Chip Kelly facts for kids
Kelly in 2025
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| Las Vegas Raiders | |
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| Position: | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 25, 1963 Dover, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Manchester Central (Manchester, New Hampshire) |
| College: | New Hampshire (1981–1984) |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 78–38 (.672) NFL: 28–35 (.444) |
| Postseason: | NCAA: 3–3 (.500) NFL: 0–1 (.000) |
| Career: | NCAA: 81–41 (.664) NFL: 28–36 (.438) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963), known as Chip Kelly, is an American football coach. He is currently the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders in the National Football League (NFL).
Kelly became well-known as a college football head coach for the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012. He led them to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. After his success in college, Kelly coached in the NFL for four seasons. He was with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013 to 2015 and the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. In 2018, Kelly returned to college football as the head coach for the UCLA Bruins. He coached there for six seasons before joining Ohio State as their offensive coordinator in 2024.
Early Life and Education
Chip Kelly was born in Dover, New Hampshire. He went to Manchester Central High School, where he played ice hockey and basketball. Kelly later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from the University of New Hampshire in 1990. During his college years, he played defensive back for the University of New Hampshire football team.
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting as a Coach
Kelly began his coaching journey in 1990 at Columbia University. He coached defensive backs and special teams for the freshman team. The next year, he coached outside linebackers and safeties for the main team. In 1992, he became the running backs coach at the University of New Hampshire.
After one season as defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins University, Kelly returned to New Hampshire. He coached running backs for three more seasons (1994–1996). He then switched to coaching the offensive line for two seasons (1997–1998).
In 1999, Kelly was promoted to offensive coordinator at New Hampshire. His offenses were very strong, often gaining over 400 yards per game. In 2004, his team broke 29 school records for offense. They scored 40 or more points in seven games. In 2005, the Wildcats were second in the nation for total offense. They finished that season with an 11–2 record.
Oregon Ducks: Offensive Coordinator
Kelly joined the Oregon Ducks as offensive coordinator in 2007. His fast-paced "spread offense" quickly made a big impact.
In his first year, the Ducks led their conference in scoring and total offense. They set new school records for points and yards. Quarterback Dennis Dixon improved greatly under Kelly's coaching. In 2008, Oregon's offense was even better, breaking their own records again.
Oregon Ducks: Head Coach Success
On March 31, 2009, Chip Kelly became the head coach of the Oregon Ducks. He led the Ducks to major bowl games in all four of his seasons as head coach. These included the 2010 Rose Bowl and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
Kelly's teams won three straight conference championships from 2009 to 2011. They also won a division title in 2012. He had a perfect record against Oregon's biggest rivals, Oregon State and the Washington. This was a first for an Oregon coach.
Kelly received many awards for his coaching. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. He also won several national coach of the year awards in 2010.
In 2009, Kelly's team gained national attention by beating the #5 USC Trojans. He became the first Pac-10 coach to win a conference championship in his first year. The Ducks went to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995.
The 2010 season saw the Ducks reach the #1 spot in national polls. They finished with a perfect 12–0 record in the regular season. This led them to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against the #1 Auburn Tigers. Oregon lost a very close game, 22–19.
In 2011, the Ducks had another strong season, finishing 12–2. They won their third straight Pac-12 championship. They then defeated #10 Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl. This was Oregon's third year in a row playing in a BCS bowl game.
The 2012 season saw Oregon start with ten straight wins. They finished 12–1 and defeated #5 Kansas State in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. This was Oregon's fourth consecutive BCS bowl game appearance. The Ducks ended the season ranked #2 nationally.
NCAA Review
In 2013, the NCAA investigated Oregon's football program. The university received three years of probation and a reduction in scholarships. Chip Kelly also received a special penalty that would have made it hard for him to coach at another college right away. However, this did not affect him as he moved to the NFL.
NFL Coaching: Philadelphia Eagles
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On January 16, 2013, Chip Kelly became the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first season, he turned the team around. The Eagles had a 4–12 record the year before. Kelly led them to a 10–6 record and won their division. This made him only the second coach in NFL history to win a division title in his first season. They lost a close playoff game to the New Orleans Saints.
