The Crow's Nest
at USF St. Petersburg
Photo courtesy of USF
By Dominic Feo
After serving for seven years as the University of South Florida vice president of athletics, USF announced that Michael Kelly has accepted the role of athletics director at the United States Naval Academy. He is replacing former director of athletics Chet Gladchuk who is retiring from the Naval Academy after 24 years.
Kelly expressed his gratitude for USF and the importance of his new opportunity in a June 3 USF Athletics press release.
“This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came along at a time that feels right for me and my family,” Kelly said. “This decision isn’t about leaving South Florida — it’s about the chance to serve a place that’s long been meaningful to me.”
Kelly is a Washington, D.C. native and his father, Dennis, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1967.
USF Athletics has made significant strides during Kelly’s tenure, winning 21 American Athletic Conference team championships, two NCAA championships, eight cheer national championships and one cheer world cup.
Under Kelly, USF began its $348.5 million on-campus stadium project scheduled to finish in 2027 and doubled the athletics department budget to $100 million. He also helped USF adapt to the recent changes surrounding college athletes’ rights to profit from their name, image and likeness (N.I.L.), creating USF’s N.I.L strategy unit in July 2024.
Three days after Kelly’s announcement, a $2.8 billion lawsuit was settled by a federal judge that allows colleges to pay their athletes directly. Kelly will not have to adapt to this new change however, as the Naval Academy is a federal institution, barring their athletes from profiting from their N.I.L. usage.
Kelly co-chaired the new stadium project with USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman, who will serve as the interim vice president of athletics.
“[Michael Kelly] has forever changed our campus and our community for the better, and I am proud to call him my friend and to have worked with him to move USF Athletics forward,” said Stroman in USF’s press release. “Bulls Nation is stronger thanks to his efforts, and we wish him and the Kelly family nothing but the best in Annapolis.”
Together the pair raised over $40 million for a stadium that Kelly will now someday first visit as an American Conference opponent.
Further details about the search for Kelly’s successor will be announced at a later date.
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