Jim Kelly: Career retrospective | Yardbarker

Jim Kelly was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in nearby East Brady, Pennsylvania. He played football and basketball at East Brady High School, becoming one of the top recruits in Western PA. He received a football scholarship from Penn State, his dream school, but there was a catch. They wanted him to play linebacker. The University of Miami offered him a scholarship and a chance to continue playing quarterback at the next level. In the end, Kelly chose Miami. 

Kelly played for the Miami Hurricanes from 1979-1982. He passed for 5,228 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games. The Hurricanes won a lot when Kelly was there. He finished his college career with a 30-15 win-loss record. 

Kelly had his best year at Miami in 1980. He passed for 1,519 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Hurricanes to a 9-3 record. They beat the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Peach Bowl. Kelly was named MVP of the game for his resounding performance.

Kelly was instrumental in building the Hurricanes’ football program into a winner. He left for the NFL after the 1982 season but left his mark on the program. The Hurricanes dynasty won three national championships in the 1980s and was the team of the decade. While he never won a national championship, Kelly laid out the blueprint for the next man up. 

Considered one of the best quarterbacks of his draft class, Kelly entered the NFL draft ready to turn his dream into a reality. The Buffalo Bills selected him with the 14th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The 1983 quarterback class was legendary. John Elway, Dan Marino, and, of course, Jim Kelly were all drafted this year. 

While Kelly was fresh off being drafted into the NFL, he wasn’t as excited as you might think. Buffalo was considered an undesirable location across the NFL, and the Bills were perennial losers. Also, Kelly wanted to avoid the cold weather and play somewhere warm. 

The Houston Gamblers of the startup USFL came calling with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Kelly was intrigued by the prospect of playing in the USFL and signed with the Gamblers. 

Kelly was a star for the Houston Gamblers. In 1984, he won Rookie of the Year and USFL MVP. He threw for 5,219 yards and 44 touchdowns as a rookie. Impressive stuff.

Kelly had a legendary quarterback duel with Steve Young of the Los Angeles Express. The two duked it out in a shootout. The Gamblers prevailed, winning 34-33. Kelly threw for 574 yards in the victory. Kelly and Young went on to have successful careers in the NFL and are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

The USFL folded in 1985, and Kelly was looking for work. The Buffalo Bills still possessed his NFL rights. After lighting it up in the short-lived USFL, Kelly took his talents to the NFL.

Kelly arrived in snowy Buffalo as an exciting player and the potential savior of the Bills franchise. With the help of his rocket arm, Kelly got used to the cold in Buffalo and set the league on fire. The 26-year-old rookie passed for 3,593 yards and 22 touchdowns. He quickly became one of the marquee players in the league. 

Kelly led the Bills back to the playoffs in 1988. They went 12-4 and lost in the AFC Championship Game, just one win away from the Super Bowl. Kelly tossed 3,380 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. 

The Bills also built the team around Kelly and brought in Hall of Famers Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas, and Bruce Smith (all-time sack leader). Under head coach Marv Levy, the future was bright in Buffalo. 

The tough quarterback from Western Pennsylvania had another great outing in 1990. He launched 2,829 yards and 24 touchdowns. Kelly led the league in completion percentage (63.3%) and passer rating (101.2). At this stage of his career, Kelly was an MVP candidate year in and year out. The Bills jumped to a 13-3 record and lost Super Bowl XXV to the New York Giants by one point.

The Bills’ offense was electric with Kelly at the lead. Nicknamed the K-Gun offense, they tortured NFL defenses. The no-huddle offense was a variation of the run-and-shoot offense Kelly mastered with the Gamblers in the USFL under Mouse Davis. The high-octane offense was focused on high-percentage throws and tiring the defense out. It was unstoppable. 

The Buffalo Bills went to four Super Bowls in a row and lost them all in the early 1990s. They lost to the New York Giants (1990), Washington Commanders (1991), and Dallas Cowboys (1992, ’93). They’re the only team to lose four-straight Super Bowls. They’re considered one of the greatest teams never to win a Super Bowl. 

There was a lot of heartbreak in Buffalo during the 1990s. Kelly was the leader of those Bills teams that were so close, yet so far. The Bills had six Hall of Famers on their roster during their Super Bowl runs in Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, James Lofton, and head coach Marv Levy. They were one of those teams you would love to see win a ring, but the football gods were never on their side. 

Jim Kelly’s favorite target throughout his career was Andre Reed. The Kutztown University product was a scrappy receiver who wasn’t afraid to take a hit. Together, they formed one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in NFL history. They are on the same level as Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison or Steve Young and Jerry Rice. 

At 36 years old, Kelly retired from football after the 1996 season. His production declined in his final years. Still, Kelly left nothing in the tank and gave it his all.  

Kelly considered coming out of retirement to play for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998 to reunite with Ted Marchibroda, his offensive coordinator with the Bills. He decided to stay retired. 

When you think of a quarterback, sometimes toughness is the last thing that comes to mind. For Kelly, it was the first. He is known as one of the toughest quarterbacks of all time. Coming from a blue-collar background in Western Pennsylvania, Kelly was a perfect fit for Buffalo. He braved the harsh weather in Buffalo, and his passes cut through the cold air.

Kelly’s toughness was on display during his battle with cancer. In June 2013, the beloved quarterback was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his jaw. Kelly was cancer free by January 2019. Kelly’s toughness is a beacon of hope for others battling cancer. He was awarded the Jimmy V Award for perseverance at the 2018 ESPYs and gave an inspiring acceptance speech. 

Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. A legend on and off the field, Kelly is the greatest athlete in Buffalo’s history.