Jim Kelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jim Kelly

Kelly in 2010
No. 12
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1960-02-14) February 14, 1960 (age 65) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	East Brady (East Brady, Pennsylvania)
College:	Miami (FL) (1978–1982)
NFL Draft:	1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14
Career history
Houston Gamblers (1984–1985) Buffalo Bills (1986)
Career highlights and awards
USFL Most Valuable Player (1984) USFL Rookie of the Year (1984) 2× First-team All-USFL (1984, 1985) First-team All-Pro (1991) Second-team All-Pro (1992) 5× Pro Bowl (1987, 1988, 1990–1992) NFL passing touchdowns leader (1991) NFL passer rating leader (1990) NFL completion percentage leader (1990) Second-team All-South Independent (1981) Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team Buffalo Bills No. 12 retired USFL All-Time Team University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame NCAA Inspiration Award (2018)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts: 4,779 Passing completions: 2,874 Completion percentage: 60.1% TD–INT: 237–175 Passing yards: 35,467 Passer rating: 84.4
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a famous American former football quarterback. He played for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL). Before that, he spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League (USFL).

Kelly played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was named the offensive MVP in the 1981 Peach Bowl. In the 1983 NFL draft, Kelly was one of six quarterbacks picked in the first round. The Bills chose him 14th overall.

However, Kelly decided to play for the Gamblers first. He joined the Bills in 1986 after the USFL stopped playing. Kelly was known for leading the Bills' fast-paced "K-Gun" offense. This offense helped the Bills become one of the best scoring teams in the NFL.

From 1990 to 1993, Kelly led the Bills to a record four straight Super Bowls. Even though the team lost each game, it was an amazing achievement. Kelly was also chosen for five Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro in 1991.

His number 12 jersey was retired by the Bills. He is one of only three players to have this honor, along with Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith. Jim Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Early Life and High School Sports

Jim Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 14, 1960. He grew up in a town called East Brady, Pennsylvania.

In high school, Kelly was a star athlete at East Brady High School. He earned all-state honors in Pennsylvania for football. During his high school career, he threw for 3,915 yards and 44 touchdowns. He also played basketball, scoring over 1,000 points. In his senior year, he led his basketball team to the state quarterfinals.

College Football Career

Kelly was offered a scholarship to play college football at Penn State University. However, the coach there wanted him to play linebacker, not quarterback. The coach for the Miami Hurricanes, Lou Saban, promised Kelly he could play quarterback. This promise convinced Kelly to go to the University of Miami.

Even though Saban left before Kelly's first season, Kelly became a key player for the Hurricanes. He helped build the team into one of the best in the country. By the end of his college career, Kelly had thrown for 5,228 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was inducted into the University of Miami's Hall of Fame in 1992.

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

The 1983 NFL Draft

Jim Kelly did not want to play for teams in cold weather. He listed the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills as teams he hoped not to join. When the Bills picked him 14th overall in the 1983 NFL draft, he was surprised. He later joked that he cried tears of disappointment.

Even though he was drafted by the Bills, Kelly decided to sign with a different league. He chose to play for the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League (USFL). He preferred Houston's warm climate over Buffalo's cold weather.

Playing for the Houston Gamblers

In his two seasons with the Houston Gamblers, Kelly was a star. He played in an exciting offense called the "run-and-shoot." He threw for 9,842 yards, 83 touchdowns, and 45 interceptions. He completed 63% of his passes.

In 1984, Kelly was named the USFL Most Valuable Player (MVP). He set a league record with 5,219 passing yards and 44 touchdown passes that year. His records were better than other famous quarterbacks in the league, like Steve Young. Even with all his success, the Gamblers lost in the first round of the playoffs both years.

After the Houston Gamblers team folded, Kelly was supposed to play for the New Jersey Generals. However, the entire USFL league stopped playing before he could join them.

A Famous Game No One Saw

On February 24, 1985, Jim Kelly's Houston Gamblers played against the Los Angeles Express, led by quarterback Steve Young. This game was supposed to be on TV, but the network chose to show a different game instead. Only cameramen for the teams were there to record it.

The Gamblers started strong, but the Express made a big comeback. They were ahead 33–14 with less than ten minutes left. Kelly then led the Gamblers on an incredible comeback. They scored 20 points in the final minutes to win 34–33. In this game, Kelly threw for a professional football record of 574 yards. He threw three touchdown passes in the last few drives, including the game-winning one. This game was later called "the greatest game no one saw" by Sports Illustrated.

Joining the Buffalo Bills

Kelly's #12 Buffalo Bills jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

After the USFL ended, Jim Kelly finally joined the Buffalo Bills in 1986. The Bills still held his NFL rights. He quickly became their starting quarterback.

Kelly helped lead the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances. These were Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXVI, Super Bowl XXVII, and Super Bowl XXVIII. This happened from 1990 to 1993. The Bills are the only team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl four years in a row. Unfortunately, they lost all four games.

