undefeated: From Basketball to Battle -- West Point's Perfect 1944 Season. Philadelphia: Casemate Publishers.
  9. 1 2 3 "Edward A. Kelleher". American Battle Monuments Commission. World War II Memorial Registry. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
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