Savannah Christian Preparatory School is remodeling its secondary gym with upgrades and additions to the Doyle Kelley Gymnasium on the school’s campus at Chatham Parkway.
The project was teased by the SCPS Raiders athletics Twitter account (@SCPSathletics) on Friday, July 8 with several photos of the ongoing work.
“The Kelley Gym is getting some upgrades including new bleachers, flooring, backboards, and a chapel stage,” the tweet read.
A Savannah Christian coach, teacher and principal for nearly 40 years until his retirement in 2011, Doyle Kelley died from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on September 30, 2016 at the age of 69. Roughly one year later, in December of 2017, SCPS held a ceremony to rename the venue “Doyle Kelley Gymnasium” for the legendary coach who had a hand in 18 state championships.
Kelley was the SCPS head football coach while the Raiders were winning the state championship in 1982 and 1984 (Southeastern Independent School Association). He was also the basketball coach, racking up 427 wins during his time leading the Raiders on the hardwood. He led the SCPS golf team to an astounding eight state championships as the coach and, in 2011, Kelley was inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletics Hall of Fame.
According to the school’s facility rentals website, the project is scheduled to run through at least July 29 before school activities begin to resume in August ahead of the 2022-23 academic year.
While a majority of the high school athletic events are held in the Eckburg Center towards the front of the SCPS campus, the Kelley Gym is primarily used for middle school athletics as well as school functions not associated with athletics.
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Photo credit - Savannah Christian Prep Athletics Twitter
