Unique journey: A Q&A with former Cheboygan football standout, CMU alum Cooper Kelley

Q: About five years ago, you were in high school at Cheboygan. Now you've graduated from CMU. Did it feel like it all went by really fast?  

Kelley: Well, I took a route at CMU where I triple-minored which really equates to being more than a double-major and took me five years to complete. That being said, college just flew by. I was very involved in clubs and activities my first semester and just grew from there once I started working with CMU football.  

Q: Tell me about how you got this student assistant coaching job at CMU. 

Kelley: It’s actually kind of a funny story. Andy Sneddon, the old Cheboygan Tribune sportswriter in the 90s when my mom and dad were both coaching, is now the assistant director of athletic communications at CMU. They knew he was at CMU and they (my parents) texted and called him to talk about my interest with football. He was able to get me in contact with the equipment manager. From there, my role grew to recruiting/operations intern, up to the last two years of being the student assistant running backs/tight ends coach.  

Q: What was the job like?  

Kelley: I’ll keep it simple, it was non-stop. We got a week off in May, the Fourth of July and weekend, and a week of Christmas and New Year. There is not a more dedicated staff in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) than at CMU when it comes to student-athlete success, recruiting, and game-planning.  

Q: What was the first day of that job like?  

Kelley: Well, I’ll tell this story. I started dipping my toe in the recruiting/operations aspect of college football on the Monday after the Super Bowl in 2019. Everyone in the office called me Clark that Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday it was national signing day and I was invited to a coaches gathering at a local pizza joint where I was still being called Clark by most of the staff. Obviously we were having conversations and I (bravely) started to speak and saying that my name was Cooper or “Coop.” People started having a laugh about it and Clark just stuck kind of after that. Some more nicknames started to pile up, which was fine since I knew that I was in a place where people cared about me. Coach (Jim) MacElwain then came up with a great nickname which he still calls me to this day – Clifford the Big Red Dog. So that was kind of the first days on the job.  

Q: What were the most enjoyable parts of the job?  

Kelley: I think the most enjoyable part of the job was the camaraderie we had in the support staff office. In Division 1 college football, you have full-time coaches, and support staff coaches. Your full-time coaches’ jobs entail game-planning, recruiting, and running their position group. As a support staff member, you do work behind the scenes to make the full-time coaches’ job easier. Really as a “support staff” you have to have good chemistry and fun while doing it. I was really blessed to be in a situation where there was great chemistry and camaraderie in that office. Almost all of us have gone our separate ways since, but we stay in contact with each other very well. I will forever cherish those relationships with the support staff.  

Q: What were the most difficult parts of that job?  

Kelley: Obviously there were many late nights and some days where you came in when it was dark outside, and left when it was dark outside. I think being an undergrad, balancing football, school, and a social life was the most difficult thing for me. Other than that, it was a great experience. I personally wouldn’t change a thing!  

Q: I think you were at CMU's bowl game last year. Was there one thing you got to do during that job that was really, really fun?

Kelley: Yes, I was able to be a part of the bowl trip last year. It was a bunch of work since we changed opponents, cities, and bowl games basically overnight and had to start from scratch. I think the thing that stuck out after the trip (and this is going to sound very simple) was the mariachi bands. We flew into Arizona and were greeted by a mariachi band. We drove to El Paso to be greeted by a mariachi band. Being a guy with a social studies and history degree as well really appreciated this. In 2019, when CMU was playing in the New Mexico Bowl, we were also greeted by a mariachi band. The running joke was that we were the only team with two mariachi bands playing for us ever and three mariachi bands in three years!  

Q: Going back to high school, or perhaps even before that, was the goal for you to always become a head football coach someday?  

Kelley: I’ve always loved football growing up and believe I always will in the future and I’ve always been ambitious in having goals for myself. I’ll say that yes, there was a goal to be a head football coach.  

Q: How much influence has your dad (Scott) had on you when it comes to football and coaching football? 

