Jim Kelly facts for kids
Kelly in 2010
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| No. 12 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
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| Born: | February 14, 1960 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | East Brady (East Brady, Pennsylvania) |
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| College: | Miami (FL) (1978–1982) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14 | ||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a famous American football player. He was a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Before that, he played for two seasons with the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League (USFL).
Kelly played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was even named the best offensive player 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 led the Bills using a fast-paced "K-Gun" offense. This offense was known for its no-huddle plays. From 1990 to 1993, he helped the Bills reach a record four Super Bowls in a row. Even though they lost all four games, it was a huge achievement.
Kelly was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He also received first-team All-Pro honors in 1991. His jersey number 12 was retired by the Bills, a rare honor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Jim Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 14, 1960. He grew up in a small town called East Brady, Pennsylvania.
Kelly was a star athlete at East Brady High School. He won all-state honors in Pennsylvania for his amazing football skills. During his high school career, he threw for 3,915 yards and 44 touchdowns. He only threw one interception! After his senior year, Kelly played in the Big 33 Football Classic. This is a special game for top high school players.
Jim Kelly also played basketball in high school. He scored over 1,000 points and had six games where he scored more than 30 points. In his senior year, he led his team to the state quarterfinals. He averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds per game.
College Football Career
Kelly received a scholarship offer to play college football at Penn State University. However, the coach, Joe Paterno, wanted Kelly to play linebacker, not quarterback.
The head 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. He helped coach Howard Schnellenberger build the Miami football program into one of the best in the country.
Kelly finished his college career with 5,228 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. He was inducted into the University of Miami's Hall of Fame in 1992.
Professional Football Journey
The 1983 NFL Draft Decision
The 1983 NFL draft was famous for its talented quarterbacks. One top quarterback, John Elway, didn't want to play for the Baltimore Colts. Because of this, Jim Kelly's agent asked him which teams he wouldn't want to play for. Kelly didn't like cold weather. He listed the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills.
When watching the draft, Kelly was happy the Bills didn't pick him first. But then he learned the Bills had another first-round pick. They chose Kelly as the 14th pick! Kelly later said he cried tears because he didn't want to play in Buffalo.
Kelly initially thought he would play for the Bills. But during contract talks, a mistake led to him talking with the general manager of the United States Football League's (USFL) Chicago Blitz. This led Kelly to consider playing in the USFL instead.
Playing for the Houston Gamblers
Kelly later said the USFL offered him his choice of teams. He signed with the Houston Gamblers. The Gamblers played in the Houston Astrodome, which had a climate-controlled roof. Kelly joked, "Would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo?"
In two seasons with the Gamblers, Kelly played in an exciting "run-and-shoot" offense. He threw for 9,842 yards, 83 touchdowns, and 45 interceptions. He completed 63% of his passes. In 1984, he was the USFL MVP. He set a league record with 5,219 passing yards and 44 touchdown passes.
Even with his great regular season success, the Gamblers lost in the first round of the playoffs in both 1984 and 1985. After the Gamblers team folded, Kelly was supposed to play for the New Jersey Generals. He even appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover with a Generals helmet. But the USFL league stopped playing before he ever played a game for them.
"The Greatest Game No One Saw"
On February 24, 1985, Jim Kelly's Houston Gamblers played against the Los Angeles Express. The Express quarterback was Steve Young, who also became a famous NFL player. This game was supposed to be shown on ABC, but they chose to show another game instead. So, almost no one saw this amazing game live.
Houston started with a big lead. But the Express came back and were ahead 33–14 with less than ten minutes left. Kelly then led the Gamblers on an incredible comeback. They won the game 34–33! In that game, Kelly threw for a professional football record of 574 yards. This broke a record set way back in 1951.
Kelly threw three touchdown passes in the final minutes. The game-winning pass was a 39-yard throw to Ricky Sanders. The Express thought they had won after one of their safeties, Troy West, intercepted a Kelly pass and ran it back for a touchdown. But the Gamblers scored again quickly. Kelly threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Richard Johnson.
The Gamblers' defense forced a punt, and their offense scored again. Kelly found Vince Courville for a 20-yard touchdown. The Gamblers then got the ball back and Kelly threw the winning touchdown to Sanders. Sports Illustrated later called it "the greatest game no one saw."
