The coach who defeated the same team twice as two different leaders

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In a rare feat of coaching symmetry, Brian Kelly once led two separate universities to victory over the exact same opponent in a single season. This bizarre administrative overlap occurred during a whirlwind transition between Central Michigan and the University of Cincinnati.

Brian Kelly’s rapid ascent through the coaching ranks led to one of the most peculiar statistical anomalies in college football history. In 2006, after three seasons at Central Michigan where he turned a struggling program into a winner, Kelly accepted the head coaching vacancy at the University of Cincinnati. Due to an unusual move by Cincinnati, Kelly was asked to assume his duties immediately, even coaching their bowl game while much of his staff remained behind at Central Michigan.

The symmetry manifested in the 2006 season: Central Michigan defeated Western Michigan 31–7 earlier that year. When Kelly took over as head coach of the Bearcats, he led them to a 27–24 victory over Western Michigan in the International Bowl on January 6, 2007. This gave him the unique distinction of defeating the same team twice in one season while serving as their head coach at two different institutions.

Kelly's career is defined by such high-stakes transitions and rapid successes. He later moved to Notre Dame in 2010, where he led the Fighting Irish to a 12–0 regular season in 2012—the first time the team was ranked #1 in the BCS rankings since 1993. However, that historic run was eventually vacated by the NCAA in 2016 following a discovery of impermissible help provided by an athletic trainer to eight players.

From his early days winning consecutive Division II National Championships at Grand Valley State (2002–2003) to his tenure at LSU, Kelly has navigated complex administrative landscapes. Whether it was managing the 75 percent NCAA graduation rate success at Cincinnati or navigating the safety violations that led to a $77,500 fine at Notre Dame, his career illustrates the volatile intersection of sports, leadership, and institutional policy.

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