There have been several “Coach” McKelveys in sport. One of the longest serving coaches was an Episcopal cleric, Richard, known as Dick, who as well as being a university teacher was a sporting author and varsity coach.
Dick’s passion for sporting memorabilia developed in his childhood and he left behind him a sporting legacy both in the school where he taught and coached, and in eight books on American sport.
He completed his degree in theology at the Episcopal Theological School in 1969, and spent his early years of ministry in Pennsylvania serving as assistant rector at Trinity Church in Swarthmore and as rector for five years at St Peter’s Church in Germantown.
It was then that Dick went to Deerfield Academy where over the course of 36 years he served in various capacities, including Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, Assistant Dean of Students, and Director of Counselling and Treatment services.
Known affectionately as “Rev” on the campus, Dick’s Deerfield years were probably most marked by his love of coaching including basketball and a special 22 years varsity baseball coach. His passion for baseball began as a collector at the age of 14 and ended in efforts even during his illness to complete his eight book as a collector and historian.
While his interest was primarily from a scholarly perspective, he joined the many local fans in cheering on the Red Sox. He was married to Joan for 51 years and they had five children. Dick died at home in Greenfield on July 7, 2009, after a lengthy illness. He had packed a lot of good into his 73 years of life.
Reverend McKelvey Pitches Another One...
The following report from “Deerfield News” of May 2002, gives an indication of the scope of Dick’s interests.
The academy’s own Reverend G. Richard McKelvey, chair of the Philosophy and Religion Department, had his fourth book published this year. However, none of Reverend McKelvey’s books have to do with the subject matter one might assume they would; each of “Rev’s” books has been about his lesser-known passion – baseball.
For It’s One, Two, Three, Four Strikes You’re Out at the Owners’ Ballgame: Players Versus Management in Baseball was published in January by McFarland and Company, and has received glowing reviews since then. As its title states, McKelvey’s book details the long, ongoing struggle between major league baseball players and those who govern them. Or, as reviewer Mike Kallay noted in Street and Smith's 2002 Baseball Annual “The titanic struggle ‘between the haves and the have-mores,’ as the Wall Street Journal once called the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball, respectively.”
Kallay went on to comment, “For It’s One, Two, Three… is a must-read for the serious fan and a good one for the fan who simply is trying to figure out what the hell’s going on in America’s largest unregulated industry…McKelvey’s research is excellent and annotated. The writing is that of a fine, unbiased business journalist.”
Reverend McKelvey’s first book entitled Fisk’s Homer, Willie’s Catch and The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, and was published in 1998, also by McFarland and Company. Another book may be in the works, as McKelvey will probably have more time to write following his retirement from Deerfield at the end of this academic year. He will also hold a book signing during Reunion Weekend, and his books are always available at the academy bookstore.
Bibliography
All Bat, No Glove : A History of the Designated Hitter
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 078641944X (0-7864-1944-X)
The Bounce: Baseball Team's Great Falls and Comebacks
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 078640955X (0-7864-0955-X)
Fisk's Homer, Willie's Catch and the Shot Heard 'Round the World : Classic Moments from Postseason Baseball, 1940-1996
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 0786405155 (0-7864-0515-5)
For It's One, Two, Three, Four Strikes You're Out at the Owners' Ball Game : Players Versus Management in Baseball
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 0786411929 (0-7864-1192-9)
Lost in the Sun : The Comebacks and Comedowns of Major League Ballplayers
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 0786432187 (0-7864-3218-7)
The MacPhails : Baseball's First Family of the Front-Office
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 0786406399 (0-7864-0639-9)
Mexican Raiders in the Major Leagues : The Pasquel Brothers vs. Organized Baseball 1946
by G. Richard McKelvey
Softcover, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, ISBN 0786425636 (0-7864-2563-6)
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