Notre Dame Football: 5 Funniest Things Brian Kelly Ever Said

Brian Kelly, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach, can be as serious as a heart attack when he wants to be, but on occasion, he shows his players, the media and fans alike his lighter side.

He has even been known to crack a few jokes.

So, what are some of the funniest things that Coach Kelly has ever said?

Kelly has had fun with reporters over Tony Pike's need to study Spanish. He has tried his hand as a stand-up comedian at a charity event. He has make a few comments about his team that (although some were funnier than others).

And the Irish head coach even made a joke about all the fuss made over his story when he got the job at Notre Dame.

Only in Spanish?

"So, eh, if you guys have any questions, he will answer them only in Spanish for the next 48 hours."

After detailing the status of Tony Pike post surgery, Brian Kelly went on to tell the media how the former Cincinnati quarterback needed to study for his Spanish class in order to fulfill his graduation requirements.

Coach Kelly stated that Pike would only be answering questions in Spanish.

Afterward, Kelly specifically addressed one reporter and asked him, "Denny, did you hear me?"

The reporter simply remarked, "Sí." 

Stand-Up Comedian Brian Kelly

“I had a steak named after me at The Precinct. It was 12 ounces, and I thought that was fitting for someone who went 12-0," Kelly joked to the crowd. "But I’m no longer on the menu… So Jeff and I cut a deal. He said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do for you. How about if I cut Butch Jones’ and Marvin’s steak down to 4 ounces, since they only won four games?’ ”

According to CBS, at an event to benefit charity for cancer, Brian Kelly returned to Cincinnati to partake in a comedy roast of Jeff Ruby, one of the most well-known restaurateurs in the city.  

Kelly didn't just use the time to pick on Ruby, but instead chose to poke fun at his University of Cincinnati successor, Butch Jones, and Marvin Lewis, head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Coach Kelly made light of the the two's struggles. He pointed out that both coaches won just four games that year, and Ruby offered to make their steaks smaller than the one named after Kelly because of it.

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Wow! That Was Stupid.

"You can see the players that I have recruited, you know who they are."

Considering the best player on offense in Michael Floyd and the best player on defense in Manti Te'o weren't recruited by Brian Kelly, let's just say frustration got the better of Coach after the loss to USC in 2011.

I won't attempt to say that this was very funny. The only thing that was hilarious about it was that Coach Kelly actually thought it would be some form of motivation (or at least he passed it off as such).

Well, Te'o was certainly motivated by the comments. He was motivated enough to tweet, "Playing for my bros and that's it!!!"

Luckily for Kelly, he didn't completely sever the relationship. Te'o is returning to the team for his senior season in 2012.

We Need to Get Better

 "You mean positively? Because we could go about 20 minutes with the negative."

ESPN documented Brian Kelly's frustration in his first year with the team when the Fighting Irish were not where he wanted them to be during spring practice.

While his comments about the team weren't meant to be funny, they were certainly telling that he doesn't have a problem holding back how he feels about a particular issue, especially when it comes to his team's performance.

When asked if anyone on the team had surprised him so far, Kelly remarked with the quote above.

To his credit, as time progressed, he began to see improvement and let the media know about it accordingly.

No Daydreams About Notre Dame

"I did not sit in my office and doodle the ND monogram as I was preparing for game after game."

When Brian Kelly decided to take the job as the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, fans learned about how he had always followed and admired the football team at Notre Dame.

Was Kelly extremely excited about getting the job? Absolutely.

However, he isn't the type to fantasize non-stop about how he would look in the blue and gold one day.

In fact, he made light of the way the media played up just how much he desired to get the coaching job in South Bend. After answering questions about his background and journey to becoming the team's head honcho, the reply above ensued.