By Fred Camillo
Thursday the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation honored Joe Kelly with the 10th annual Greenwich Sentinel Award. As with all the previous honorees, the Sentinel has chosen well.
Joe Kelly, or Coach Kelly to hundreds of former GHS Rugby players, has been in Greenwich since 1998, having moved here from New York via London with his equally active and popular wife, Jill, and their then very young family. In the three decades since arriving in his new hometown, Coach Kelly has left his mark in many different areas: coach, mentor, Board of Education member and chairman, volunteer fireman, and friend and neighbor to untold numbers of Greenwichites.
Whether coaching his team to 11 consecutive state championships (a legendary achievement that calls to mind Coach John Wooden and his amazing run at UCLA, Coach Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics, and Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees), overseeing the construction of the new Cardinal Stadium, raising money for worthwhile causes, or mentoring so many young students and athletes, Joe Kelly has undertaken each task with energy, emotion, and enthusiasm that has rubbed off on all those in his presence. He leads by example. He leads with purpose. He leads with direction. These traits are what good leaders exhibit.
In addition to all of this, Joe launched the Good News Game Plan, a podcast rooted in the very values he lives by: optimism, civility, and community spirit. The premise was simple but powerful—bring people together across differences and focus on what unites rather than divides. Every guest, no matter their background or views, was asked to keep the conversation constructive and positive. It was vintage Joe—turning a modern platform into a force for connection, mentorship, and encouragement.
Having been fortunate to meet Joe and his family when they first arrived in town, I can state without hesitation that he is the same person today as he was back in 1998. He is also the same in private as he is in public, a rarity in today’s world.
Cheerfulness aside, someone who mistakes positivity for weakness does so at his or her own peril, as Joe Kelly has a competitive side that has always fueled his need to succeed, whether in business, on a playing field, or in the political arena. He will compete to win, and then be the first to extend the hand of friendship when the battle is over. That is what leaders do. That is what gentlemen do. That is what happy warriors do.
Please join me in celebrating a Greenwich treasure and this year’s Greenwich Sentinel Award honoree, Joe Kelly.
Congratulations to Greenwich’s Happy Warrior!
