Kick Kelly

John O. Kelly
(Diamond John)

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1879
• Final Game August 7, 1879
• Born October 31, 1856 in New York, NY USA
• Died March 27, 1926 in Malba, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Kick Kelly appeared for two teams in his only major league season in 1879. The second was the 1879 Troy Trojans, where another rookie on the team was Dan Brouthers. Kelly was a year older than Brouthers, and also played a couple of games at first base, Brouthers' position.

After his playing career, Kelly became one of the most prominent umpires of the 1880s and held the career record for games umpired until 1897. He led the league with 15 ejections in only 39 games that final season, coming back to the majors at the end of the year after not umpiring at the level since 1888. He was the manager of the Louisville Colonels for most of 1887 and the beginning of 1888; he had been an umpire in the American Association before his appointment, and returned to umpiring after having been fired, but this time in the National League.

Related Sites

• Kick Kelly on Retrosheet.org
• Baseball History Daily article on Kick Kelly