More Than a Mom: How Kelly Flagg Became Duke’s Fiercest Courtside Champion
On the night Duke squared off with Alabama in the Sweet 16, the loudest roar didn’t come from the court but from the stands. As the game reached its boiling point, one moment caught fire on social media—Kelly Flagg, Cooper Flagg’s mother, leaned forward and barked four unforgettable words: “Chew the height gummies!” It wasn’t just playful banter; it was a declaration of her fierce, unfiltered support for her son’s team—and proof that this mom isn’t content to sit quietly by the sidelines.
Kelly’s passion for basketball isn’t newfound. Born and raised in Maine, she picked up a ball at age seven under the watchful eye of her father, Dan Bowman. By high school, she was a standout, earning praise from her coach Charlie Wing: “She’s a very well‑rounded player who does everything well. She also has a tremendous desire to succeed and is very coachable. I wish I had a dozen Kelly Bowmans.”
Her collegiate career at the University of Maine only cemented her legacy; as team captain in 1999, she helped orchestrate one of the program’s biggest upsets—toppling Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.
Fast‑forward to March Madness 2025, and Kelly’s game‑day logistics rival any professional team’s travel plan. Between Cooper at Duke and his twin brother Ace at Maine—Kelly’s alma mater—she mapped out overlapping schedules months in advance. “The first thing I did was put all the games in to see where I needed to be and when,” she explains, crediting meticulous planning for her ability to make multiple flights in a single day.
Partnering with Dr. Scholl’s to stay on her feet, Kelly even jokes that her superstitions extend beyond court strategy: she insists on sitting in the exact same seat each game, while her husband avoids wearing Duke gear until the cheers begin.
Within the Duke “mom group,” Kelly has quietly become its beating heart—earning comparisons to the NFL’s own sideline superstar, Donna Kelce. Like Kelce, who famously split her time between Jason and Travis Kelce’s games, Kelly balances dual allegiances with grace and grit. “Moms like me are running from game to game, through airports, and sometimes more than one in a day,” she tells PEOPLE, reflecting on the village of support that helps her keep pace.
Her impact reaches far beyond flights and superstitions. Players and fans alike credit Kelly’s energy with elevating Duke’s home‑court advantage into a near‑intimidating force. Whether she’s rallying a late‑game comeback or delivering a pointed quip at referees, her presence underscores the power of parental support in college athletics—a reminder that behind every star freshman is a champion mom with her own storied hoop history.
More than a supportive parent, Kelly Bowman Flagg has forged a new sideline persona: fierce, strategic, and unapologetically vocal. As Cooper’s season—and Duke’s tournament run—continues, one thing is certain: Kelly will be there, courtside and uncontained, proving that sometimes the biggest game‑changers aren’t the players on the floor, but the champions in the stands.
