Former Michigan Tech football coach Ted Kearly speaks with a player during a game. Kearly coached the Huskies for four seasons from 1969-72. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

HOUGHTON — While he only spent four seasons as the head coach of the Michigan Tech Huskies football team, Ted Kearly and his family have had an indelible impact on the Huskies’ sports community. The elder Kearly, and his son Tom, have combined to lead the Huskies for 15 years, and are now enjoying watching Dan Mettlach taking the reins as he is in his second season in the role.

Ted got into coaching in a roundabout way in the early 1950s while in military service of all places.

“I was drafted into the Army in 1952, and (I) became a physical fitness trainer for troops who would be shipping out to Korea,” he said. “I was also buddies with several soldiers who had been college athletes. They encouraged me to go to college after I got out of the service.

“I did, playing baseball at Michigan State, and getting my degree on the G.I. Bill. Being the trainer for those soldiers was my first shot at coaching, and that stayed with me.”

After getting out of the Army and finishing up his college experience as a Spartan, Ted got into coaching with high school football. He then worked his way up from there to the college game. Like many coaches, he moved from being an assistant coach to a head coach when the right job came along.

“I had gone from being a high school coach (in Cheboygan, Michigan,) to the college game, getting a position on staff at Winona (Minnesota) State University,” Ted said. “I was an assistant there for one season, but it didn’t feel like the right fit.

“Fortunately, that spring, I met Bill Lucier, then the coach at Tech, at a coaching clinic. We hit it off, and he later offered me a coaching spot on his staff.”

At first, the Copper Country was an easier sell for Ted than it was for his wife, but he can joke about that now.

“When I moved my wife and four kids to the Copper Country that spring, she was overwhelmed by the still way-too-high snow banks,” he said. “I told her not to worry, that I’d probably only be here two or three seasons and then we’d move on.

“That was fifty-seven years ago.”

Ted ultimately succeeded Lucier, whose Huskies teams had won just one game over his final two seasons with the Black and Gold, in 1969. Ted’s first year as the head coach saw the Huskies go 5-4. From there, for the next three seasons, the Huskies went a combined 24-3 overall, and 16-2 in conference play.

For Ted, with the losses being rare, he can smile when asked what his fondest memories are, claiming that the losses are more memorable than the wins. That being said, he does have one memory in particular that stands out to him.

“I joke that the losses are more memorable than the victories, but I have lots of great memories of the wins and successes at Tech,” he said. “The conference championship in 1972 ranks right up there at the top.”

More important to Ted than the victories was the connections he made with players and staff alike at Michigan Tech.

“Beyond the wins and losses, the relationships I had with the players, staff, faculty, and the great people of the Copper Country, have been very special to me,” he said.

Coaching at an NCAA Division II school like Michigan Tech, Ted, more often than not, was not coaching players looking to advance to the National Football League, but rather young men who would hang up their cleats after their collegiate careers ended. Seeing them move on with their lives was something that remains special to him.

“Besides winning, and maybe even more than winning, nothing is more rewarding for a college coach than to see their players go on to become successful in life, in whatever way that is measured,” he said. “Being a coach at a highly academic school such as Tech, makes that happening an even more likely outcome.

“These are smart kids at Tech, studying in great fields. The success stories of former players are so numerous, and I have really enjoyed reconnecting with the guys at various points in their lives.”

About 34 years after he coached his last game at Michigan Tech, Ted’s son Tom took over the program in 2006, after spending multiple seasons as an assistant. Ted loved to see his son lead from the same sidelines he had years earlier.

“I was very proud of Tom throughout his entire coaching career, but, of course, it was extra special to see him on the Michigan Tech sidelines,” said Ted.

Tom’s impressive career as the head coach of the Huskies saw them win a division title, qualify for the NCAA playoffs in 2014, and win 70 games over the course of 11 seasons. Ted could not help but enjoy seeing his son find a large amount of success.

“I’m not surprised at how well Tom did, he’s a good coach,” Ted said. “But, it’s an extra level of pride to see your son excel in a profession you both love so much, and at a school I love so much as well.”

As the Huskies get set this week to open the home portion of their schedule for the 2024 season, Ted is enjoying getting to see Mettlach, who played under Tom, step into the role now. Getting to see a former player who had a ton of success at Michigan Tech take over the program is something that touches Ted in a way that makes him interested in seeing how the future goes.

“Much like I love to follow the successes of my former players,” said Ted, “it’s great to watch one of Tom’s players, Dan, get his chance to shine as a coach. I’m excited to see the Huskies’ future under Coach Mettlach.”

The Huskies host South Dakota Mines on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Kearly Stadium in Houghton.