Coach Marion Kelley had a brief but impactful championship football coaching career leading programs at Ackerman, Sturgis, and Weir. Born in Louisville, Coach Kelley graduated from Ackerman High, East Mississippi Junior College at Scooba, Delta State, and Mississippi State. He started his 15-year career in 1955 as an assistant football coach at Ackerman. After one season, Marion was selected as head football coach at Sturgis where he coached until 1958. He arrived at Weir where he would lead the football team for the next 12 years to gridiron success. Coach Kelley led Weir to four Big Black Conference crowns in 1960, 1961, 1965, and 1970. Overall, his football teams captured 106 wins with 44 losses and 2 ties out of 152 games coached for a 68% winning percentage. For his coaching efforts, he was named Big Black Conference Coach of the Year three times and was an All-Star coach in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Classic in 1965. Marion served as Big Black Conference President and was a two-time district president. He was a long standing MAC member who also was councilman for the state legislative district council of the MHSAA. While his coaching career was brief, Coach Kelley spent four decades in education and was a incredible community leader. He had an amazing list of accomplishments off the football field including: PTA, Mississippi Drug Association, Red Red Rose, state textbook adoption committee member, Lions Club, Selective Service Board, member of local fire department, Beta sponsor, Sunday School Superintendent, church elder, Town Civic Club member, economic development group member, 8-year Board of Alderman member, and an honorary deputy sheriff.