Kelly, "Jim" (James E.)
Football
b. Feb. 14, 1960, Pittsburgh, PA
Chosen in the first round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills out of the University of Miami, Kelly elected to play for the Houston Gamblers in the new U. S. Football League. He was named the league's rookie of the year by The Sporting News after completing 370 of 587 passes for 5,219 yards and 44 touchdowns in 18 games.
The league folded in August of 1986 and Kelly joined the Bills, becoming a starter immediately. He was put in charge of a hurry-up, no-huddle offense in which the quarterback calls the plays after sizing up the defensive alignment. That offense, and Kelly's skill at running it, took the Bills to four consecutive AFC championships, from 1990 through 1993. However, Buffalo lost in all four Super Bowls.
Kelly led the NFL with a 63.3 completion percentage and a rating of 101.2 in 1990 and he had a league-leading 33 touchdown passes in 1991. A very tough competitor who often played despite injury, Kelly missed a handful of games with a chronic knee problem. He retired after the 1996 season.
He completed 2879 of 4779 passes for 35,467 yards, with 237 touchdowns and 175 interceptions. Kelly also rushed 304 times for 1,049 yards and 7 touchdowns.