- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,144,871
- Reaction score
- 59
Tim Kelly had a little more than 24 hours to celebrate Chandler Basha's Open Division state football championship on Dec. 6, before his life turned upside down.
A little past midnight, on Dec. 8, Kelly awoke to smoke in his three-bedroom Tempe house. A fire, he said, started in the garage and ripped through his home, destroying most of it.
He was able to get out safely with his father and brother and two rescue German Shepherds before calling 9-1-1.
His 25-year-old Jeep that he used to wheel around in when he was head coach at Tempe Corona del Sol was destroyed inside the garage, along with the car he drives now, which was sitting next to the garage.
He has been taking care of both his father and brother, who are ailing.
Kelly had gone to school on Sunday, Dec. 7, to grade out the film and do stats. He came home and fell asleep around 7 p.m.
"I think that allowed me to kind of wake up," he said. "I heard noise in the garage. I ran down and saw flames in the garage. I tried to do something to put it out, and I couldn't. I had to get everybody out of the house. And I called 9-1-1."
An investigation is underway. Kelly said he doesn't know how the fire started.
"The only thing that really is saved is the kitchen," Kelly said.
He said about two-thirds of the house has to be reconstructed, along with the ventilation systems and second-story beams. The master bedroom and bathroom have to be redone.
"I'm out of there for a minimum four to six months," he said. "I'm at a hotel now. Friends of the family put up everybody. Temporarily, I got the dogs in boarding, but they can't stay there much longer. I'm working on a short-term lease."
Kelly didn't tell a lot of people. A private guy, Kelly let his principal at Basha know, as they get ready for the end-of-semester finals. He also let Basha's freshman football coach, Justin Unger, know. Unger started a GoFundMe to help with Kelly as he tries to find a rental home.
He doesn't know the estimate of the damages. But, even having house insurance, bills will mount with a temporary house that he hopes to find that will take dogs.
"He gives so much to all of us students-athletes and the families of Valley," said Basha junior offensive lineman Jake Hildebrand in a direct message on X to The Arizona Republic. "He’s the type of coach who makes sure he always has good and readily available food for players.
"He takes on second jobs to earn extra money, so that he can help kids with having equipment. He tirelessly tutors students, helps them with college prep, applications, earning athletic scholarships. Coach Tim Kelly never asks for anything. He never expects anything. He only just gives and gives and gives."
Kelly, a full-time social studies teacher at Basha, said he didn't ask for a GoFundMe, and felt there are others who might be more deserving. As of Wednesday evening, Dec. 10, more than $31,000 was raised, including a $10,000 donation from former longtime NFL quarterback and Gilbert Highland High alum Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"I'm kind of a private person and kind of proud," Kelly said. "They started spreading it around school. They did the GoFundMe. I didn't know. I kind of hesitated. I didn't really want to do that. There are other people with bigger things.
"People reached out from Corona del Sol and Mountain Pointe and said, 'You've got to let people help you.' "
Kelly said he is more devastated by losing all of the treasured memorabilia from his coaching years, things he couldn't put a price tag on. They were all lost in the fire.
"All that stuff was in a box at Basha, and I had just brought that home a month ago," he said. "All the pictures kids had given you at the banquets, and their speeches at the banquets at Corona and stuff, that was all in there. I couldn't care less about everything else, but that's the part that really hurts."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha offensive line coach Tim Kelly picking up the pieces after fire
Continue reading...
A little past midnight, on Dec. 8, Kelly awoke to smoke in his three-bedroom Tempe house. A fire, he said, started in the garage and ripped through his home, destroying most of it.
You must be registered for see images attach
He was able to get out safely with his father and brother and two rescue German Shepherds before calling 9-1-1.
His 25-year-old Jeep that he used to wheel around in when he was head coach at Tempe Corona del Sol was destroyed inside the garage, along with the car he drives now, which was sitting next to the garage.
He has been taking care of both his father and brother, who are ailing.
Kelly had gone to school on Sunday, Dec. 7, to grade out the film and do stats. He came home and fell asleep around 7 p.m.
"I think that allowed me to kind of wake up," he said. "I heard noise in the garage. I ran down and saw flames in the garage. I tried to do something to put it out, and I couldn't. I had to get everybody out of the house. And I called 9-1-1."
An investigation is underway. Kelly said he doesn't know how the fire started.
"The only thing that really is saved is the kitchen," Kelly said.
He said about two-thirds of the house has to be reconstructed, along with the ventilation systems and second-story beams. The master bedroom and bathroom have to be redone.
"I'm out of there for a minimum four to six months," he said. "I'm at a hotel now. Friends of the family put up everybody. Temporarily, I got the dogs in boarding, but they can't stay there much longer. I'm working on a short-term lease."
Kelly didn't tell a lot of people. A private guy, Kelly let his principal at Basha know, as they get ready for the end-of-semester finals. He also let Basha's freshman football coach, Justin Unger, know. Unger started a GoFundMe to help with Kelly as he tries to find a rental home.
He doesn't know the estimate of the damages. But, even having house insurance, bills will mount with a temporary house that he hopes to find that will take dogs.
You must be registered for see images
"He gives so much to all of us students-athletes and the families of Valley," said Basha junior offensive lineman Jake Hildebrand in a direct message on X to The Arizona Republic. "He’s the type of coach who makes sure he always has good and readily available food for players.
"He takes on second jobs to earn extra money, so that he can help kids with having equipment. He tirelessly tutors students, helps them with college prep, applications, earning athletic scholarships. Coach Tim Kelly never asks for anything. He never expects anything. He only just gives and gives and gives."
Kelly, a full-time social studies teacher at Basha, said he didn't ask for a GoFundMe, and felt there are others who might be more deserving. As of Wednesday evening, Dec. 10, more than $31,000 was raised, including a $10,000 donation from former longtime NFL quarterback and Gilbert Highland High alum Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"I'm kind of a private person and kind of proud," Kelly said. "They started spreading it around school. They did the GoFundMe. I didn't know. I kind of hesitated. I didn't really want to do that. There are other people with bigger things.
"People reached out from Corona del Sol and Mountain Pointe and said, 'You've got to let people help you.' "
Kelly said he is more devastated by losing all of the treasured memorabilia from his coaching years, things he couldn't put a price tag on. They were all lost in the fire.
"All that stuff was in a box at Basha, and I had just brought that home a month ago," he said. "All the pictures kids had given you at the banquets, and their speeches at the banquets at Corona and stuff, that was all in there. I couldn't care less about everything else, but that's the part that really hurts."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha offensive line coach Tim Kelly picking up the pieces after fire
Continue reading...
