Chip Kelly saves high school quarterback’s job by retaining longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach

It's not always easy to please Philadelphia fans, but Chip Kelly's decision to retain longtime Eagles assistant coach Ted Williams kept one local town pretty happy.

With the new Eagles head coach's determination to keep Andy Reid's former running backs coach on as a tight ends coach on his staff, Williams' son Dan will return for his senior season as the starting quarterback at Timber Creek (Erial, N.J.) High.

"I love my dad, and he always has given me very good confidence in myself, and I am happy to be able to stay here," Dan told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He's had a job with the Eagles my entire life, and it's been a great team and I have loved every moment."

Ted Williams originally joined the Eagles staff as a tight ends coach under Ray Rhodes in 1995, making him the longest tenured coach in franchise history. He spent 16 seasons as the team's running backs coach, recently developing Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy.

His son, however, played quarterback this past season for Timber Creek, about a half-hour from Philadelphia. Despite starting the season as the team's third-string QB, Dan Williams completed 97-of-130 attempts for 1,360 yards and 13 touchdowns against only three interceptions, according to the story by Inquirer columnist Marc Narducci.

"He went through some tough times being the third-string quarterback," Ted told the paper, "but his confidence stayed strong and he continued to work and exhibit to the coaches he was willing to work no matter what it took."

Remarkably, Dan led the Chargers (10-2) to New Jersey's Group IV South sectional title this past fall, completing 15-of-18 passes for 255 yards and five touchdowns in a 57-27 win over Kingsway (Woolwich Township, N.J.) High. No wonder everybody in his Jersey community kept asking Dan Williams if his father was staying put in Philly.

"I give him all the credit because he handled it probably as well as any 16-year-old can do," Ted explained to Narducci. "When people kept asking, 'What is your father going to do?,' he never once wilted."

Dan also earned all-conference honors as a sophomore pitcher and third baseman last spring on the varsity baseball team, according to the story.

"Danny kept pushing and kept getting better and studied so much film and really got a good grasp of what we were doing," Timber Creek football coach Rob Hinson told the Inquirer. "Nobody will outwork him."

Chip Kelly can only hope the same is true of his father.

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.