20/20 Interview with Ken Kelly
This week, the man, the myth, the legend, Ken Kelly chimed in to give you, the readers, a peek behind the scenes. Well worth the few minutes it takes to read. Enjoy!
Where are you from?
For anyone who has read the Dynasty Aftermath series, you know I’m from the mean streets of Carrolls, Washington. A town where you could ride your bike to school until my friend found a dead person in a culvert while looking for a bouncy ball.
What do you do for your regular job?
I am a Member Experience Manager for a Credit Union, a Co-Owner / Sr. Partner / Founder here at DLF, a High School Basketball Coach and a Dad.
What is the worst job you have ever had?
All of the above. Kidding.
My worst job was easily at H&I Grocery. I was only 16 and it was my first job. It ended with me attempting to jump up and grab a five pound can of Stagg Chili and having it fall off the shelf and knock me unconscious.
I will say the worst part of any job was when I volunteered to help on a United Way Day of Caring, was sent to clean a house of a hoarder and found a dead cat in the refrigerator.
What is the best job you have ever had?
I love all my current ones. I really do. I get to help Credit Union members save money and realize their dreams and they even let me be the resident game show host. I love DLF and everything it represents. I love coaching young men. I love being a husband and a Dad. I complain a lot, but really don’t have much to complain about.
What do you consider your dream job?
Realistically, I consider myself fortunate. However, if I could ever reach the college basketball coaching ranks, I’d love it. I also have one year of eligibility left, so I could easily be a 45 year old player / coach.
How long have you been in the industry?
In 2006, Ken Moody, Jeff Haverlack and I were watching football at Jeff’s house. We had been in our existing dynasty league since 2003. We were complaining about the lack of information on dynasty leagues available for consumption.
We stopped and looked around.
Moody is a web developer, I love to write and Jeff loves everything when it comes to business. We mapped out our thoughts on the back of a pizza box, then secured a URL the next week. Shortly after, DLF was born.
How did you get your break into fantasy football?
I guess you could say I made my own on that pizza box. I consider myself incredibly fortunate. Over the years, we’ve surrounded ourselves with countless amazing individuals, added two more partners in Eric Dickens and Ryan McDowell and have all worked hard to create a pretty amazing community.
What tool do you use the most on DLF?
I’d say the Trade Analyzer is likely the one I use the most. It was something that took a long time for us to build and I use it a lot just to make sure it’s what always doing what we want amd am constantly looking for ways to improve it.
What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?
I’m a big fan of the FantasyPros site and their great tools. Plus, they’re really good people and that’s important to me when I consider who I want to support.
Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?
Well, I had James Robinson on all of my dynasty rosters early in the Spring and most folks know that if they read my work this year. I know that sounds shameless, but I’ve missed on a lot of players as well. However, my biggest hit has to be Arian Foster. I thought he had a chance in Houston and boy, did he help win me a lot of games during his run.
Who was your biggest whiff?
I’ve done this for a long time and I have as many whiffs as hits, that’s for sure. I have to say one really bad one stands out, though – the 2017 rookie draft.
One of the challenges you have when you help run a site is you tend to get immersed in information overload. I had picks #2 and #5 in one of my leagues and was set to take Dalvin Cook…then I overanalyzed his combine workout. Leonard Fournette went first, so I took Corey Davis second, convinced he was going to be a WR1 for the next decade. Some guy named Christian McCaffrey went third and Joe Mixon went fourth.
As I was sitting there with the fifth pick, the player I had previously pegged as the best in the draft was still on the board. The team below me was from San Diego and I wanted to walk away with Davis, Cook, and Mike Williams. He wouldn’t trade me the 6th pick until I made my selection – I took Williams just KNOWING he wanted him. He gladly took his target, Dalvin Cook, with the next pick.
It’s a study for any dynasty owner – trust your gut and don’t get cute.
What is the worst trade you have made?
A couple of years ago, I thought I could make a run and traded a future #1 and #2 for AJ Green. Not only did Green miss the entire season, he came back this year as a shell of himself. Those two picks I traded? Well, those ended up being JK Dobbins and Brandon Aiyuk. That one stings a little.
What is the best trade you have made?
In 2004, an upstart running back named Domanick Davis (later Williams) was doing great for the Texans, so I traded him along with some smaller pieces in exchange for a backup Chiefs running back who was “still in diapers” (Larry Johnson) and some guy named Steven Jackson.
Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?
All of our folks here at DLF. I know it’s a shameless plug, but still…
…and the person who posted this below:
Who is your favorite NFL team?
Seattle Seahawks
I used to collect the player posters from Pietro’s Pizza as a kid. I loved Jacob Green, Dave Krieg, and Steve Largent. I got the pleasure of meeting Curt Warner (not Kurt Warner, the OG Warner) last year and it was tremendous. For those of you who don’t know his post-football story, I invite you to read it. He’s a tremendous human being and someone I love to support.
Who is your favorite college football team?
The University of Washington
One of my former co-workers played on the National Championship team and I was a season ticket holder for a number of years. I actually own the motorhome the Locker family used to use for tailgaiting up on Montlake before games. It has a keg tube that runs out the back and a 400-can cooler. It’s pretty fun!
Who was your favorite player growing up?
I’ve mentioned all those former Seahawks, but until someone better comes along, I’ll always say Barry Sanders is the best running back of all-time. Put him on Dallas during those years and he’d have the all-time record. Emmitt Smith is a Hall of Fame player, but Sanders is the best I’ve seen. A close second for my favorite player is easily Bo Jackson. To me, he’s still the greatest athlete who ever lived.
Who is your favorite player of all time?
See above.
What other hobbies or passions do you have outside of fantasy football?
Coaching basketball is a huge passion of mine. I soured on the AAU circuit. While there are a lot of tremendous players and coaches at the AAU level, I see way too much belittling, self-esteem erosion and selfish behavior and it’s not good for kids. I was fortunate enough to latch on with our local high school program and have never looked back. When you’re a coach of young men, your job is to teach them how to be accountable, responsible and dependable – life skills that mean something moving forward. We teach them the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back and I’ve made some amazing relationships with student athletes over the past six years – they give me back as much as I give them at times.
What are some of your favorite movies?
Anything STAR WARS. I’ll also give you my favorite scenes from a few others:
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE BELOW
Who are some of your favorite bands?
Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Bon Jovi, Boston, anything “Yacht Rock,” Outkast, Fleetwood Mac, Lady Gaga…I was a roller rink DJ, so I love most anything.
Anything else you want to share?
I just want to sincerely thank all of those who have contributed to the success of DLF through the years. It’s a labor of love for us and a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, but it’s worth it to bring our community the best dynasty content on Planet Earth and I believe the entire galaxy.
