Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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DIVIDED THE KELLYS: ALABAMA VS. AUBURN On game day, they go their separate ways. Rick Kelly settles into his man cave upstairs, while his wife, Cill, takes her position in the den. Other than the occasional verbal jab or gloating boast, they stay in their own corner, each glued to the TV. Between them is a deep and vast divide paved in burnt orange and crimson. It's a divide that goes back much further than their 32-year marriage. It goes back to 1893, to be exact, when the University of Alabama and Auburn University first faced off on the gridiron. There's been bad blood between the two teams ever since. The intense rivalry comes to a head every November during the Iron Bowl, during which some 100,000 rabid fans show up to support their team and trash the other. (Alabama currently leads the series with an overall record of 41-34-1.) In what can only be described as a mixed marriage, Cill cheers for Auburn, and Rick is a hardcore Bama fan, both pulling for their respective alma maters. Theirs is truly a house divided. They even have a license plate mounted over the door in the garage of their Marvin home that says so, with Auburn on one side and Alabama the other, and a jagged lightning bolt down the middle separating the two. "That's just the way it is," says Cill of the longstanding spousal rivalry. "We're both big sports fans and both passionate about our teams." Cill grudgingly admits she's losing the "kid" battle. "We have three kids, and one of the first things they all learned was the Alabama fight song," she says. "In our family, during each kid's 13th birthday dinner, they had to declare their loyalty to a team, and all three picked Alabama. W ith football season upon us, the latest incarnation of "Family Feud" — also known as college sports rival- ries — is alive and well. These three Bal- lantyne-area couples demonstrate three truths: you can love your team, love each other, but yes, you will be tested. Trash talk, memorabilia stockpiles and cajoling the chil- dren to support your team are all fair game. Let the contests begin. FALL 2012 Not a single child of mine has elected to pull for Auburn. My husband has brainwashed them all." "That's not true," counters Rick. "They all picked Alabama by their own volition. Besides, they look good in Bama red." It wasn't supposed to be this way, says Cill. She and Rick met at Enterprise High School in Alabama, and they soon became sweethearts. As graduation neared, Cill says there was never any doubt she was going to go to Auburn, as most of her family was loyal to the university and its fighting Tigers. Rick says many if his family members had also attended Auburn, including his father and sister, and he grew up going to Auburn games. But ultimately, on the advice of his high school counselor, Rick chose Alabama because of its strong business program. The pair continued to date off and on during college. True love won out, and they married shortly after graduation. But that didn't stop them from locking horns, especially in the early days. "When he was younger, he didn't take losing lightly," says Cill. "She's a better sport than I am," admits Rick. "When you grow up in Alabama, the rivalry is pretty intense, and there's not a lot of sportsmanship, and I used to be real competitive. But I've matured a bit. I can handle it better if we lose." But their Auburn-Alabama rivalry is not the only one in the Kelly brood. Rick and Cill's oldest daughter went to UNC Chapel Hill, where she earned a law degree, and the other went to the University of South Carolina, where she was a cheerleader. And now their son, a senior at Marvin Ridge, is deciding where he will go to college. "Talk about a house divided," said Cill with a laugh. "It's amazing we talk at all." Above: The Kellys even take their respective alumni passions on the road. Right: At home, mom Cill is outnumbered by the Bama contingent (from left) son Ty, hubby Rick and daughter Katey. BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 57