In his second season (2014), the Eagles again finished 10–6. However, they did not make the playoffs that year. In 2015, Kelly was given more control over the team's player decisions. He made some big trades, including trading star running back LeSean McCoy. On December 29, 2015, with the team's record at 6–9, Kelly was fired before the last game of the season.
NFL Coaching: San Francisco 49ers
On January 14, 2016, Kelly was hired as the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. His first game with the 49ers was a 28–0 shutout victory against the Los Angeles Rams. However, the team then went on a long losing streak. The 49ers finished the season with a 2–14 record. After the season, Kelly was fired by the 49ers.
ESPN Analyst
In May 2017, Kelly joined ESPN as a studio analyst. He provided commentary on college football games.
UCLA Bruins: Head Coach
On November 25, 2017, Kelly was hired as the head football coach at UCLA. In his first season (2018), the Bruins started 0–5. They later defeated their rivals, USC. UCLA finished the season with a 3–9 record.
The 2019 season also started with an 0–3 record. However, the Bruins made a huge comeback against #19 Washington State. They were down by 32 points but won 67–63. This was one of the biggest comebacks in college football history. They later had a three-game winning streak, their first since 2015.
After three losing seasons, UCLA improved to 8–4 in 2021. In 2022, they started 5–0 and finished 9–4. They were ranked #21 in the final polls. Kelly signed a contract extension through 2027 after this season. In 2023, the Bruins were 8–5 and won the LA Bowl. This was their third straight season with at least eight wins.
On February 9, 2024, Kelly left UCLA after six seasons. He had a 35–34 record with one bowl victory.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Offensive Coordinator
After leaving UCLA, Kelly became the offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. This move reunited him with coach Ryan Day, who had worked under Kelly before. Kelly helped lead Ohio State to win a National Championship in 2024. His offense defeated top teams like Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame on their way to the school's ninth National Championship.
Las Vegas Raiders: Offensive Coordinator
On February 4, 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator. He now works under head coach Pete Carroll.
Personal Life
Chip Kelly prefers to keep his personal life private. He lives in Los Angeles, California. He has a close group of friends in Manchester, New Hampshire, who do not talk about him to reporters. People who have interviewed Kelly describe him as funny and surprising.
Kelly was married to Jennifer Jenkins from 1992 to 1999.
In 2009, a fan asked Kelly for a refund after a game. Kelly sent the fan a personal check for the travel costs. The fan then sent the uncashed check back to Kelly with a thank you note.
Awards
- 2009 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 2010 Associated Press Coach of the Year
- 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
- 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year
- 2010 Sporting News Coach of the Year
- 2010 AFCA Coach of the Year
- 2013 Maxwell Club Coach of the Year
Coaching Records
College Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Ducks (Pac-10/Pac-12 Conference) (2009–2012) | |||||||||
| 2009 | Oregon | 10–3 | 8–1 | 1st | L Rose† | 11 | 11 | ||
| 2010 | Oregon | 12–1 | 9–0 | 1st | L BCS NCG† | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2011 | Oregon | 12–2 | 8–1 | T–1st (North) | W Rose† | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2012 | Oregon | 12–1 | 8–1 | T–1st (North) | W Fiesta† | 2 | 2 | ||
| Oregon: | 46–7 | 33–3 | |||||||
| UCLA Bruins (Pac-12 Conference) (2018–2023) | |||||||||
| 2018 | UCLA | 3–9 | 3–6 | 5th (South) | |||||
| 2019 | UCLA | 4–8 | 4–5 | T–3rd (South) | |||||
| 2020 | UCLA | 3–4 | 3–4 | 5th (South) | |||||
| 2021 | UCLA | 8–4 | 6–3 | T–2nd (South) | NC Holiday | ||||
| 2022 | UCLA | 9–4 | 6–3 | T–5th | L Sun | 21 | 21 | ||
| 2023 | UCLA | 8–5 | 4–5 | T–7th | W LA | ||||
| UCLA: | 35–34 | 26–26 | |||||||
| Total: | 81–41 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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NFL Head Coaching Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| PHI | 2013 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to New Orleans Saints in NFC Wild Card Game |
| PHI | 2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC East | — | — | — | — |
| PHI | 2015 | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| PHI Total | 26 | 21 | 0 | .553 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
| SF | 2016 | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 4th in NFC West | — | — | — | — |
| SF Total | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| Total | 28 | 35 | 0 | .452 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
