Bill Kelly arrived at Bard in 2007..
His overall coaching record in Division III women’s soccer is an impressive 161-114-25. Since his inaugural season at Bard in 2007, his teams finished second twice and third twice in the Skyline Conference, and made four postseason appearances in the ECAC Tournament. In 2009 Kelly was named Skyline Conference Coach of the Year, and in 2015, Bard won the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year Award.
Previous to arriving at Bard, Kelly coached a nationally ranked Division III women's soccer program at The College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. He led his teams to the NCAA playoffs three times, including a finish in the “Sweet Sixteen.” In 2002 he was named MIAC Coach of the Year, and also Division III Central Region Coach of the Year.
Kelly offers more than an ability to put winning soccer teams on the field. He is a published writer who earned his M.A. in English and Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota where he won an Academy of American Poets Prize. His poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines across the country, and he has authored children’s stories for SPIDER magazine, HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, and others. In 2015, he signed with WordTech Communication LLC to have his collection of poetry, Water Tiger, published.
Kelly is also a painter. His work has been shown and sold in Minneapolis, Albany and Boston.
A former college English instructor, he enjoys providing academic support for his athletes.
Kelly graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was a four-year letterwinner for the Scots as a goalkeeper and midfielder. For many years he played club soccer with the Dundees of F.C. Scotia in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He and his wife, Vera, a Political Science professor at Siena College,
reside in Delmar, N.Y.
