Legendary Bishop Kelly football coach retires. ‘He’s left an indelible mark’ on Idaho
One of the most decorated high school football coaches in Idaho history is hanging up his whistle.
Bishop Kelly’s Tim Brennan informed the Knights of his retirement plans Thursday, ending a 27-year run that saw him build the private Catholic school into one of the state’s premier programs.
Brennan led his alma mater to a 232-61 (.792) record, 13 league titles and six state championships during a pair of stints at the Boise school. His six state titles are the third most for an Idaho football coach since the state playoffs began in 1977.
“I’ve been thinking about it through the last part of the season,” Brennan, 64, said. “Over Thanksgiving, we visited as a family, and I just thought it was time for me to have some extra time with my children and grandkids.
“It was a very difficult decision to make, especially today talking to the team. But I felt like it’s what I needed to do for me and my family.”
The 1977 Bishop Kelly grad took over the Knights in 1992 after 10 seasons as an assistant at Weiser. He quickly built the Knights into a juggernaut, leading the team to its first title and posting the first of four perfect seasons just three years later.
Brennan and the Knights went on to win back-to-back 4A titles in 2004 and ‘05, and then three in a row from 2013 to ‘15. But for all the victories and championship trophies, Brennan said the relationships he built in his 41-year coaching career meant the most.
“The thing that is the most rewarding is when I see on Facebook a former player of mine getting married or becoming a dad,” Brennan said. “The texts and communications I’ve already received from former players and coaches I’ve coached against is overwhelming.
“The stuff on the football field is unbelievable and fun. But it’s more than that. It’s the lifelong relationships you develop with people.”
Emmett coach Rich Hargitt said Brennan’s accomplishments speak for themselves. But he pointed out Brennan was the first one to reach out to him and welcome him to Idaho when he arrived five years ago. Those gestures may not show up in the win-loss columns, but Hargitt said they are the ones that separate him from his peers.
“The only term that can be given to Tim Brennan is icon and grandfather — or father, whichever he prefers,” Hargitt said with a laugh.
“High school football in Idaho would not be where it is without him, and I don’t think it will be the same with him leaving. He’s left an indelible mark that the rest of us can only hope to live up to.”
Combined with stops at Caldwell and West Mifflin High in Pennsylvania, Brennan retires with a career record of 245-85 (.742). But he quickly deflects any credit, pointing to the dedicated students at Bishop Kelly and assistant coaches like George Gamber and Jack Parker who’ve stuck by his side. He’s long emphasized he’s the only coach in Idaho history to ever go 0-10, thanks to a scheduling quirk in his only season at Caldwell.
“I don’t have the words for what Tim has meant to Bishop Kelly, both on and off the field,” Bishop Kelly Athletic Director Tom Shanahan wrote to the Statesman in an email. “It’s been a privilege to watch him in action throughout his illustrious career.
“He has made a transformational impact on Bishop Kelly football, and our athletics program and our school. While he certainly won an incredible number of games, banners and trophies, many have felt his caring ways. It’s the relationships that he develops with his players and coaches that really set him apart. BK football is family to all of them.”
Brennan had a heart attack and open-heart surgery in April. But he said his health had nothing to do with his decision to retire.
“I feel really good,” he said. “That was not necessarily a factor in the decision to give up football, but your perception on life is a little different. It was a very big surprise for me. You’ve just got to appreciate the time you have with the people you have it with.”
Brennan won’t leave Bishop Kelly fully, staying on as the school’s dean of students and assistant athletic director.
“Bishop Kelly is an unbelievable community,” he said Thursday, the sounds of a junior varsity girls basketball game in the background. “The school itself is a strong community, and our football program is a family. There are several kids on this team that I coached their dads and taught their mothers.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 7:53 PM.
