Red Kellett

Donald Stafford Kellett

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School University of Pennsylvania
• High School Erasmus Hall High School
• Debut July 2, 1934
• Final Game September 30, 1934
• Born July 15, 1909 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died November 3, 1970 in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Red Kellett made his mark in three sports. He was in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox in 1934, having never played a minor league game. He was 0 for 9 with five strikeouts in the major leagues. He was head basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania from 1941 to 1947. He then became president and general manager of football's Baltimore Colts from 1953 to 1966.

His alma mater calls Kellett "one of Penn's most legendary athletes". He won three letters each year in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He hit .488 his last year at Penn and was signed by the Red Sox for $5,000.

After his shot at the major leagues, he was sent to the minors, playing in Little Rock (.184) and Albany in 1935. He was Albany's main second baseman, hitting .251/~.334/.346 for the cellar dwellers. The next year, he began to coach football and basketball at Ursinus College but occasionally thereafter played minor league or semi-pro baseball in the spring. His only significant action came with the 1936 Syracuse Chiefs, batting .219/~.283/.301 in 91 games and with the 1941 Lancaster Red Roses (.248, 2 HR, a career-high 49 RBI).

He was rejected for service in World War II due to a stomach ailment.

He became the operator of a radio and television station, and did the first commercial play-by-play of football for the station.

Sources: University of Pennsylvania online archives, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database, The International League: Year-by-Year Statistics by Marshall Wright

Related Sites

• Red Kellett at the SABR Bio Project
• Baltimore Colts 1955 Press Guide.