The Bills also won six division championships between 1988 and 1995 with Kelly as quarterback. They made the playoffs in eight of his 11 seasons. Kelly had a great connection with his wide receiver, Andre Reed. They connected for 65 touchdowns together.

Kelly retired after the 1996 NFL season because of injuries. He considered playing for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998 but decided to stay retired for family reasons.

The "No-Huddle Offense"

Kelly was famous for running the Bills' "K-Gun" no-huddle offense. This was a very fast-paced offense. It was named after tight end Keith McKeller. The Bills would quickly line up for the next play without a huddle. Kelly would then read the defense and call out the play.

This strategy made it hard for opposing defenses to make changes or communicate. It often led to mismatches on the field. In the 1990s, this offense made the Bills one of the most successful and dangerous teams in the NFL. It was a big reason they reached four Super Bowls in a row.

Professional Statistics

USFL Regular Season

NFL Regular Season

Records and Achievements

Kelly's Houston Gamblers USFL jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Kelly's Buffalo Bills jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jim Kelly holds the second all-time NFL record for most yards gained per completion in a single game (44 yards). He set this record on September 10, 1995, against the Carolina Panthers. In 1990, he had an NFL-best 101.2 passer rating. He also led the league with 33 touchdown passes in 1991. This was a Bills record until 2020. Kelly was selected for the Pro Bowl five times.

In his four Super Bowl appearances, Kelly completed 81 passes for 829 yards and two touchdowns. He also had seven interceptions. His 81 completions are the fifth most in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl XXVI, he set a record with 58 pass attempts. In Super Bowl XXVIII, he set a record with 31 completions, which was later broken.

Kelly finished his 11 NFL seasons with 2,874 completions and 35,467 passing yards. He threw 237 touchdowns and 175 interceptions. All of these are Buffalo Bills records, except for the interceptions. He also ran for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns.

When you include his time in both the NFL and USFL, Kelly finished with over 45,000 passing yards and 320 touchdowns. In 2001, the Buffalo Bills retired his number 12 jersey. On August 3, 2002, Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was chosen in his first year of eligibility.

Personal Life and Philanthropy

Kelly at Balad Air Base in Balad, Iraq in 2010

Kelly speaking during StarGaze 1993 at Pilot Field in Buffalo

Jim Kelly lives in East Aurora, New York with his wife, Jill, and their two daughters.

After his football career, Kelly dedicated much of his time to his son, Hunter James Kelly. Hunter was diagnosed with a rare disease called Krabbe disease shortly after his birth on February 14, 1997. This was also Jim Kelly's 37th birthday. Hunter passed away from the disease on August 5, 2005, at the age of 8.

To honor his son, Kelly started Hunter's Hope in 1997. This is a non-profit organization that helps people with Krabbe disease. Kelly and his wife also started Hunter's Day of Hope, held every year on February 14. The Hunter James Kelly Research Institute was founded at the University at Buffalo in 2004. Scientists there study diseases that affect the brain and nerves. When Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, he gave a touching speech dedicated to Hunter.

Two of Kelly's nephews, who are his younger brother Kevin's sons, have also played quarterback. Chad Kelly played college football and was drafted into the NFL in 2017. He now plays in the CFL. His younger brother, Casey Kelly, also played quarterback and later became a tight end in college.

Jim Kelly is a devout Christian. He has several businesses, including Hall of Fame Life Promotions. This company donates a portion of its earnings to the Hunter's Hope Foundation. In 2011, Kelly founded Jim Kelly Inc., which makes "MyFanClip" products. These clips have sports team logos, and some of the money from sales also goes to Hunter's Hope.

Since 1987, Kelly has hosted the annual Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic. This event raises money for his Kelly for Kids Foundation. He has also run a football camp for young people aged 8 to 18 at the Buffalo Bills facilities since 1988. The camp teaches football skills from experienced coaches and former players.

Health Challenges

On June 3, 2013, Jim Kelly announced he had been diagnosed with a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw. He had surgery a few days later, and doctors initially said he was cancer-free.

However, on March 14, 2014, it was announced that Kelly's cancer had returned. He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. By August 20, 2014, doctors could no longer find evidence of cancer.

In November 2014, Kelly announced he had contracted MRSA, a type of infection, in his bones. A few weeks later, he said he was free of the MRSA infection.

In March 2018, Kelly announced that his cancer had returned again. He had surgery that month to remove the cancer and rebuild his upper jaw. In June 2018, he received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs, an award for athletes who have overcome challenges. He had more surgery in late June 2018.

On January 18, 2019, Jim Kelly shared on Instagram that he was cancer-free once more.

Images for kids

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  Kelly's Houston Gamblers USFL jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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  Kelly's Buffalo Bills jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

See also

In Spanish: Jim Kelly (quarterback) para niños