The 1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was full of quarterbacks that would one day break NFL records. However, most of them did not want to play in the cold. Most notably, #1 overall pick John Elway refused to sign with the Baltimore Colts, the team who selected him, even threatening to play baseball instead if the team did not trade him away. Seeing this issue, Kelly’s agent asked if there were any teams that he would not play for. Kelly, who also disliked cold weather, listed the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills. Kelly happily watched the Bills pass on him with the 12th overall pick, until his agent reminded him that the Bills also had the 14th pick, which they ultimately used to select him.
The Houston Gamblers
Unlike Elway, Kelly begrudgingly accepted his fate and met with the team to negotiate his contract. But during the meeting, the Bill’s secretary let the rival United States Football League reach Kelly on the telephone. They persuaded Kelly to leave the meeting without signing anything and offered him the choice to sign with any team in the USFL. He signed with the Houston Gamblers who played in a climate-controlled stadium, stating, “Would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo?” In two seasons with the Gamblers, he threw for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns. But the USFL folded after the 1985 season and Kelly signed with the Bills for the 1986 NFL season.
Return to the Bills
With the Bills, Kelly was a star. He rewrote the Bills’ record book for quarterbacks and led the team to four consecutive Super Bowls. Notoriously, the Bills came up short in all four of those Super Bowls, making them the only franchise to reach and lose the Super Bowl four years in a row. Despite his four consecutive Super Bowl losses, Kelly reflects fondly on his career:
“… the best decision of my life proved to be the day I signed with the Buffalo Bills.”
Only three players in NFL history had reached the 30,000-yard career passing mark faster than Kelly. At the time of his retirement, only three Hall of Fame quarterbacks passed for more yards and only two completed more passes than Kelly. Additionally, his 84.4 passer rating ranked sixth all-time and his 237 touchdowns ranked thirteenth. Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, his first year of eligibility. However, Kelly’s retirement has become a story of resilience instead of leisure.
Resilience Amidst Retirement
In 2005, Kelly’s eight-year-old son, Hunter, died from complications of Krabbe disease, a rare condition that affects the nervous system. The Kellys founded Hunter’s Hope in their son’s honor, to address the acute need for information and research on Krabbe Disease, and continue that commitment today. Then in 2013, Jim announced he had cancer in his jaw. After surgery and radiation, he was declared cancer free in 2014. But mere months later, MRSA bacteria was found in his bones. He underwent treatment and was finally cleared after several weeks. Unfortunately, in 2018 Kelly announced that the cancer had returned to his upper jaw. Again, he underwent treatment and surgery. And again, he became cancer free in 2019.
Whether you are looking for a sports legend or an inspirational story of resilience, hire Jim Kelly today.
