Jim Kelly - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

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James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.

Kelly is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and far and away the best quarterback to line up under center in the short history of the USFL.

Third of the six quarterbacks to be drafted in the legendary draft of 1983, Kelly was 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 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, 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 (a Pittsburgh suburb). 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. Instead of joining the Bills, however, Kelly opted instead to join the fledgling United States Football League (USFL), where he played for the Houston Gamblers. In his 2 USFL seasons, he threw for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Kelly was among the USFL's best passers, but the league folded due to financial troubles and its players were subsequently dispersed among existing NFL teams. Having retained Kelly's draft rights, the Bills welcomed Kelly with open arms upon the USFL's collapse.

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 wide receiver with the Bills, Andre Reed, also set numerous NFL records and is expected to enter the Hall of Fame following his eligibility for induction in 2006.

"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.

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 Joe Montana. In Super Bowl XXVI, he set a record with 58 pass attempts, and in Super Bowl XXVIII he set a record with 31 completions (this was later surpassed by Tom Brady's 32 completions in Super Bowl XXXVIII).

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 modern mass accumulation of passing yardage year after year 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 which 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 Krabbe Leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) and died because of it on August 5, 2005 at the age of eight. Kelly established an organization, Hunter's Hope, to raise funds to fight the disease.

Kelly's advocacy on behalf of Krabbes' patients has vastly increased national awareness of the disease. Kelly and his wife, Jill, founded the annual Hunter's Day of Hope, which is held every year on February 14, which is the birthday 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. Kelly has recently become a strong supporter of the Republican Party and especially President George W. Bush. He could be seen in one of the front rows of Madison Square Garden during the Republican National Convention in New York in 2004 repeatedly chanting, "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

In East Brady, Pennsylvania, Kelly's hometown, there are huge signs honoring him.

External links

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