Jim Kelly Biography

Jim Kelly born James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL).

Kelly played college football at Miami, where he was the Offensive MVP of the 1981 Peach Bowl. One of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, Kelly was selected 14th overall by the Bills.

He chose to sign with the Gamblers instead and did not play for the Bills until the USFL folded in 1986. Employing the “K-Gun” offense, known for its no-huddle shotgun formations, Kelly led one of the greatest NFL scoring juggernauts.

From 1990 to 1993, he helped guide the Bills to a record four consecutive Super Bowls, although the team lost each game. Kelly was also named to five Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro honors in 1991.

Along with teammates Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith, Kelly is one of only three players to have his number retired by the Bills. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

10 Quick Facts About Jim Kelly

Here is a list are 10 facts

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• Name: James Edward Kelly
• Age: 62 years old as of 2022
• Birthday: February 14th
• Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
• Height: 6 feet 3 inches
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Football Quarterback
• Marital Status: To be Updated
• Salary: To be Updated
• Net worth: $2 million

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Jim Kelly Age

James Edward Kelly is 62 years old as of 2022. He was born on February 14th, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. He also celebrates his birthday on February 14th every year. Moreover, his birth sign is Aquarius.

Jim Kelly Height and Weight

Kelly measures an average standing height. He measures a standing height of 6 feet 3 inches tall which is equivalent to 1.91 meters tall. He also weighs 103 kilograms which is equivalent to 226 lbs. Moreover, he has dark brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Jim Kelly Education

He was a standout at East Brady High School and won all-state honors after passing for 3,915 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 1 interception in his career. After his senior year, Kelly played in the Big 33 Football Classic. Kelly also played basketball in high school, scoring over 1,000 points in six 30-plus-point games. As a senior, he led East Brady to the Pennsylvania Class ‘A’ basketball state quarterfinals and averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds.

College career

Kelly was offered a scholarship to play college football at Penn State University under coach Joe Paterno, but Paterno wanted Kelly as a linebacker, not a quarterback. Instead, University of Miami head coach Lou Saban promised Kelly he would be playing quarterback, luring Kelly to South Florida. Kelly became an important piece in helping build the program into one of the nation’s best. Kelly finished his career at Miami with 376 completions in 676 attempts for 5,228 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was inducted into the university’s hall of fame in 1992.

Jim Kelly Family, Parents, and Siblings

Jim was born and raised by his parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Our efforts to find out more about his family came to no avail as no such information is publicly available. Thus, the identity of Kelly’s parents is still unclear. It is also not known if he has any siblings. We will update this section once this information is available.

Jim Kelly Dating, Wife and Children

Kelly has not gone public with his relationship, it is not publicly known whether he is married or in a relationship. His partner’s information will be updated as soon as the information is available.

Jim Kelly Salary

Details about Jim’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.

Jim Kelly Net Worth

Kelly has an estimated net worth of $2 million dollars as of 2022. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as a football quarterback. Through his various sources of income, Jim has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.

Jim Kelly Measurements and Facts

Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Kelly.

Jim Kelly Wiki

• Full Names: James Edward Kelly
• Popular As: Jim Kelly
• Gender: Male
• Occupation / Profession: Football Quarterback
• Nationality: American
• Race / Ethnicity: White
• Religion: Not Available
• Sexual Orientation: Straight

Jim Kelly Birthday

• Age: 62 years old as of 2022
• Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
• Date of Birth: February 14th, 1960
• Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Birthday: February 14th

Jim Kelly Body Measurements

• Height / How Tall?: 6 feet 3 inches
• Weight: 103 kilograms
• Eye Color: Dark Brown
• Hair Color: Dark Brown
• Shoe Size: To be Updated
• Triceps Size: To be Updated
• Chest Size: To be Updated
• Waist Size: To be Updated
• Hip Size: To be Updated

Jim Kelly Family and Relationship

• Father (Dad): Not Available
• Mother: Not Available
• Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Available
• Marital Status: Not Available
• Dating / Girlfriend: Not Available
• Children: Not Available

Jim Kelly Net Worth and Salary

• Net Worth: $2 million
• Salary: Under review
• Source of Income: Football Quarterback

Jim Kelly Career

Houston Gamblers

Because of fellow quarterback John Elway’s well-publicized reluctance to play for the Baltimore Colts, which chose him in the 1983 NFL Draft, Kelly’s agent asked whether there were any teams he would not play for.

Kelly, who disliked cold weather, listed the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills. He was pleased to see while watching the 1983 draft on television that the Bills did not select him as the 12th pick in the first round, but learned from his agent that the team had another first-round pick; the Bills chose Kelly as the 14th pick.

