Kelley’s path from Washington T-ball to IUP hall
From his initial tryout for Washington Youth Baseball’s T-ball League in 1976 through his Hall of Fame career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Marvin Kelley Jr., has been impressive on the baseball field.
His family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans and followers, know just how special a player he was.
Interestingly, Kelley never considered himself to be anything more than a hardworking, grind-it-out type of player.
His humility persists today – as does his athletic legacy.
Kelley, 48, is a 1986 graduate of Trinity High School. He played baseball and football for the Hillers before enrolling at IUP, where he walked on as a baseball player and ended up with an integral role in lifting the program to championships and postseason appearances.
All the while, Kelley was carving out a place in the school’s baseball history and record books.
He led the NCAA in triples as a freshman and from there be-came a cornerstone of the Crimson Hawks’ program.
For his efforts, it was announced last month that he is part of IUP’s 2017 Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted Sept. 9. Kelley is one of 12 individuals to be inducted.
He was the starting first baseman on the 1988 and 1990 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship teams. He remains in the top 10 of eight IUP all-time offensive categories, including second in triples and sixth in RBI.
In 1990, IUP won its fifth PSAC title. It is the last conference championship the Crimson Hawks won. IUP finished that season with a 32-11 record and was nationally ranked.
“I saw myself playing in high school being OK,” Kelley said. “I didn’t see that I would go to college and end up doing and achieving some of the things I was fortunate to do. I was able to build friendships through baseball in the youth leagues, high school and college. I just enjoyed playing baseball.
“I literally walked on to the team at IUP. I got there and went to a tryout. It was like, ‘Wow,’ I was just trying to make it. I was a grinder. I had the good fortune to take some batting practice and then they brought in their top pitcher and I hit a double off him. It helped me make the team.”
Kelley said IUP’s coach was just about 25-years-old at the time and had been brought in from Louisiana State University’s program. He told the team to run some laps and the seniors balked. They were not going to cooperate or run.
“I was trying to decide if I should just stick with the seniors or listen to the coach. It got better from there,” Kelley said.
But not before the left-handed hitting Kelley was encouraged to get in the batting cage and work hard at hitting left-handed pitching.
“I was given the opportunity to start,” he said. “Then we started seeing some left-handed pitching and the curveball from the lefties was giving me trouble. Coach just said get into the batting cage and work on it. I spent a lot of time hitting off the Juggs machine. It was my turning point as a baseball player.”
The success was not uncommon to Kelley, who was a constant member of all-star teams through his youth career.
When WYB decided to redraft its entire T-Ball League before the 1976 season, Kelley took part in a huge tryout at the current Mustang League fields in Washington Park. The league, consisting of 7- and 8-year-olds, was big and he managed to impress so much at the tryout — his first foray into baseball — the lanky left-hander ended up being taken among a bevy of 8-year-olds in the top two rounds of the draft.
He hinted at being special that day and never stopped standing out.
He forged a long-time friendship with Washington native Mike Selway that season, who also was a highly regarded 7-year-old selection, and played for the Falcons.
The two were teammates on Washington All-Star teams and played on a Washington Bronco All-Star team that advanced to the World Series in St. Joseph, Mo. The two also were part of the Washington Pony League All-Star team.
“Mike and I played a lot of baseball together,” Kelley said. “We all really started connecting in Bronco League when we did some traveling to tournaments in Maryland and all over. It was tremendous.”
Kelley and Selway were hampered by knee injuries in their athletic careers. After Trinity, Selway played at Akron. His promising baseball career was derailed by knee injuries. Kelley was more fortunate.
“Every time I hurt mine, and it was many times,” he laughed, “I was able to rehabilitate it and come back. Mike’s was a tough injury. Mike had to have surgery and I didn’t.”
Kelley remembers one particular time he injured his ankle playing a pick-up basketball game the day before baseball tryouts with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
Kelley said his father, Marvin, a Washington resident, was “fit to be tied.”
“I made it through,” Kelley Jr., said. “Honestly, I think I did better at the Mets’ tryout. But the Giants’ scout (Pidge McCarthy) had followed me from my freshman year through my junior season at IUP. They said they were considering drafting me but they ended up taking another first baseman from the West Coast. Honestly, I didn’t pick up a glove for about 20 years after IUP.”
Kelley, who has three children – daughter Morgan, 25, and sons, Mason, 8, and Miles, 5 – resides with his wife Dr. Chelita Kelley, a pediatric dentist, in Charlotte, N.C.
He is a senior training and development specialist for Goodwill Industries.
“Up this way, the YMCA offer opportunities, and Goodwill is kind of looked at as a place you go to to get second-hand clothes,” Kelley said. “Down there, Goodwill is like the Cat’s Meow.”
“There are somewhat similar opportunities but we offer a big campus and people can get training or be retrained. I work with companies to try and help people find employment opportunities.”
Kelley will return to the area in the fall as the IUP event will be held in the university’s Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, starting with a reception at 10:45 a.m. followed by the induction luncheon at 11:30 a.m. and football game.
He was in town this past weekend visiting his parents. His mother, Sharon also lives in Washington.
Kelley Jr., who ended up having his knees surgically repaired in recent years, said he is feeling good and like he is “25-years-old” again.
He has to keep up with his two young sons and to help them grow into fine young men.
“Our oldest can take baseball or leave it,” Kelley said. “Our youngest, Miles, can hit the baseball. He has the drive and loves to practice. Mason is gifted. He likes to play. But he doesn’t want to practice.
“I’m not going to take it easy. I still have the drive.”