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Jay Kehoe enters his seventh season as head coach of the Stanford sailing team having solidified his and Stanford's place among the elite of the sailing world. Kehoe has produced 10 All-Americans while at Stanford, and guided the Cardinal to a singlehanded championship last year. Since arriving at Stanford, Kehoe's sailing teams have qualified in at least four of the six Intercollegiate National Championships every year.
Kehoe's sailing career began in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a coastal town where Kehoe grew up. He began sailing Prams, Blue Jays and Lasers at the age of eight, and raced Optimists soon after. Kehoe sailed all through Youth Championships, placing as high as third.
Kehoe entered the Coast Guard Academy, where he was transferred to the head sailing coach at the school. After leaving the school, Kehoe ran St. Petersburg's junior sailing program for four years, from 1989 to 1993. His coaching experience led him to found and lead the coaching company Race One in 1994, where he led coaching clinics around the nation for two years.
In 1997 Kehoe left Race One to begin coaching college sailing at Yale, where in four years he built their club program into an Ivy League champion. He has won two world championships in the 505 class as a coach, and three national championships outside school.
As a sailor he placed fourth in the 1988 Olympic trials, and has coached more than six of USODA's national teams and served on the coaching staff of the U.S. Optimist national team. He has coached High School, U.S. Youth and Youth World Champions along with Olympic campaigners.
Kehoe also co-wrote The Winners guide to Optimist Sailing, "a comprehensive guide for kids learning to sail and race Optis," according to Sailing World.
Kehoe's knowledge and exuberance for sailing has enabled him to consistently recruit top athletes to The Farm. This year experienced junior sailors Cole Hatton, Alexandra Dunlap and Graham Todd headline the freshman class.
Kehoe currently resides in Santa Clara with his wife Amy and daughter Merrick.