Kelly Family Lineage Continues with Five Cousins Playing College Lacrosse

DANIEL KELLY KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.

He’s a Kelly, right? Lacrosse is a birthright in that family. Which is why it’s surprising to hear him speak about the sport as if it’s a hobby rather than his vocation.

In addition to his outstanding finishing skills and off-ball acumen, Kelly inherited two other qualities from his famous lacrosse family: a healthy perspective and sense of gratitude.

“This is a topic that we get asked a lot,” said Kelly, one of five cousins currently playing college lacrosse. “But for us, lacrosse is not who we are as people. It's what we do. We're very passionate about the sport and the sport's given us a ton of great relationships, but at the end of the day, it's not who we are as people. It's not our identity. It never will be.”

The Kelly legacy in lacrosse stretches across four decades. Brothers Frank, John, David and Bryan Kelly competed collegiately and professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. Of their 21 children, 12 have played or will play lacrosse in college. Surely more will follow.

When North Carolina made an emotional and unlikely run as an unseeded team to win the NCAA men’s lacrosse title in 2016, David Kelly’s sons, Patrick and Timmy, and Frank Kelly’s son, Stephen, starred for the Tar Heels.

Bryan Kelly, the head coach of high school lacrosse powerhouse Calvert Hall (Md.), was in Philadelphia with the rest of his 1991 Carolina teammates commemorating the 25th anniversary of the last time the Tar Heels had won it all.

Now his son stars for the team UNC beat that day. A fifth-year senior attackman at Maryland, Daniel Kelly already has a ring of his own. He played in 14 games as a sophomore for what some consider one of the best college lacrosse teams of all-time. The Terps went 18-0 and largely unchallenged in securing their fourth NCAA championship.

Kelly has since emerged as a top option for Maryland. He scored a career-high five goals Thursday in the Terps’ 10-8 win over Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals. They’ll meet top-seeded Ohio State with the conference title and NCAA tournament qualifier on the line Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Hours earlier, Kelly’s younger brother, Shuey, will suit up for the Big East championship with Georgetown. The six-time defending conference champion Hoyas play Villanova in Denver.

Representing the other three Kelly families in college lacrosse this spring are Mic Kelly (Denver), JK Kelly (Cornell) and Eyasu Kelly (Dickinson).

You need a multi-screen setup just to sketch out who in the Kelly clan previously played or currently plays college lacrosse. The family tree looks something like this:

That’s a lot of legacy in lacrosse. We captured it in one photo when everyone returned to northern Baltimore County during Thanksgiving break in November.

Braving the windy chill, four generations of Kellys came together for a portrait shoot at USA Lacrosse’s Tierney Field in Sparks, Md., where the scoreboard bears their family crest and name of the company (Kelly Benefits) founded by 85-year-old Francis X. Kelly Jr. The former Maryland state senator wore a Calvert Hall jacket with his grandsons’ jersey numbers sewn into the sleeves and a cheeky smile as he watched his sons and grandsons huddle.

Recognized as a 2024 ICON Honors recipient by The Daily Record, the Kelly family patriarch credited his Christian faith for helping him overcome alcoholism to lead a life of service.

That, Daniel Kelly said, is what it really means to be a Kelly. All the Kelly cousins are members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Frank Kelly III founded FCA Lacrosse, now one of the top club programs in the country. They see the sport as a vehicle for their ministry.

“We use the gifts that God has given us to spread God’s light on other people,” Daniel Kelly said. “Lacrosse is not our identity by any means. Lacrosse is not who you are. It’s what you do.”

“Everyone has their own choice to make whatever decision they want and it will be fully supported by our family,” JK Kelly said. “Family is the most important thing to all of us.”

Eyasu Kelly coaches for FCA Lacrosse during the college offseason. “It’s a special, special club,” he said.

What do coaches get in a Kelly? The answer differs based on whom you ask. Shuey Kelly says a typical Kelly kid is “bought in” when it comes to team culture and doing whatever is necessary to succeed. Daniel Kelly speaks in terms like “good teammate” and “fierce competitor.”

JK Kelly harkens on their shared sense of humility.  So don’t expect any of the Kelly cousins to get an overinflated sense of ego, not even if they get drafted to play professionally.

Mic Kelly, whose college career ended when Denver did not make the Big East tournament, is rising up Premier Lacrosse League draft boards as one of the top-scoring midfielders (27 goals) in the country this season. Daniel Kelly has also gotten some buzz in PLL circles.

(Memorably, Stephen Kelly scored the first goal in PLL history when he won the opening faceoff and took it to the house for the Archers in 2019. He and Timmy Kelly both also played for U.S. U19 Men’s National Teams in 2012 and 2016, respectively.)

That’s just outside noise to the family. None of them are big on social media, either. They save the friendly chirps for reunions and wear the Kelly name with an immense sense of pride. With Maryland, Georgetown, Cornell and Dickinson all playing in conference tournaments, there’s plenty for them to cheer about this weekend.

“I'm proud to sit on this Zoom with these guys and watch what they're doing,” Daniel Kelly said. “They are better people because of the experiences that they've had.”