Biography

Rowing Runs in the Family

John B. Kelly, Jr. was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia. He started rowing on the Schuylkill River when he was eight years old. He was on the varsity rowing team at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1947 and 1949, Kell famously won the Henley Regatta Diamond Sculls ^[1]. While it is frequently suggested that he was pushed into rowing, he did continue to compete until 1960 and had been rowing on the day he died in 1985. He won a bronze medal in the 1956 Olympics.

In 1947, Jack was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award for leadership, character, sportsmanship and the ideals of amateurism.

Amateur Athletics

jack was born in 1927; he grew up during the Depression. While his family did well, prosperity was not a common theme. He knew how lucky he was to be part of a family that could support his athletic pursuits.

Kell was president of the U.S. Olympic Committee when he died in 1985. In his honor, the Olympic Committee established ^[2] The name of the street on which historic Boathouse Row and the statue of his father sits was re-name Kelly Drive in his honor.

• Fact: Burial Holy Sepulchre Cemetery , Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/search/athlete_search.cgi?search=jack+kelly+jr+l
2. ↑ The Jack Kelly Fair Play Award

• John Brendan “Kell” Kelly Jr. (1927-1985) on Find A Grave: Memorial #17693652 retrieved 27 January 2021