Kelley: My father has a major influence on me when it comes to football. We’ve chalk talked multiple times in which we keep learning new stuff from each other and also had some philosophical meetings about running a program. Whether he likes it or not, I call him almost every day now for advice, guidance, and ideas for the program down here at Vestaburg. I can’t think of a better person to be one phone call away that will help at the drop of a hat.  

Q: What are some things you learned from your dad that helped you get to this point of becoming a student assistant coach and now a high school head coach?

Kelley: I think the most important thing that my father and CMU has taught me is “never too high and never too low.” As a player you can be kind of energetic and sporadic, but as a coach, you have to be stoic for the most part. This was the case at CMU where you have quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs that can change the game in a few seconds.  

Q: You recently took the head coaching job at Vestaburg, which I believe is an 8-Man football program. How did you hear about that opening in the first place, and how much are you looking forward to that opportunity?  

Kelley: So yes, it is an 8-man program. In the spring, I did my student teaching at Coleman Jr/Sr High School where I taught history and physical education under their athletic director and head football/softball coach. My goal was to find a job by the end of student teaching. I had multiple teaching and head coach interviews with schools around the state. Vestaburg happened to be in Coleman’s conference and had a physical education opening. My AD/head football/softball coach at Coleman recommended me for the PE job which I was able to get. A month or so later, their football coach officially retired. I talked it over with my parents and threw my hat in the ring there. I was able to get the job and now am off and running with it. I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead Vestaburg’s football program. One thing that I saw from a simple basketball game between Vestaburg and Sacred Heart was the energy and passion of this town. I’m looking forward to Friday nights in the fall!  

Q: What do you believe are the main keys to running a successful high school program?  

Kelley: This is going to sound simple but Connect-Value-Respect-Trust. These are the core principles that we are building our program on down here. Connect – you’ve got to be able to find connections, interests, similarities between students, staff, and the community. Once you have this, you show the value in each other and grow the relationship between players, staff, and community. Finally, once this relationship is built there will be mutual respect between all parties involved in the football program. From this trust can be formed. Once trust is formed, your team and community will have something special!  

Q: Going back to your Cheboygan days for a second, what's the best memory you have from playing with the Chiefs?  

Kelley: There are so many memories from my time at Cheboygan, it’s tough to narrow it down to just one. I’ll say that my favorite was Week 2 in 2015 where we beat Ogemaw Heights on their turf 28-6. It was a memorable game for multiple reasons. I was hurt in the game the week beforehand and missed the fourth quarter and some practice, it was one of my best games statistically, I got to play in front of my relatives from the Tawas Area, we were able to get Coach (Dave) Schulz his first win, and it was a “mud bowl” with a sloppy field and a lot of rain. I’ll never forget that one!  

Q: Other than your dad, who's someone from Cheboygan who's had a positive impact on you or maybe helped you in terms of getting to where you are now?  

Kelley: Oh, another great and tough question. I hope that you all know this but Cheboygan is a great place with a lot of great coaches and role models for kids in town. I’ll say that the person with a positive impact would be Ed Jeannotte. He’s coached with my dad in football and hockey for multiple years and is really a positive and energetic person. I’m lucky to have two great people like my father and Ed in my life.  

Q: Is one of your goals to coach the Chiefs one day? How would you feel about that?  

Kelley: Well, a wise man once told me never to rule anything out. I don’t think it’s a goal for me right now, but Cheboygan Football is special and will always hold a place in my heart. I’m very happy with the situation that I’m in right now. I feel like Vestaburg is a place where they truly put students and student success first.  

Q: What's your ultimate goal when it comes to coaching? How high do you want to reach here?  

Kelley: The ultimate goal is to make a positive impact in people’s lives. If you measure just on wins and losses, you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg. I’m not going to be a “title-chasing” personality as a coach. I believe my job and my role is to mentally and physically prepare Vestaburg’s next generation of adults through football, and my physical education class.  

Q: When you step out onto that field with your team in that first game in August, what do you think that feeling will be like?  

Kelley: I think it’s going to be a surreal feeling. At CMU, I was blessed to have very specific duties on game day. Now obviously, I’m responsible for a whole lot more than that, especially at the high school level.