Joining the Buffalo Bills
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After the USFL closed, Kelly finally joined the Buffalo Bills in 1986. The Bills still held his NFL rights. He helped lead the Bills to an amazing four straight Super Bowl appearances. This happened from Super Bowl XXV to Super Bowl XXVIII. They also won six division championships between 1988 and 1995.
The Bills are the only team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl four years in a row. However, they also lost all four of those games. Buffalo made the playoffs in eight of Kelly's 11 seasons as their starting quarterback.
Kelly's main wide receiver with the Bills was Andre Reed. They connected for 65 touchdowns together. This is one of the highest numbers for a quarterback and receiver duo in NFL history. Kelly, Reed, Bruce Smith, and Thurman Thomas were all featured in a documentary called Four Falls of Buffalo.
Kelly retired after the 1996 NFL season because of injuries. He considered playing again in 1998 for the Baltimore Ravens. But he 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 idea was to not give the other team's defense time to change players or set up their plays. The Bills would quickly line up for the next play. Kelly would then read the defense and call out the play.
This strategy often created problems for the opposing defenses. It helped make the Bills one of the most successful and dangerous offenses in the NFL during the 1990s. This offense was a big reason why Buffalo reached four straight Super Bowls.
Records and Achievements
Jim Kelly holds many impressive records. He had an NFL-best 101.2 passer rating in 1990. In 1991, he led the league with 33 touchdown passes. This was a Bills record until 2020. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times.
In his four Super Bowl appearances, Kelly completed 81 passes for 829 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw 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 35,467 passing yards and 237 touchdowns. These are all Buffalo Bills records, except for interceptions. He also ran for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns.
If you include his time in both the NFL and USFL, he had 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 very first year of eligibility. His former coach, Marv Levy, introduced him at the ceremony.
Personal Life and Family
Jim Kelly lives in East Aurora, New York with his wife, Jill, and their daughters, Erin and Camryn.
Kelly has dedicated much of his life after football to his son, Hunter James Kelly. Hunter was born on February 14, 1997, which was also Jim Kelly's 37th birthday. Hunter was diagnosed with a serious illness called Krabbe disease. Hunter passed away on August 5, 2005, at the age of 8.
To honor his son, Kelly started Hunter's Hope, a non-profit organization, in 1997. Kelly's work has helped raise awareness about Krabbe disease. He and his wife Jill also started Hunter's Day of Hope, held every year on February 14. The Hunter James Kelly Research Institute was founded in 2004 at the University at Buffalo. Scientists there study diseases like Krabbe. When Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, he dedicated his speech to Hunter. He said, "The toughest person I ever met in my life was my hero, my soldier, my son, Hunter. I love you, buddy."
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 football.
Jim Kelly's father, Joe Kelly, passed away in 2017. His mother passed away in 1996.
Kelly is a devout Christian. He has several businesses, including Hall of Fame Life Promotions. This company donates a part of its earnings to the Hunter's Hope Foundation. In 2011, Kelly started Jim Kelly Inc., which makes "MyFanClip" products with sports team logos. These also help the Hunter's Hope Foundation.
Since 1987, Kelly has hosted the annual Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic. This golf tournament raises money for his Kelly for Kids Foundation. He also runs a football camp for young people aged 8 to 18 at the Buffalo Bills facilities. This camp teaches football skills from experienced coaches and former players.
Health Challenges
On June 3, 2013, Jim Kelly announced he had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer, in his upper jaw. He had surgery a few days later. After the surgery, Kelly said he was cancer-free.
However, on March 14, 2014, follow-up tests showed his cancer had returned. He began radiation and chemotherapy treatments. By August 20, 2014, doctors announced they could no longer find any sign 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 MRSA.
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, it was announced that Kelly would receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPY Awards. This award honors people in sports who have overcome great challenges. In late June 2018, Kelly had more surgery in a New York City hospital.
On January 18, 2019, Jim Kelly's wife, Jill, announced on social media that he was cancer-free.
Images for kids
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Kelly's #12 Buffalo Bills jersey on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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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
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Kelly at Balad Air Base in Balad, Iraq in 2010
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Kelly speaking during StarGaze 1993 at Pilot Field in Buffalo
