Aiden Konold ‘26
Staff Writer
It’s not often that two brothers get to play a college sport together, but the Kelly brothers are not like most brothers. Hugh and Christo Kelly, senior members of the Holy Cross football team, have been playing organized football together for the past ten years. Along the way, they won a Division 1 high school football championship together, and at Holy Cross, they have won three straight Patriot League titles together.
Hugh and Christo grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, playing every sport that they could, but nothing ever competed with football.
When Hugh began playing organized football in the fifth grade and Christo in the third grade, they both fell in love with the physicality of the game. Growing up with three other brothers, Hugh and Christo were always competing with each other. Whether it was being the best athlete, having the coolest shoes, or having the coolest dive into the swimming pool, everything was a competition, and winning was always the end goal.
That winning mentality from the get-go has served Hugh and Christo well. In Hugh’s sophomore year of high school at Loyola Academy, Christo joined him to begin his high school football career. Hugh played defensive back, while Christo was an offensive lineman and long snapper.
Two seasons later, in Hugh’s senior year and Christo’s junior year, Loyola Academy won the Illinois 8A State Football Championship, capping Hugh’s high school football career on the highest of notes. “It was one of the coolest moments of my entire life,” Hugh says. “Words fall short of describing how grateful I am for that experience, and how blessed I feel to share it with my best friend in the entire world in Christo.”
Hugh and Christo have continued climbing the mountain, long after other brothers’ days of playing an organized sport together are gone. After graduating from high school, Hugh headed off to Holy Cross to play college football under second-year head coach Bob Chesney. Christo wasn’t far behind.
Though Christo had the chance to long snap at the Power 5 level given his success in high school, he decided to join Hugh at Holy Cross because he wanted to play football, not just long snap. “The energy here is just different,” Christo says. “It’s second to no place in the world. The moment I knew was the moment I stepped foot on campus.”
It’s not just the energy and campus that sets Holy Cross apart: Coach Chesney is very accessible. “Whenever there is an issue, I know that I can text [Coach Chesney], and within five minutes, he’ll respond, saying ‘Come to my office, let’s chat,’ ” Christo says. “There’s not a lot of places like [Holy Cross].”
And no matter what Coach Chesney may be dealing with internally, “you never see him having a bad day,” Christo says. “He always makes other people feel good because of the way that he carries himself, and it’s contagious.”
“He always has the juice, he always has the energy,” Hugh says. “That sets a standard from the top down.”
Chesney’s upbeat demeanor has led to great success for the Holy Cross football team, including four straight Patriot League titles, and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division 1 FCS Football Championship playoffs last year. Hugh has been a part of each of Chesney’s Patriot League titles, and he seeks a fifth straight this year, while Christo seeks a fourth straight.
Hugh and Christo exhibit the same energy as Coach Chesney. During games, Hugh and Christo can be seen running down the sideline, raising their arms to pump up the crowd and support their teammates. And every single day, Hugh and Christo exhibit, to the highest degree, the high standards of the Holy Cross football program.
As more experienced members of the team, Hugh and Christo are always “showing the younger guys that this is what has gotten us here this far, but also understanding that there is still more work to do, there is still more that we have to do.”
“We’re at the point where everyone is giving everything they have, and we just need a little bit more, and that part of it is uplifting others,” Christo says. “You’ve got to give everything you have, and a little bit more. When you do that, you leave no doubts. You [can] go to bed at night, knowing you gave everything you have.”
“The willingness to put in the time and effort, and be intentional with your time is the biggest thing,” Hugh says. “It’s showing the freshman that we have this culture, and we need [them] to buy into this as well, so this [success] can continue.”
The Holy Cross football program has prepared Hugh and Christo for success after football, too.
In 2009, Larry Doyle, a 1983 Holy Cross graduate, and Bill Maloney, a 1959 Holy Cross graduate, began the 90-Wide Mentoring Program. This program connects Holy Cross alumni and former football players with current members of the team who share similar career interests. “It is one of the biggest networks that you can tap into as a Holy Cross football player,” Hugh says. “The mentorship is so big. It’s like having a role model.”
“There’s always doubt about yourself,” Christo says. “[Being] surrounded by so many great people, it makes your journey a little bit easier and a lot more enjoyable.”
For Hugh, one of the greatest parts about Holy Cross is that, “you are going to find out who you are.”
Hugh and Christo Kelly are living embodiments of all that is great about Holy Cross inside and outside of the classroom, and watching them on game days serves as a reminder of how rare it is to be a part of a community as special as that of Holy Cross.
Featured image courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics
Leave a Reply