There was a pep rally type of atmosphere inside the Terwilliger Center on Tuesday afternoon as newly appointed Navy athletic director Michael Kelly was formally introduced to the people he will now lead.

The majority of Naval Academy Athletic Association employees gathered within the Akerson Theater to hear a farewell address from outgoing athletic director Chet Gladchuk and welcome remarks from his replacement.

Gladchuk, who has retired after 24 years as Navy athletic director, said 23 candidates interviewed for the position. He noted that many were current athletic directors in good situations that considered the Naval Academy a step up.

As president of the Naval Academy Athletic Association, Gladchuk engaged the search firm Turnkey to assist with the process. Turnkey was represented by Chad Chatlos, a 1993 graduate of the Naval Academy and captain of the 1992 Navy football team.

“Chad worked with me step by step to discover the gentleman we have with us today — Michael Kelly,” Gladchuk said. “As we got closer to a decision, it became clearer and clearer that there was one individual that stood out amongst all. Mike’s background is extraordinary and he’s done everything. He’s a man who has great confidence, great humility and will be a beacon for all to follow.”

Gladchuk told his wife Kathy that there would be no transition period with Kelly taking over leadership of the Naval Academy Athletic Association.

“It’s a plug-and-play. We’re going to plug Mike in and it’s going to work and Navy athletics is going to continue to flourish,” Gladchuk said. “He’s going to motivate you and energize you in a way to push you to higher levels.”

Gladchuk, 75, presented Kelly with a Navy jersey bearing the No. 29, a nod to the fact that Kelly is the 29th athletic director in Navy history. He is only the third civilian athletic director at the academy, joining Gladchuk and Jack Lengyel.

“Michael has been a bull, but now he’s a goat,” Gladchuk said, referencing Kelly’s previous tenure as the athletic director for the University of South Florida Bulls.

Kelly, 54, was accompanied Tuesday afternoon by his wife Lisa and daughters Cara and Seana. Also in attendance were his parents and brother. Kelly’s father, Dennis, is a 1967 Naval Academy graduate and served two tours in Vietnam as a surface warfare officer.

When Dennis Kelly was stationed in Annapolis as an officer working in the Naval Academy physical education department, the family lived in Eastport. After Dennis retired from the United States Navy, the family moved to Washington and Michael Kelly attended St. John’s College High, where he played basketball for legendary coach Joe Gallagher.

During his entire career in athletic administration, Kelly has considered president of the Naval Academy Athletic Association a dream job. He’s served in a wide range of roles within the business, most recently as athletic director at South Florida for seven years.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be here. What I’ve observed my whole life about the people of NAAA — you all do things the right way,” Kelly told the audience gathered in the newest addition to Ricketts Hall.

“All I would ask you to do right now is to go through a sense of renewal with me to kind of look at things with a brand new enjoyment of the greatness of this institution. We work at an amazing place, so pinch yourself every time you walk into this building.”

Kelly’s first official day as athletic director was Monday and his focus has been on meeting as many people associated with the Naval Academy as possible while also taking time to speak with donors, sponsors and supporters. He hopes to meet personally with every employee of the Naval Academy Athletic Association over the next month or so.

“It’s important to get to every staff member at every level to hear what they feel their role is and figure out how we can maximize their efficiency of that role and get the most out of every person with the NAAA,” he said.

Gladchuk came aboard as Navy athletic director in early September 2001 and soon coined a catchphrase that became the department’s mission and mantra: “Expect to win.” Listening to Kelly, it appears that motto will continue as he said “I love the concept.”

Kelly told the NAAA employees it was the duty of everyone to live up to the standard set by Gladchuk, while constantly striving to elevate even further. He believes the current era of college athletics — with name, image and likeness (NIL), salary caps and the transfer portal — provides a service academy like Navy with an opportunity to highlight how it does things differently.

“When everyone else is worried about me, we have to find ways to continue to worry about we,” Kelly said. “I’m humbled and honored to be here. Let’s earn the right to be confident and let’s expect to win.”

Kelly’s tenure as Navy athletic director actually began Sunday with a thorough tour of the academy facilities — whether athletic, academic or military. He was asked to comment specifically about the state of the academy’s athletic facilities.

“They’re extraordinary. I would say there are facilities that already exist here at the Naval Academy that others are trying to build and emulate. That is one of our strengths,” he said. “I’m also impressed that we continue to have great plans for some improvements for the future.”

Chatlos, from Turnkey, attended the event and told The Capital that there has long been great interest in the Naval Academy athletic director position.

Several current athletic directors would ask Chatlos when Gladchuk was going to retire while expressing a desire to be considered as the replacement.

Chatlos said athletic directors at civilization institutions were especially interested in going to a service academy because of the changing landscape of college athletics since “this is one of the places that still has the purity of amateur athletics.”

When Gladchuk finally called to report his retirement plans and jump-start the search for a replacement, the first question Chatlos asked was: What exactly are you looking for? It turns out that Gladchuk had already figured that out and provided a general profile.

“I think Chet was looking for someone in his mold, someone who had been in the chair and understood the job holistically. More importantly, he wanted a person that had some tie to the Naval Academy and knew what the institution was all about,” Chatlos said. “After spending 24 years building (the department), Chet knew how special Navy Athletics was. This is his baby. He didn’t want to bring in someone who would stain it in any way.”

As a Naval Academy graduate, Chatlos acknowledged this search was different than any he’s previously conducted. Naturally, he was personally invested and felt pressure to deliver a top-notch candidate.

Gladchuk kept Chatlos focused by repeatedly saying that he was not asking for his opinion as a search firm executive, but rather as a former Navy football captain. Chatlos believes any of the finalists would have been a great fit for the Naval Academy and done an outstanding job. He was 100% onboard with the hiring of Kelly.

“Rarely do you meet someone that is universally loved and respected. Everyone that I’ve ever interacted with that’s worked with Michael has nothing but respect for him,” Chatlos said.

Dennis Kelly has long been aware of how much his son wanted the Naval Academy athletic director post and said words could not describe how proud he is that Michael achieved that career-long goal.

“I know that Michael is genuinely thrilled and excited about this job; He sees this as an end-of-career opportunity. He’d like to be here at least as long as Chet was,” Dennis Kelly said.

Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.