Kelly was as much a part of Montana as Montana was a part of him. The stories of his exploits on and off the football field have been passed on by the men of his generation. I hope by this research I will help sketch a clearer and fuller picture of a man who helped put his state's name on the lips of those who loved sports -- especially football.
...as Price(Kelly's stepfather)remembers it in an interview, young Bill learned to know the town and the people on his own. "He learned to love Missoula, as he fished and ice skated," Price said. Bill, his mother and stepfather lived at 738 North Fourth Street in Missoula, beginning in 1916. He bought the lot the house still stands on for $700 and paid $1000 for materials and labor.
Kelly's ability to handle himself in a fight was permanently established on May 23, 1923, when he sparred with Tommy Gibbons before 1,400 people at the old Liberty Theatre in Missoula. Gibbons, in the city for a barnstorming tour to help promote tickets for the July 4 world heavyweight title bout with Jack Dempsey, agreed to meet the then 17-year-old Kelly, in a four-round exhibition....Ray Rocene remembered "Gibbons went two rounds with Bud Gorman -- then he was asked to take on 'Wild Bill' Kelly. Gibbons consented graciously, expecting another tapping waltz. Gibbons came out smiling, shaking hands, Kelly came out swinging with all he had.... The wily Kelly was looking for fame and headlines. He was a good boxer, far better than average and nearly as big as Tommy [Gibbons]." McFarland(Kelly's friend) remembers the bout "as a real slugfest," and after Kelly surprised Gibbons with a "solid right to the stomach," Gibbons backed off, relying on footwork to stay away from his young but aggressive opponent. Neither man was ever knocked off his feet, McFarland said.
Wild Bill Kelly was a junior in high school, and his fame as a gridder was so widespread that many college coaches were already camping on his doorstep. "Son, I'll make you an All-American player at our school," was the offer of Idaho's coach. "Hell, I'd make you an All-American coach," the cocky Kelly shot back.....In June, 1923 Kelly, an Irish Catholic, had a chance to go to Notre Dame. Neither stepfather Price nor anyone interviewed was positive about the facts, but it seems Notre Dame wanted Kelly and Kelly had a big decision to make. Price refers to Kelly's "love for Montana" as the reason he never left the state. But McFarland and Jones say the reason was H.O. Bell, an automobile dealer, and the late John Campbell, Sr., the father of KGVO radio station manager John Cambell. Bell said Kelly "was pretty well sold for going back there, but I talked him into staying here, and paid him $75 a month for four years" to work for him. But he admitted "he didn't do much work," with a knowing chuckle. In effect, Kelly became the first Montana athlete ever to be classified in the scholarship class.
On the same freshman football team was John Russell ("Russ") Sweet, a 19-year-old from Miles City....In 1923, Montana State University(at that time the University in Missoula was the state school) was a member of the Northwest Conference. The Cubs(the Grizzly freshman team, freshman wernt allowed to play varsity ball) were 5-0, although the last game was against "a Butte Independent team". So impressive were the Kelly-led frosh, they scored 213 points and allowed only 19, with no opponent scoring more than once in a game. So enthusiastic was the Kaimin about the freshmen, the newspaper (limited to four pages except on special occasions) gave the team equal coverage with the varsity team on page 1.....The exploits of Kelly and others of the freshmen Cubs did not go unnoticed. Seeking to expand, the Pacific Coast Conference(what would eventually become the Pac12), on the strength of the Montana freshman team's impressive five straight victories, invited representatives of the school to a meeting in Berkeley, California. On December 8, according to the Kaimin of December 11, 1923, the decision was reached. Montana would be allowed to become the the ninth member of the Pacific Coast Conference, joining the California, Washington, Stanford, U.S.C., Idaho, Washington State, Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State).
Kelly scored 12 touchdowns, good for 72 points in 1924. The achievement was noted in the January 9, 1925 issue of the Kaimin, as well as his being chosen to Walter Camp's Collier's magazine All-America honorable mention team. In the Kaimin article, Kelly is said to have been "but one touchdown behind [Red] Grange of Illinois," and he "was tied with Wilson of Washington for scoring the most touchdowns in north-western football."....George Wilson of Washington, as great a halfback as ever wore cleated shoes, tells me that the greatest football player he [Wilson] ever played against is Kelly of Montana. I have mentioned Mr. Kelly before in this column the past month or so, on the advice of my Western operatives, who informed me early... that Mr, Kelly had football ability beyond normal.... "He's the hardest man to tackle I ever met," says Mr. Wilson. "He can dodge and turn and spin in amazing fashion. He's a real football player if one ever lived."
Don Foss, who was a freshman when Kelly was a senior in 1926, remembers "Wild Bill" in a letter this way:
He wasn't more than 5-9, 5-10 at the outside, weighing 180ish, but was immensely strong, as well as shifty and swivel-hipped. He could change direction instantly, a safety all alone had no chance with him, for he could run like a deer -- in high school he had been the 50-yard sprint champion. Or, instead of changing direction, with his great shoulders and leg drive he could run you into the ground. Another thing about him... he had the best straight-arm I have ever seen. He literally could knock you out with it, another thing that made him so hard to tackle.
Kelly and Sweet, on the basis of past performances, each received invitations to play in the annual East-West Shrine football game in San Francisco, January 1, 1927. As it turned out, the Montana boys were the difference. Kelly and Sweet were the only reason the West won, 7-3. As Foss tells it, the East was leading 3-0, and late in the game, Babe Hollingsberry, Washington State Coach, who was also coach of the West, sent Sweet into the game to punt. But the moment he [Kelly] saw Sweet, he had other ideas. "We won't punt, Russ," Kelly said. "No one will be looking for a fourth down pass...." Pass is what Kelly did, and Sweet broke loose for the touchdown Kelly invisioned. (The play covered 80 yards and still stands as a record.) ....A winning play on the spur of the moment was typical of Kelly, who had marvelous football instinct.
In 1929, Kelly became a member of the Frankford Yellow Jackets....Yet Ed Haliki, one of the few surviving members of the 1929 Yellow Jackets, said "If Kelly were playing today, he would be one of the greatest. The game of today was made to order for him."
The final paragraphs of one of the final letters I received says much in regard to William Carl "Wild Bill" Kelly, and in a way, it summarizes this writer's purpose in researching the subject. The letter is from Cochran, one man among many who knew Kelly. It reads:
At first, I was not going to answer your letter because of what happened to Bill. He was a hero at Montana and perhaps that's the way he should be remembered. You'll have to decide what use you want to make of my letter about Bill. In Bill's tragic death there might be some message for the college society that basks in the glory of the football team and the individual heroes, but overlooks the fact that they are like the rest of us with conflicts, fears, frustrations, and weakness.
