Presbyterian Coach Who Refused To Punt Is Stepping Down After 1 Season, 9 Straight Losses

Presbyterian head football coach Kevin Kelley, known for his approach of never punting and opting for onside kicks, announced Saturday he's leaving the school.

"I have decided to leave Presbyterian College to pursue other football interests," Kelley said in a statement posted to Twitter. "I am proud that we were #1 in the country in passing and #3 in the country in total offense at a school without scholarships."

Kelley was hired by Presbyterian in May and spent one season coaching the program, which went 2-9 this season. The college said it will begin a national search to find his replacement.

ESPN reports that in Kelley's first game as a coach, Presbyterian quarterback Ren Hefley set an FCS record with 10 TD passes in an 84-43 blowout of St. Andrews University. Kelley won his second game in a 68-3 over University of Fort Lauderdale, but the team proceeded to lose the next nine games of the season.

Director of Athletics Rob Acunto said Kelley informed the administration that he is stepping down for personal reasons, and the program will engage a national search firm to build a strong candidate pool.

"Although disappointed that he is leaving PC, we respect his decision to step down and wish him nothing but the best moving forward," Acunto said.

Kelly joined the program after spending the last 18 seasons as head coach of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock. He became the team's 16th head coach and fourth since the school's move to Division I in 2007, the school said in a news release.

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