CLARION — Jesse Kelley was a football player with nowhere to go.

Having grown up and played high school football in a small town near Jacksonville, Fla., Kelley wanted to continue his career on the gridiron — and prepare for a career afterward.

“But it was all big schools in Florida back then,” Kelley said, referring to the late 1990s. “Florida, Florida State, Miami ... If you couldn’t play at that level, there weren’t too many Division II or III programs around.”

So Kelley went looking. His grandmother lived in Youngstown and Slippery Rock University was coming off a 1999 season that had the football team ranked No. 2 in the country and reaching the Division II playoffs for a third straight season.

The Rock also had a solid exercise science program, which Kelley wanted to study.

“It was the perfect fit for me,” Kelley recalled. “I had no other opportunity to play football. (SRU coach) George Mihalik gave me a chance as a walk-on when no one else would.

“To this day, I’m grateful for that.”

He should be.

Kelley went on to become a four-year starter on defense, a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and a co-captain on the SRU football team. He graduated in 2003 with a degree in exercise science.

Now he’s taken a newly-created position as strength and conditioning coach for all 15 athletic teams at Clarion University — a part-time position — in addition to his duties as branch director of the Clarion County YMCA.

“Clarion University just elevated all of its athletic programs,” Mihalik said. “I applaud them for having the foresight to implement this position.

“As an individual, Jesse’s work ethic and passion for strength and conditioning is unmatched. No one will outwork him at anything he does. I would have hired him to do this at SRU in a heartbeat, in a minute, but that position has never existed at Slippery Rock.”

Working at Clarion wasn’t originally what Kelley had in mind.

“My dream was to become a strength and conditioning coach at the Division I level,” he said. “That required taking internships and graduate assistant roles to gain experience.”

He worked for a year in strength and conditioning with the Air Force Academy before accepting an assistant coaching position under Jay Foster with Clarion University’s football team. Foster had been Kelley’s defensive coordinator at SRU.

After serving as defensive line and strength and conditioning coach at Clarion for three years, Kelley left to become a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Auburn in 2009. He was there when the Tigers won the national championship in 2011.

“That was a miracle season for me, a once in a lifetime thing,” Kelley said. “I had met my fiancee at Clarion and we were in a long-distance relationship while I pursued my dream.”

He wound up following her’s.

The day after Auburn’s national title game win, Kelley flew back to Clarion to begin a new job as branch director of the Clarion County YMCA. Bree Kelley had accepted a position as assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach at Clarion.

With the Clarion YMCA, Kelley teaches a strength and conditioning program for various Clarion High School teams. He helped prepare the Bobcats’ girls volleyball team for a state championship season in 2012. He did strength and conditioning work for the Auburn women’s golf team, which claimed a Southeastern Conference title.

“I thought strength and conditioning coaching was in my rear-view mirror,” Kelley admitted. “My wife and I are very happy in Clarion now. It’s a great community and I’m glad I can do that work right here.”

Current SRU head coach Shawn Lutz recalled working with Kelley when he played at The Rock.

“He was one of those guys with a high motor, always energized,” Lutz said. “To go from being a walk-on to the career he’s put together ... I’m thrilled for him.”

Mihalik said he’s proud of Kelley’s success. “When an individual gets an opportunity and takes advantage of it, this shows how far he can go,” he said.