Faith, Family and Lacrosse: Daniel Kelly Leads Maryland While Upholding Family Legacy

Daniel Kelly grew up taking five-minute walks to Calvert Hall High School, where his dad coached the boys’ varsity lacrosse team. 

Bryan Kelly has coached the Cardinals for nearly 30 years, leading them to become one of the top high school lacrosse programs nationwide. A feat proving the statement’s validity, Calvert Hall recently won its sixth MIAA title under his leadership and earned USA Lacrosse’s No. 1 ranking in its High School Boys' National Top 25.  

Growing up in a lacrosse family, Daniel was introduced to the sport at a young age. But his earliest and fondest memories in the sport revolved around the excitement of coming home from grade school, where his mom would pick him up, before being dropped off at the Cardinals’ practices. 

Before his dad finally let him practice with the team a year early in eighth grade, little Daniel could be seen attached to his dad’s hip on the sidelines of practice. He couldn’t always stand still, though. 

“I would be running around with a helmet on, looking like a bobble head,” Daniel, a fifth-year Maryland men’s lacrosse attacker, said. “That's where I feel like I learned a ton about the sport.”

It became a routine for Daniel. Every day during the spring from fourth through eighth grade, he would be a visitor at practice. He watched athletes such as Ryan Brown, Evan Connell, Patrick Kelly (his cousin) and Chris Lightner at Calvert Hall before all went on to play lacrosse at high-major college programs. 

Calvert Hall has been a breeding ground for collegiate lacrosse athletes, especially the Kellys. Daniel, two of his brothers and nine of his cousins make up the dozen who played for the all-boys private school’s lacrosse team before playing lacrosse collegiately in recent years. Bryan and his brothers were also lacrosse student-athletes at Calvert Hall before beginning their collegiate careers.  

The Kelly legacy in lacrosse stretches across four decades. Bryan (North Carolina ’91) and his three brothers — David Kelly (North Carolina ’89), John Kelly (Washington College ‘87) and Frank Kelly III (Cornell ’86) — were also Calvert Hall graduates who went on to play collegiately, as well as professionally. 

“We love the game,” Bryan said. “We love everything about what it instills and teaches you as a player, and how it carries you on in life. It helps prepare you for your future and your job by learning how to be a great teammate and learning work ethic.”

Pictured in the top row (from left): Frank Kelly III (Cornell '86), Timmy Kelly (North Carolina '19), Shuey Kelly (Georgetown '27), JK Kelly (Cornell '26), Eyasu Kelly (Dickinson '27), John Kelly Jr. (Ohio State '17), Jacob Kelly (North Carolina '22) and Bryan Kelly (North Carolina '91).

Pictured in the bottom row (from left): David Kelly (North Carolina '89), Frankie Kelly (North Carolina '14), Daniel Kelly (Maryland '25), Mic Kelly (Denver '25), Stephen Kelly (North Carolina '17) and John Kelly (Washington College '87).

Not pictured: David Kelly (Rutgers '11) and Patrick Kelly (North Carolina '16).

The brothers have a combined 21 children, with over half having played, currently playing or planning to play lacrosse in college. Lacrosse is a patrimony amongst the Kellys. However, as Daniel pointed out, lacrosse is what the family does, not who they are.

“That's something my dad has instilled in me from a young age,” he said. “Even my uncles taught me that lacrosse is not who you are as a person. I love this sport wholeheartedly, and I'm so thankful for it. But at the end of the day, it will end at some point. It's about who you are as a person, first and foremost. This sport will take you far in life, but won't take you everywhere.”

Daniel’s mindset has allowed him to have a breakout year for the Terps after returning from injury. Through 16 games, he has career bests in goals (team-leading 32), assists (9) and points (41). But his ascent hasn’t been linear. 

He broke into the starting lineup in 2023 after redshirting as a freshman in 2021 and playing sparingly in man-up situations on Maryland’s undefeated, national championship-winning 2022 team. Last season, the attacker played the entire year while injured. He was in and out of the lineup before re-solidifying himself as a starter midway through the season.

Daniel and the Terps made it back to the NCAA title game in 2024, but fell short of a win for the second time in four years. He was named to the All-Tournament team despite undergoing surgery on his hip as soon as the season ended.  

“Daniel is a wonderful son, brother and a great teammate,” Bryan said. “He's a very gifted player, he's skilled, he's smart and has a great IQ. But Daniel has a gift of emotional intelligence. He's the type of kid who can go into a locker room and know if a kid's down or needs a word of encouragement. I think he’s learned a lot at Maryland, and that's helped him develop as a leader and grow as an individual. We’re so grateful for his time at Maryland and thank God he went there. It was the perfect place for him.”

Despite growing up a fan of the Terps and only an hour away from Maryland’s campus, Daniel had initially planned to follow the footsteps of his dad and older brother, Jacob Kelly, who played lacrosse at North Carolina. In all, seven of his family members are former Tar Heels. 

Daniel was committed to North Carolina, where he sought to play alongside his brother. However, a change of heart led him to become the lone Terp amongst his family members. 

“I wanted to win, to be completely blunt,” he said. “I wanted to win national championships and always admired how Maryland did things. I always grew up watching them, and they had a culture I wanted to be a part of.”

“It was the greatest decision I've ever made,” Daniel continued. “I look back on it, and it was a super hard decision, but I thank God I'm here every day. It allowed me to stay close to family and go home and watch my younger brothers play.”

The Christian faith is another guiding principle passed down through the family. Daniel’s uncle, Frank, founded FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Lacrosse. It’s now one of the top lacrosse clubs in the country. 

All the Kellys are or were at one point involved with FCA Lacrosse. Jacob played for the club throughout his youth and high school careers. He’s currently the head coach of the 2027 team. Jacob and the rest of his family view lacrosse as a means to their ministry.

“FCA has allowed me and my family members to grow in our faith while competing in the sport we love,” Jacob said. “It does an incredible job of combining a personal relationship with Jesus with pursuing excellence on the field. While lacrosse is something we’ve always loved and wanted to succeed in, FCA has helped us understand that our identity is found in Jesus, not in temporary, earthly achievement. Through FCA, our family has gained the confidence and clarity to live from that truth.”

Daniel is one of four Kellys to win a national championship. His cousins, Patrick, Timmy Kelly, and Stephen Kelly, were part of North Carolina’s 2016 NCAA title team that upset Maryland in the championship in an overtime thriller. That Tar Heels squad became the first unseeded national champion in 45 years. Twenty-five years before that, Bryan won it all with North Carolina in 1991. 

His sons, Daniel and Shuey Kelly, matched up on opposing sides as Maryland defeated Georgetown to advance to the Final Four on May 18. The win allowed Daniel to join three of his cousins in Foxborough, Massachusetts, who are also competing for a national championship. 

Eyasu Kelly and Owen Binder — a cousin on his mom’s side — are competing for a Division III NCAA title at Dickinson College, which is playing in its first-ever national championship on May 25. JK Kelly is also playing for Cornell in the Final Four. Wins by Maryland and Cornell on May 24 would set the stage for a 2022 title game rematch on Memorial Day.

Daniel can become the only Kelly with multiple national championship rings. For him, that would be the storybook ending to his Maryland career.   

“I would do anything to bring a title back to College Park again,” Kelly said. “This place has given me so much, and I'm incredibly grateful for it. It's hard not to get emotional talking about the work that we've put in, everything we've been through as a team and the ups and downs of the past three years. We’ve fallen short a bit, and continued to grind and stay true to who we are. To hold that trophy at the end would mean everything to me, and be the icing on the cake to this awesome journey.”