Normally private, Niners coach Chip Kelly opens up about his late father

When the San Francisco 49ers played the Chicago Bears last Sunday, head coach Chip Kelly was on the sidelines with a heavy heart: his father, Paul, had died just two days earlier. Kelly told reporters after the loss that he coached the game because his mother wanted him to.

This week, after returning home from his father’s funeral in Portland, Maine, the notoriously private Kelly opened up a bit to reporters about his father, a former trial lawyer who had studied in a seminary and lived in Japan for three years before going to law school.

Even though Paul Kelly was born and raised in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood and lived in New Hampshire for years, and even though Chip Kelly has been with the 49ers for less than a year, he was buried in a San Francisco sweatsuit.

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“My dad’s loyal,” Kelly told reporters. “He knew where his son was.”

He also was funny: Paul Kelly’s obituary mentioned the family rules he taught to his four sons, including Chip:

Rule #1 – Have fun!
Rule #2 – Stick together!
Rule #3 – Love Mom! and
Rule #4 – &%$*# Dad!

Though Paul Kelly was 87 when he died, Chip was still shaken by the loss, and admitted it was tough to return to work on Tuesday night.

“I don’t think you can really be prepared for it,” Kelly said. “I know it’s the first impactful one in my life. … It’s what you have to do and I think that’s how you honor them is to move on. And think about the good times and gain strength from that, to be honest with you.”

Kelly mentioned his father’s loyalty, something he inherited. When Kelly’s old job at Oregon opened up recently, there were questions about whether the Ducks would try to lure Kelly back to Eugene. But Kelly has a firm personal rule: he won’t explore other job opportunities during a season when he’s employed.

“Everybody knows: If you want to contact me, there is no contact,” Kelly said. “I’m not talking to anybody about any other job. I have a job. And it’s one thing I did learn from my dad: I have a commitment. They made a commitment to me. I made a commitment to them. I’m not searching around looking for other jobs when I have a job.

“I have a job to take care of. I would be disingenuous and wouldn’t be loyal to the players that I coach. And those are the most important people I deal with on a daily basis. I talk to them about making sacrifices all the time.”

When he was at Oregon, Kelly would not talk to NFL teams until the Ducks’ season was over.

“I went to a bowl game and I refused to talk to anyone until the bowl game was over,” Kelly said. “And if that doesn’t fit your schedule, then I’m just not your guy. So I don’t know why a college question would ever come up with me because I would never leave my players before the season ended. … So, hopefully, you guys won’t ever have to ask the question again.”

Kelly also praised the York family, owners of the 49ers, for doing everything possible for him to fly home briefly before the game against Chicago, and then again after.