Lee Kelly

If you ask anyone in the Mid-Atlantic rugby community about rugby in the Washington, DC area, they will more than likely mention Gonzaga, a perennial high school rugby championship team, and a gent by the name of Albert “Lee” Kelly. Lee was a legendary pioneer that built a rugby dynasty at Gonzaga, a  Washington, DC Jesuit boys’ high school, from 2000 to 2021.

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Lee’s rugby career began at the University of Maryland in 1969 when he saw a flyer for the rugby team in the student union. This small event ended up being one of the best things to happen to thousands of players, coaches, teammates, boosters, and families over the next 50+ years.

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After playing for Maryland, Lee spent the next 30 years with the Maryland Old Boys (MOB and later becoming the Maryland Exiles) as a player, coach, administrator, and all-around leader, establishing the MOB as one of the premier sides in the Mid-Atlantic. Most importantly, Lee formed lifelong bonds with his teammates and their families which he enjoyed throughout his life. His time with the MOB served as a foundation where his leadership and ability to unite and inspire people was refined.

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When Lee’s sons started playing rugby for the Maryland Exiles, he became focused on the youth game. When Brendan began playing rugby for Gonzaga in 2000, he offered his services to help with the rugby program. The next 21 years became one of the biggest success stories in the history of USA Rugby. During Lee’s rugby coaching career at Gonzaga, his teams achieved 16 United States High School Boys Rugby National Championship appearances (winning the National Championship title in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018); 15 Potomac Rugby Union (PRU) High School championships; seven MARFU championships; and seven Metro Area Varsity Rugby Conference championships.

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Over 1,000 young men have benefited from Lee’s two-decades long leadership of Gonzaga rugby. His inclusive approach at Gonzaga has grown from a one-team club sport of 35 members, to now, a fully recognized varsity sport providing opportunities to over 200 student athletes. That’s a ratio of one rugby player per every five students enrolled at Gonzaga. When Lee became Gonzaga Director of Rugby in 2002, he sought to elevate the program by proactively recruiting students and coaches and by traveling beyond state and national borders to expose his players to consistent, high-quality competition. Lee got the parents involved and created scholarship funds as well as international team tours from Argentina to Ireland. Tony Interdonato, who had three sons play for Lee, captured Lee’s foundational approach, “He made sure that any kid who wanted to play rugby could and would not just be on a team, but would play games every week. Lee was the driving force and the glue that held it all together and built Gonzaga into a national powerhouse.”

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Lee’s rugby resume also includes: coaching the PRU U19 and U17 teams; creating the Local Area Union all-star tournament; being a key member of the USA Rugby Task Force, charged with overhauling all rugby competition across the country; being a member of the USA Rugby’s Competitions Committee; founding the Boys National High School Rugby Championships (which is now named in Lee’s honor); founding the Rugby Academy, a program designed to offer more high-level rugby opportunities to high school players; and founding the Rugby Exchange, a network group of coaches. 

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“Lee’s a legend,” said Dante Lopresti, a former team captain who won three national titles at Gonzaga. “He just had a presence. I don’t know how to explain it. He was always there for you. He was very loving, very caring, and he wanted you to be a better man off the field. That just speaks to the type of character the guy was. God bless Albert Lee Kelly. We love you, Coach.”

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Lee is no longer with us but his legacy lives on with the players, coaches, and families he impacted during his career. Look no further than Nashville Catholic Rugby where his son, Connor, coaches, and his grandsons, Eamon and Luke, play. Lee’s relentless love and devotion to rugby and the people involved helped grow the game and raised the profile of the sport in the United States.

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