DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – Delaware Valley University Director of Athletics Dave Duda has announced the hiring of John Kelly as the new head Esports coach. Kelly becomes the second head coach in the program's young history.
"I am extremely excited to have John Kelly lead and develop our Esports program. I am equally pleased with the addition of assistant Connor O'Hanlon, as well," said Duda. "They both share a passion for the ever-evolving Esports industry, and I am excited about the prospects of what they will be able to accomplish with the DelVal program and its student-athletes."
Kelly graduated from West Chester University with a bachelor's degree in history and has served as organization owner for four different gaming organizations. In addition, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Astral Authority for two years, Director of Operations at Elevate, and COO of Eastern Media GG.
While at Astral Authority, a professional team organization, Kelly was responsible for growing the organization from five people and one game title, to 35 people with four game titles. In addition to his direct management responsibilities of 35 people, he was in charge of sponsor development and relationship management. He was also the face and voice of the organization, responsible for all media relations including ESPN, The Score, GosuGamers, and the Daily Dot.
Previously a featured journalist with EsportsEdition.com, Kelly covered multiple games, including: League of Legends, CS GO, Halo, and Destiny.
"I am extremely excited to join the DelVal team and honored for the chance to jump start this program," said Kelly, Thank you to both DelVal and the incoming players for helping us build this program.
Upon his hiring, Kelly named Connor O'Hanlon as his assistant coach. O'Hanlon is a graduate of Penn State University and currently resides in Doylestown where he is an accountant and real estate agent.
O'Hanlon is a competitive gamer, primarily competing in Hearthstone, Overwatch, and League of Legends. In addition, O'Hanlon is currently running for township supervisor and spends time as a part-time strength coach.
