Jamill Kelly hired as Manager of National Coaches Education Program for USA Wrestling
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by Gary Abbott
Jamill Kelly of Cambridge, Mass. has been hired as the Manager of the National Coaches Education Program for USA Wrestling, the national governing body of amateur wrestling in the United States. Kelly joins USA Wrestling full-time in mid-July.
"I am very excited to be part of USA Wrestling," said Kelly. "It will be a new challenge for me and I look forward to this opportunity."
"The addition of Jamill Kelly to the USA Wrestling staff, as the Manager of the National Coaches Education Program, combines an outstanding competitor and world class athlete with one of USA Wrestling's most important developmental programs," said Mark Scott, USA Wrestling Director of State Services. "Jamill brings a wealth of experience, as an Olympian and outstanding collegiate wrestler, to a program that touches thousands of coaches each year. USA Wrestling is proud to have Jamill join our outstanding staff and is looking forward to his contributions to coaches education."
Kelly was a silver medalist at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and was a member of the 2005 U.S. Freestyle World Team.
He comes to USA Wrestling after serving a year as the Head Assistant Wrestling Coach at Harvard Univ.. He helped lead Harvard to one of its best finishes ever at the NCAA Championships, with three individual All-Americans for the first time. Harvard had its first freshman All-American and scored the most points at the NCAA Championships in school history.
Kelly served as the coach of the Cowboy Wrestling Club in Stillwater, Okla. from 2001 - 2006. He developed the club in the community, and coached over 100 area youth athletes. The club saw substantial growth and improved performance during his time there. He was a part of the coaching staff at Oklahoma State Univ., and assisted with the development of numerous All-American wrestlers there during his tenure.
He will serve as the coach of the 2007 U.S. Junior World Freestyle Team, which will compete in Beijing, China. Kelly coached a U.S. freestyle tour team that competed in Krasnoyarsk, Russia in 2006. He also assisted with the coaching of Junior-level teams while working in Massachusetts.
Kelly had an outstanding performance in winning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, one of three U.S. freestyle wrestlers to win a medal. A key win came in the semifinals, when he beat Russian star Makhach Murtazaliev to qualify for the finals.
He was a 2004 U.S. Nationals champion, and placed second at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and third at the 2001 U.S. Nationals. Kelly won a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, and was also a Pan American Championships silver medalist in 2002. He was a member of Freestyle Team USA four times. Kelly was a 2001 University Nationals champion.
He competed two years at Oklahoma State Univ., where he was a Big 12 Conference runner-up and served as a team captain in 2000. Prior to joining the OSU program, Kelly attended Lassen College, where he was second at the 1996 NJCAA Junior College Nationals. He was fourth in the 1995 California high school state championships, competing for Atwater High School.
"When coaches have more knowledge, and athletes have more confidence in their coaches, it will lead to better results and getting more people involved in our programs," said Kelly. "We need to get more people involved with international-style wrestling. That will help strengthen wrestling on the high school and Kids levels."
"I am very excited to be part of USA Wrestling," said Kelly. "It will be a new challenge for me and I look forward to this opportunity."
"The addition of Jamill Kelly to the USA Wrestling staff, as the Manager of the National Coaches Education Program, combines an outstanding competitor and world class athlete with one of USA Wrestling's most important developmental programs," said Mark Scott, USA Wrestling Director of State Services. "Jamill brings a wealth of experience, as an Olympian and outstanding collegiate wrestler, to a program that touches thousands of coaches each year. USA Wrestling is proud to have Jamill join our outstanding staff and is looking forward to his contributions to coaches education."
Kelly was a silver medalist at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and was a member of the 2005 U.S. Freestyle World Team.
He comes to USA Wrestling after serving a year as the Head Assistant Wrestling Coach at Harvard Univ.. He helped lead Harvard to one of its best finishes ever at the NCAA Championships, with three individual All-Americans for the first time. Harvard had its first freshman All-American and scored the most points at the NCAA Championships in school history.
Kelly served as the coach of the Cowboy Wrestling Club in Stillwater, Okla. from 2001 - 2006. He developed the club in the community, and coached over 100 area youth athletes. The club saw substantial growth and improved performance during his time there. He was a part of the coaching staff at Oklahoma State Univ., and assisted with the development of numerous All-American wrestlers there during his tenure.
He will serve as the coach of the 2007 U.S. Junior World Freestyle Team, which will compete in Beijing, China. Kelly coached a U.S. freestyle tour team that competed in Krasnoyarsk, Russia in 2006. He also assisted with the coaching of Junior-level teams while working in Massachusetts.
Kelly had an outstanding performance in winning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, one of three U.S. freestyle wrestlers to win a medal. A key win came in the semifinals, when he beat Russian star Makhach Murtazaliev to qualify for the finals.
He was a 2004 U.S. Nationals champion, and placed second at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and third at the 2001 U.S. Nationals. Kelly won a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, and was also a Pan American Championships silver medalist in 2002. He was a member of Freestyle Team USA four times. Kelly was a 2001 University Nationals champion.
He competed two years at Oklahoma State Univ., where he was a Big 12 Conference runner-up and served as a team captain in 2000. Prior to joining the OSU program, Kelly attended Lassen College, where he was second at the 1996 NJCAA Junior College Nationals. He was fourth in the 1995 California high school state championships, competing for Atwater High School.
"When coaches have more knowledge, and athletes have more confidence in their coaches, it will lead to better results and getting more people involved in our programs," said Kelly. "We need to get more people involved with international-style wrestling. That will help strengthen wrestling on the high school and Kids levels."
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