Paqui Kelly is an inspiring figure known for her resilience and strength as a cancer survivor. She is not just the wife of LSU football head coach Brian Kelly but a source of inspiration to many.
Although her life is filled with the excitement and challenges of being a college football coach’s wife, her personal battle with cancer and her ability to overcome it showcases her true strength and resilience.
With the help of her husband, Brain, Paqui has also established the Kelly Cares Foundation.
Brian Keith Kelly is a well-known name in American college football coaching. Alongside assisting his wife with an organization, he has his own successful career as a coach.
In 1991, Kelly began his head coaching career at Grand Valley State University, where he achieved remarkable success, including back-to-back NCAA Division II Football Championships in 2002 and 2003.
One of the most notable chapters of Kelly’s coaching career was his tenure as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.
He held the position from 2010 to 2021, leading the team to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game and appearing in the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020.
In 2022, Brian Kelly took on a new challenge as the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU).
Brian Kelly’s Wife, Paqui Kelly, Is A Cancer Survivor
Brain Kelly’s wife, Paqui, whose birth name is Francisca Barbara, was born on February 9, 1966, and has Spanish ancestry.
Paqui is a cancer survivor, and her battle with cancer started in December 2002 during her husband Brian Kelly’s championship celebration at Grand Valley State University.
At that time, she underwent her first mammogram, which showed two small cysts.
Even though there was no family history of breast cancer and the cysts seemed harmless initially, she kept an eye on them.
In June 2003, she had a procedure to remove what seemed like benign cysts. Unexpectedly, the biopsy revealed she had breast cancer.
This was the beginning of her fight against cancer, a journey that lasted about five months and involved surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Then, in December 2006, she faced another devastating diagnosis: a more aggressive form of cancer.
With the support of her loved ones and her deep faith, Paqui once again beat the cancer in August of the following year.
Married Life And Kids
Paqui first crossed paths with Brian Kelly during his tenure as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State University.
At that time, she was working as a high school teacher. Their connection blossomed, leading to their marriage in 1994.
Brian Kelly and his wife, Paqui, are parents to three children: Patrick, Kenzel, and Grace.
Patrick, the eldest, graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where his father coached the football team during his time there.
Grace, the couple’s only daughter, attended Boston College, where she played lacrosse and later pursued a career in marketing.
Kenzel, the youngest and the second son, also attended the University of Notre Dame and followed in his brother’s footsteps by playing football under his father’s coaching.
The Kelly family has a strong connection to sports, and each of the children has pursued their own path.
