Tim Kelly, all-time winningest Washington high school boys basketball coach in 4A history, stepping down at Curtis

Kelly won all 581 games in 32 seasons in the WIAA's largest-school classification, winning five career state championships with the Vikings (2013. 2022-23) and Lincoln of Tacoma (2001-02)

Longtime Curtis and Lincoln of Tacoma boys basketball coach Tim Kelly announced Tuesday he is stepping down after 32 seasons - with five Class 4A championships to his name. / Photo by Vince Miller

Tim Kelly, the only coach in state history to win multiple Class 4A boys basketball championships with two different programs, announced Tuesday he is retiring as the Curtis High School coach.

The coach at his alma mater since 2007, Kelly won WIAA championships with the Vikings in 2013, 2022 and 2023. Before that, he captured back-to-back 4A titles with Lincoln of Tacoma in 2001 and 2002.

His five career Class 4A titles is tied with Garfield's Al Hairston for most in Washington state history.

Known as a rigid disciplinarian whose teams played lockdown defense, Kelly spent a combined 32 seasons at the two schools, winning a total of 581 games (including 361 wins in 18 seasons at Curtis), which is No. 1 solely coaching in 4A - and ranks No. 8 overall all-time in Washington boys coaching history.

In total, his teams made 22 state tournament appearances during his tenure.

In 2009, Kelly became the youngest inductee to the WIBCA hall of fame. A year later, he was diagnosed with stage-4 prostate cancer - something he has battled throughout the past 15 years.

"I think it has changed how I perceive things and look at things," Kelly said in a 2019 interview for his induction into the Tacoma/Pierce County hall of fame.

Kelly is coming off his one of the worst seasons in his nearly three decades as the Vikings went 11-13 and were eliminated during the bi-district playoffs in February.

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