Kelly gets a second shot
Twoweeks after his firing by the Eagles, coach has newgig.
santa clara, calif. » Chip Kelly is the offensive- minded, experienced head coach the San Francisco 49ers have long sought, and now he needs to win— right away.
The 49ers hired the former Eagles coach onThursday, finding the leader that team CEO Jed York is counting on to turn things around for his onceproud franchise.
Kelly faces the daunting challenge of transforming the 49ers into immediate contenders again.
“We are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers,” York said in a news release. “Chip has a proven track record at both the college and NFL levels that speaks for itself. We believe strongly that he is the right man to get this team back to competing for championships. I look forward to watching Trent ( Baalke, the 49ers’ general manager) and Chip work closely to build a team that will make us proud.”
Kelly, who had personnel control with the Eagles and frustrated some of his players, won’t be introduced at a news conference until next week at Levi’s Stadium because of scheduling conflicts and Kelly working to immediately build his staff.
“As one of the most historic franchises in theNational Football League, I realize the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead,” Kelly said in a news release.“My immediate focus is to build the best coaching staff possible, one that will maximize the abilities of each of our players and put us in the best position to win football games.”
Kelly, who coached at theUniversity of Oregon before his stop with the Eagles, replaces fired 49ers coach Jim Tomsula, promoted from his defensive line duties last January to succeed JimHarbaugh before going 5- 11 — a move that Baalke said this month wound up being the wrong one, in hindsight.
With his 26 years of coaching experience, Kelly emerged as the favorite among several candidates, including former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.