By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor Football is a cornerstone of the college experience. There is no greater tradition than students coming together to show pride in their team. Through every triumph and disappointment, Framingham State is no different. In the midst of the annual Homecoming Weekend festivities, students, alumni, and their families gathered on a blustery afternoon at Bowditch Field to watch their home team face off against Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the Kelley Cup. The Kelley Cup is one element of the growing legacy of Framingham’s Director of Athletics Thomas Kelley, affectionately known around campus as ‘TK.’ TK began his time in the athletic department as a student-athlete and graduated with the Class of ’76. He returned to coach and recruit before ultimately becoming head coach of the football team and working his way up to the director of athletics position. In 2007, when the yearly contest between Framingham State and Mass. Maritime became a showdown between TK and his son, Mike Kelley, the Kelley Cup was born. The Kelley Cup was officially inaugurated into the Homecoming program in 2009 after the sports information director at Mass. Maritime decided to make it an annual game Framingham hosts. Mike Kelley has created his own long-lasting legacy on the other side of the field that mirrors his father’s. He is an alumnus of Mass. Maritime and is now director of athletics, head baseball coach, and assistant football coach for his alma mater. To top it off, Mike Kelley’s son, Ty Kelley, is now a freshman receiver playing for Framingham State under the guidance of his grandfather, TK. This game marked three generations of Kelleys on the field. “[Ty] adds another layer. We were talking because his brother's a junior in high school, and he's probably leaning more toward Mass. Maritime, so that’ll be another layer,” TK said. He said his family always comes to watch the game - everyone from his 86-year-old mother-in-law to the three-year-old kids. Ty Kelley said, “The legacy means a lot to me and it’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of. Being the third generation in the Kelley Cup was awesome. It was cool having my dad on one side and my grandfather on the other.” He added that football has always been a part of his family and “having a game named after us is of great meaning to all of us.” TK said, “It's become part of the fabric of our family. … When I first started [coaching], I would have never dreamt of coaching against my son, [or] having my grandson play for me. I would have never ever thought of the longevity, but I just think it's special. There are not a lot of people who can say what I say. I coached my sons, I coached against them, and now I'm coaching my grandson.” TK’s office is adorned with memorabilia from his years at Framingham State and photos of his family - a physical time capsule of all he has accomplished. Sitting behind his desk, he laughed as he recalled his favorite Kelley Cup in 2013. “There was one in particular that I'll always remember. Mass. Maritime had one of the top offenses in the country that year, and they were coming in here and they were scoring 60 points a game,” he said. He said that year, Homecoming Weekend fell during the week of Halloween, and the Boston Red Sox had just won the World Series. “We had a lot of distractions. It was the worst week of practice I can remember,” he said. On the day of the game, one of the buses that was going to shuttle the team to the field failed to show up, making the team late to the game. The game also happened to be Senior Day for the team, creating another delay. Because of the hold-up, the officials wanted to start the game with a delay-of-game penalty against Framingham. “You can't script a worse scenario than what we had. My in-laws are there rooting against me because of [Mike]. At the time, I had my youngest son coaching with me, and it was just one of those crazy, crazy games,” he said. TK added that even though Mass. Maritime had the number one offense in the country, “We were probably the number three defense in the country.” He said that despite all the setbacks, the score was 51-12 in favor of Framingham at halftime. “My mother was fighting with my mother-in-law,” he recalled. “Our kids rose to the occasion. I thought we were in deep trouble just because of the way we practiced that week and all the distractions, but we prevailed that year,” he said. Framingham secured the Cup with a final score of 58-12. “My son didn't talk to me until after Christmas,” TK said. Framingham held the cup trophy for 15 consecutive years and lost it for the first time this year since they lost the first Kelley Cup game in 2007. TK said his players are always excited to win the Cup and losing it this year was tough on the team. “It was bound to happen, but you're never ready for it,” he said. Mass. Maritime won in spectacular fashion this year, beating Framingham 21-6. Mike Kelley said the win marks his favorite Kelley Cup to date. “It's just an incredible feeling - finally getting over the hump. … It’s very sweet,” he added. “It’s pretty special to be a coach, to have these players pulling for you and recognizing how important it is for everybody involved, and what a special game it is,” he said. He said the addition of his son Ty added to the experience of the game. “It’s definitely mixed emotions, but when my son was growing up, he knew that nothing was going to come easily and that nothing was going to be given to him. [The family] are all competitive people, and we all want to win in the end. So it was a special, special game. “I really didn't think about it until the game how really rare this is to have three generations all involved with a game … on different sides. I don't know if this has ever happened before. That's how really rare and special it is,” Mike Kelley said. He added that when his youngest son, Drew, commits to playing football at Mass. Maritime, “We're going to even this thing out. It's going to be two and two. That'll be fun if that does come to fruition.” He hopes his sons recognize the value of loyalty and giving back to their schools from the examples set by both himself and their grandfather. “We're giving back to the schools that gave us everything,” Mike Kelley said. “My dad has been my coach my whole life even if he wasn’t on my sideline. My goals are to keep growing and increasing my love for the game,” Ty Kelley said. Despite the memories of Kelley Cups past, TK said, “The favorite Kelley Cup is always the next one.” Framingham has struggled this year after a long period of success, winning 10 MASCAC Championships in the past 17 years. “We're such a young team … but as long as we're getting better every week - we still have three games to go. The goal is to win next week and put [the Kelley Cup loss] behind us as fast as we can. “One of the things that I talk to the guys about is failure. Failure is not a bad thing. … It's what you do with failure. It's a life lesson. When you go out in the real world, you're going to face failures - it's what you do with it,” he said. TK said his coaching philosophy has never changed. While winning is important, he said the most important thing is “doing it the right way.” “I always tell [the players] that academics are first and foremost, and you can't have football without the academic piece, but this is the best part of your life. … The four or five years you're here, you should be the having the most fun you've ever had, and I think they'll get there,” he said. “I think the great thing about athletics and the great thing about football is there's a lot of life lessons involved. It's hard, especially with football. You play once a week, and you have five days to practice, and I tell the guys, if this were easy, everybody would do it. I hope at the end of their career, they look back, and they take something away from it,” he added. TK said Homecoming is special because alumni come back and share stories about how the football program changed their lives. “If I change one student-athlete’s life, then I think I've accomplished a whole lot. … The core of what I do is never going to change. It's been the same since 1978, when I first started coaching. “We've had a lot of success. If you look back at the last 15 years, we've been one of the most successful football programs in New England, if not in the East. I'm a pretty simple guy, and the one thing I tell people is to surround yourself with good people, and good things will happen. I think I've done that,” he said. Framingham football is back in action at home against Plymouth State University Nov. 2, one of three games left before they close out their season at home against Worcester State University Nov. 16.