Kellar hits the ground running as Wooster’s new AD
For Andy Kellar, it was time and the timing was right.
When Wooster High School athletic director (AD) Keri Hamsher stepped down at the beginning of July, it was a position that had to be filled quickly. In Kellar, the Generals found someone with both roots in athletics and the business world, as well as local interests.
Kellar was given a one-year contract July 25 and his first official day on the job was August 1, the day fall sports officially opened at Wooster and throughout the state.
“This was an opportunity to get back to where I belong,” said Kellar. “I had a few other inquires over the past two to three years to be AD at their schools, but I didn’t feel the opportunity was right for me. Wooster, though, is a great opportunity. It was a combination of the community, the schools and the incredible facilities. I just felt it was the right opportunity to transition back into athletics.”
Kellar is a 1988 graduate of Cloverleaf High School, where he “played everything. Each season I was playing something,” he said, although he ultimately focused on tennis.
“I played basketball until my junior year and played football through my junior year,” he said. “It wasn’t as concentrated as far as it is now with one-sport athletes. I didn’t play baseball because I played on a travel baseball team in the summer. I played on as many as I could. In my junior year I felt I had to choose a sport to go to next level, where I focused on tennis. I wanted to go to next level … I could have played baseball in college. I had a choice and I chose tennis.”
Kellar played tennis and club volleyball at Baldwin-Wallace before he graduated in 1992 with a degree in sociology. He worked as a child care and social worker before leaving for Black River High School, where he was athletic director for the Pirates for three years. He left there in 1999 to re-enter the private sector.
“I owned the Seville Pantry, a convenient store in downtown Seville and … moved on from that to a Nextel store in Medina,” said Kellar. “When Sprint bought Nextel, when that merger occurred, I left that business. At that point, I traveled a bit and then took a job with Verizon.”
That job is now behind him, but just as the wireless giant is about communication, Kellar sees that as an important first part of his new position. One of his first initiatives is to meet with his coaches to get a sense of their programs and what they need.
“There is so much time and hours involved being an AD,” said Kellar. “I am not married and have no kids, so that’s not an obstruction.
“We have 23 sports, which is a lot. Fortunately we are able to offer those and have the feeder systems to support them. I’ll have a vision for each sport once I get in here and talk with the coaches. Once I get an opportunity to see where we are at, we can build a strategy. I’m certainly looking forward to the rivalry between Wooster and Orrville. That’s good for both schools and both communities.
“I want to get out and see all 23 sports personally. Time is not an issue,” he added. “I want to be as many places as I can. I look forward to ending a day with an event and I look forward to watching the kids compete, the coaches coach and the ups-and-downs that go along with competition.”
When Wooster High School athletic director (AD) Keri Hamsher stepped down at the beginning of July, it was a position that had to be filled quickly. In Kellar, the Generals found someone with both roots in athletics and the business world, as well as local interests.
Kellar was given a one-year contract July 25 and his first official day on the job was August 1, the day fall sports officially opened at Wooster and throughout the state.
“This was an opportunity to get back to where I belong,” said Kellar. “I had a few other inquires over the past two to three years to be AD at their schools, but I didn’t feel the opportunity was right for me. Wooster, though, is a great opportunity. It was a combination of the community, the schools and the incredible facilities. I just felt it was the right opportunity to transition back into athletics.”
Kellar is a 1988 graduate of Cloverleaf High School, where he “played everything. Each season I was playing something,” he said, although he ultimately focused on tennis.
“I played basketball until my junior year and played football through my junior year,” he said. “It wasn’t as concentrated as far as it is now with one-sport athletes. I didn’t play baseball because I played on a travel baseball team in the summer. I played on as many as I could. In my junior year I felt I had to choose a sport to go to next level, where I focused on tennis. I wanted to go to next level … I could have played baseball in college. I had a choice and I chose tennis.”
Kellar played tennis and club volleyball at Baldwin-Wallace before he graduated in 1992 with a degree in sociology. He worked as a child care and social worker before leaving for Black River High School, where he was athletic director for the Pirates for three years. He left there in 1999 to re-enter the private sector.
“I owned the Seville Pantry, a convenient store in downtown Seville and … moved on from that to a Nextel store in Medina,” said Kellar. “When Sprint bought Nextel, when that merger occurred, I left that business. At that point, I traveled a bit and then took a job with Verizon.”
That job is now behind him, but just as the wireless giant is about communication, Kellar sees that as an important first part of his new position. One of his first initiatives is to meet with his coaches to get a sense of their programs and what they need.
“There is so much time and hours involved being an AD,” said Kellar. “I am not married and have no kids, so that’s not an obstruction.
“We have 23 sports, which is a lot. Fortunately we are able to offer those and have the feeder systems to support them. I’ll have a vision for each sport once I get in here and talk with the coaches. Once I get an opportunity to see where we are at, we can build a strategy. I’m certainly looking forward to the rivalry between Wooster and Orrville. That’s good for both schools and both communities.
“I want to get out and see all 23 sports personally. Time is not an issue,” he added. “I want to be as many places as I can. I look forward to ending a day with an event and I look forward to watching the kids compete, the coaches coach and the ups-and-downs that go along with competition.”
Published: August 3, 2011
