Jim Kelly
| Jim Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): Quarterback |
Jersey #(s): 12 |
| Born: February 14 1960 | |
| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1983-1999 | |
| NFL Draft: 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14 | |
| College: University of Miami | |
| Professional Teams | |
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| Career Stats | |
| TD-INT | 320-220 |
| Yards | 45,309 |
| Completion Percentage | 60.7 |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.
Kelly is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and possibly the best quarterback to line up under center in the short history of the USFL.
Kelly was drafted in the 1983 NFL Draft, rated just behind John Elway on at least one NFL draft list. Employing the K-Gun offense known for its hurry up shotgun formations and used by later teams like Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts and leading one of the great NFL scoring juggernauts in the Buffalo Bills, Kelly led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993, though the Bills lost all four of them. In 2002, in his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early career
University of Miami and USFL
Kelly grew up in the small Pennsylvania town of East Brady, Pennsylvania (about 55 miles northeast of Pittsburgh). Kelly was drafted by the Buffalo Bills out of the University of Miami, where he had played an important role in helping build the University of Miami into one of the nation's premier collegiate football programs. The Bills selected Kelly in the first round of the 1983 draft, but he instead signed with the Houston Gamblers of the rival United States Football League. In two seasons in Houston, he threw for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns. He was the USFL MVP in 1984, when he set a league record with 5,219 yards passing and 44 TD passes.
Buffalo Bills
Kelly helped lead the Bills to emergence as one of the NFL's greatest teams of the 1990s. Buffalo made the playoffs in 8 of Kelly's 11 seasons as their starting quarterback. Kelly's primary 'go-to' wide receiver with the Bills, Andre Reed, ranks among the NFL's all-time leaders in several receiving categories.
"No-huddle offense"
Kelly was perhaps best known for running the Bills' "K-Gun" no-huddle offense, which was a fast-paced offense that denied opposing defenses the opportunity to make timely substitutions. This offensive scheme called for multiple formation calls in a huddle, so that after each play was completed, the Bills would eschew a following huddle, instead lining up for the next play where Kelly would read the defense and audible the play. This led to mismatches and defensive communication breakdowns and, in the 1990s, established the Bills as one of the NFL's most successful and dangerous offenses, instrumental in leading Buffalo to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances..
Records and accomplishments
Kelly holds the all-time NFL record for most yards gained per completion in a single game (44), established on September 10, 1995 in the Bills' game against the Carolina Panthers. He recorded an NFL best 101.2 passer rating in 1990, led the league with 33 touchdowns passes in 1991, and made the Pro Bowl four times (1987, 1990, 1991, and 1992).
In his four Super Bowls, Kelly completed 81 of 145 passes for 829 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 7 interceptions. His 81
completions and 145 attempts are the second most in Super Bowl history behind
Kelly finished his 11 NFL seasons with 2,874 completions in 4,779 attempts for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns, with 175 interceptions, all of which are Buffalo records. Along with Dan Marino, Kelly was a pioneer of the mass yearly accumulation of passing yardage that is now common among NFL quarterbacks. He also rushed for 1,049 yards and 7 touchdowns.
On August 3, 2002, Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kelly was enshrined during the first year he was eligible, and headlined a class that also featured John Stallworth, Dan Hampton, Dave Casper, and George Allen. Fellow Hall of Famer and former head coach, Marv Levy, was Kelly's presenter at the ceremony.
Personal
Kelly devoted much of his post-football life to his son, Hunter, who was diagnosed with Globoid-Cell Leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) shortly after his birth on February 14, 1997. Hunter died as a result of this disease on August 5, 2005 at the age of eight.
To honor his son, Kelly established a non-profit organization in 1997 (Hunter's Hope). Kelly's advocacy on behalf of Krabbes' patients has increased national awareness of the disease. Kelly and his wife, Jill, founded the annual Hunter's Day of Hope, which is held on February 14, the birthdays of both Jim and Hunter Kelly.
When Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, he dedicated his speech to Hunter. "It's been written that the trademark of my career was toughness," said Kelly, as he choked back tears. "The toughest person I ever met in my life was my son, my hero, Hunter. I love you, buddy."
Kelly continues to reside in Orchard Park, New York, with his wife and children.
External links
- Jim Kelly Official Web Site
- Jim Kelly profile at Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Pro-Football-Reference.com - career statistics.
- Jim Kelly profile at NNDB
- "Hunter's Hope" Official Web Site
- University of Miami: Famous Alumni
| Preceded by Joe Ferguson |
Buffalo Bills starting
quarterbacks 1986-1996 |
Succeeded by Todd Collins |
| Preceded by Mike Rodrigue |
Miami Hurricanes
starting quarterbacks 1980-1982 (with Mark Richt & Kyle Vanderwende in '82) |
Succeeded by Bernie Kosar |
Dennis • Pitts • Moses • Simpson • Cowlings • Hill • Patulski • Seymour • DeLamielleure • Gant • Ruud • Clark • Dokes • Miller • Cousineau • Butler • Ritcher • Moore • Tuttle • Hunter • Kelly • Bell • B. Smith • Burroughs • Harmon • Conlan • J. Williams • Jones • Fina • T. Smith • Burris • Brown • Moulds • A. Smith • Winfield • Flowers • Clements • M. Williams • McGahee • Evans • Losman • Whitner • McCargo • Lynch
| 1983 NFL Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round John Elway | Eric Dickerson | Curt Warner | Chris Hinton | Billy Ray Smith | Jimbo Covert | Todd Blackledge | Michael Haddix | Bruce Matthews | Terry Kinard | Tim Lewis | Tony Hunter | James Jones | Jim Kelly | Tony Eason | Mike Pitts | Leonard Smith | Willie Gault | Joey Browner | Gary Anderson | Gabriel Rivera | Gill Byrd | Jim Jeffcoat | Ken O'Brien | Dave Rimington | Don Mosebar | Dan Marino | Darrell Green |
||
| Miami Hurricanes Starting Quarterbacks |
|---|
| Curci • Biletnikoff • Mira • Cochrane • Carney • Fortner • Glover • Rodrigue • J. Kelly • Richt • Vanderwende • Kosar • Testaverde • Ge. Torretta • Walsh • Erickson • Gi. Torretta • Costa • Clement • Covington • K. Kelly • Dorsey • Berlin • Freeman • Wright |
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