Chris Kelley Cleared To Practice
8/7/2002 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 7, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In what is already shaping up as one of the more intriguing stories of the 2002 football season, University of Maryland redshirt sophomore quarterback Chris Kelley has been cleared to begin practice this Saturday when the Terrapins hit the field for full varsity workouts.
The Germantown, Md., native and former high school All-American was examined by Dr. Leigh Ann Curl on Monday and Curl -- who performed the surgery on Kelley's right knee -- determined that Kelley is ready to start working back into football activities with no limitations. The doctor who oversaw Kelley's rehabilitation, Dr. Steve Smith, has also cleared Kelley's return to the field.
"Chris has done a terrific job from the moment the significance of his injury was realized," said Sandy Worth, Maryland's head trainer. "He has worked hard. He looks good, says he feels good and at this early of a stage in his recovery, it would be hard to expect any more or anything better."
Kelley's comeback to join the Terps has exceeded all expectations. After earning the top spot on the Maryland quarterback depth chart in the spring, Kelley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the first quarter of the spring game. He had reconstructive surgery on the knee on May 8th.
Though the tear in the spring was the first of his right knee, it was his third overall since completing his prep career. He first tore the ACL in his left knee in a high school all-star game and then reinjured the same knee the weekend before the start of fall camp last year.
"It is a tribute to Chris Kelley as a person that he is able to be back with us for the start of fall camp," said head coach Ralph Friedgen. "It will be a boost to have him around from a morale perspective alone, but we are not looking for Chris to do anything other than work at getting comfortable on the playing field again. I am more interested in him being able to finish the season on the field than I am with him taking the first snap against Notre Dame. We are going to be sure to take it slow with Chris and see how things go."
