The Kentucky Derby brings out all sorts of celebrities, and you can add Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey to that list for the 150th edition of the Run for the Roses.
Kelsey, who was named the successor to Kenny Payne on March 28, posted on X — formerly known as Twitter — that he was taking in Saturday’s day of racing at Churchill Downs with his wife, Lisa. No better way to get integrated into Kentucky sports and get a gist of what the state has to offer than going to the Kentucky Derby, right?
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Kelsey, who is also there with Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm, told the Courier-Journal that he is rooting for Sierra Leone, Domestic Product and Just a Touch in Saturday’s race.
“It’s awesome,” Kelsey said of being at Churchill Downs. “The buzz and the energy in this place, the pomp and circumstance of Derby Day is amazing.”
Kelsey is attending his first Derby as Lousville’s basketball coach. He had previous coaching stops at Wake Forest (2004-09) and Xavier (2009-11), where he served as an assistant coach and associate head coach, respectively. He got his first head coaching experience at Winthrop, where from 2012-21 he led the Eagles to a 186-95 (.662) record and three berths in the NCAA Tournament.
Kelsey then took over at the College of Charleston in 2021, leading the Cougars to a combined 75-27 (.735) record in three seasons. That includes records of 58-12 over the last two years, which saw Charleston win the CAA and make March Madness as the conference’s automatic qualifier.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lousiville basketball’s Pat Kelsey attends first Kentucky Derby as Cardinals coach