Although Kelly at the time stated that he had expected the Bills to choose him, he later said, “You have to say those things … I cried. (Laughs) I didn’t really literally cry. I just had tears. I’m like, ‘You got to be kidding me.'”

Although he believed that team owner Ralph Wilson would not bring in the right players to build a championship team, Kelly was resigned to playing for the Bills. While meeting with the team to negotiate his contract, however, a Bills secretary mistakenly let Bruce Allen, general manager of the rival United States Football League’s Chicago Blitz, reach Kelly on the telephone; Allen persuaded Kelly to leave the meeting. Kelly later claimed that the USFL offered him his choice of teams because of the league’s interest in signing quarterbacks. He signed with the Houston Gamblers, who played in the climate-controlled Houston Astrodome, and said, “Would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo?”

In two seasons in Houston, leading offensive coach Mouse Davis’s run-and-shoot offense, Kelly threw for 9,842 yards, 83 touchdowns, and 45 interceptions with a 63% completion percentage for an average of 8.53 yards per attempt.

He was the USFL MVP in 1984 when he set a league record with 5,219 yards passing and 44 touchdown passes. Kelly’s USFL records eclipsed those of fellow league quarterbacks Doug Williams and Steve Young.

When the Houston Gamblers folded, Kelly went to the New Jersey Generals and was slated as their starting quarterback. Kelly appeared on a cover of Sports Illustrated while holding a Generals’ helmet, but the league collapsed before he ever fielded a snap with the Generals.

The Greatest Game No One Saw

Led by Kelly, the Houston Gamblers took on the Los Angeles Express and quarterback Steve Young, on February 24, 1985. The game was supposed to be televised by ABC, but they opted to cover Doug Flutie’s debut with the New Jersey Generals instead.

Only cameramen that worked for both teams were on hand to record the game. Houston raced out to an early lead, but the Express mounted a comeback that led to them being ahead 33–14 with just under ten minutes left in the game. Kelly led the Gamblers on a comeback that would see them pull off a 34–33 win, and in the end, Kelly threw for 574 yards.

Kelly threw three touchdown passes in the last Gambler drives of the game, including what turned out to be the game-winner, a 39-yard strike to receiver Ricky Sanders. The Express thought they had the game won, especially after safety Troy West picked off a Kelly pass, and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

The Gamblers got the ball back and it just took two plays for them to score, as Kelly tossed a pass to Richard Johnson that ended up being a 52-yard score. The drive took less than a minute. The Gamblers defense forced a punt, and the offense scored again, this time Kelly found receiver Vince Courville for a 20-yard strike. The drive was aided by a poor punt from Express punter Jeff Partridge that only netted 16 yards and allowed the Gamblers to take over at the Express 43-yard line.

Kelly found Sanders for the go-ahead score, Sanders beating Troy West on the play. West had picked off two Kelly passes that day, but Kelly ended up with the last laugh. The Express were driving to get in range for their placekicker, Tony Zendejas to kick what had the potential to be the game-winner. That was not to be as Young was picked off by Gamblers linebacker Mike Hawkins.

Buffalo Bills

Kelly finally joined the Bills (who had retained his NFL rights) in 1986 after the USFL folded. He helped lead the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXV–Super Bowl XXVIII) and six divisional championships from 1988 to 1995.

The Bills are both the only franchise to reach the Super Bowl four years in a row and to lose the Super Bowl four years in a row. Buffalo made the playoffs in eight 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. Kelly and Reed connected for 65 touchdowns during their career together trailing only the tandems of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (112), Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, (87), Steve Young and Jerry Rice (85), Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (79), Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne (69), and Drew Brees and Marques Colston (68) for touchdowns by an NFL quarterback and receiver tandem. Kelly, along with Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, and Scott Norwood was the subject of the 30 for 30 film—Four Falls of Buffalo.

Kelly retired after the 1996 NFL season due to injuries. After sitting out the 1997 season, in 1998 Kelly seriously considered an offer to sign with the Baltimore Ravens who were coached by his former offensive coordinator Ted Marchibroda. Kelly declined the offer due to family reasons and stayed retired; the Ravens instead opted to trade with the Indianapolis Colts for Jim Harbaugh as the latter team prepared for the Peyton Manning era.

“No-huddle offense”

Kelly ran the Bills’ “K-Gun” no-huddle offense, which was a fast-paced offense named after tight end Keith McKeller, that denied opposing defenses the opportunity to make timely substitutions (the NFL later changed the rules in response to this to allow opposing defenses time to change formations under no-huddle situations, but this applied only if the offense made personnel substitutions).

This offensive scheme called for multiple formation calls in a huddle so that after each play was completed, the Bills would eschew the 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.

Frequently Asked Questions About Jim Kelly

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