Kelly Tough
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kelly Tough.
It was more than just a Twitter hashtag to Jim Kelly, a former Buffalo Bills' and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback.
It was a mindset, and one that has served him well since he was a boy growing up as one of six brothers in the tough-as-nails town of East Brady, Clarion County, nestled in the pocket of the winding Allegheny River.
After playing football at East Brady and graduating in 1978, he played at the University of Miami, then at Houston in the former USFL and finally at Buffalo in the NFL.
Kelly, who has battled jaw and sinus cancer, will be honored Tuesday at the 79th annual Dapper Dan Dinner & Sports Banquet at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
He will receive the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kelly, who will turn 55 on Valentine's Day, said it will be a humbling experience.
“Oh, it's awesome,” Kelly said. “When I found out, I was definitely honored and humbled. And to be healthy enough to be there to accept it is even better.”
A little less than a year ago, Kelly was in a hospital bed, emaciated and in pain. He wanted to fight the biggest battle of his life privately, but his wife, Jill, would have nothing of it.
“To be honest with you, I was not for making it public,” said Kelly, who was first diagnosed with cancerous cells in his jaw in June of 2013. The cancer then spread to his sinus in March of last year.
“But my wife said, 'Jim, we need as many people praying for you as we can get.'”
Kelly still wasn't convinced.
“I was like: 'People have their own problems,'” Kelly said. “We're Christians and my wife and I believe in the power of prayer. She said we can never get enough.”Kelly got a lot of prayers — much more than he ever imagined.“She was right,” Kelly said, laughing. “Again.”The cards, letters and tweets poured in. Each one, Kelly said, renewed his resolve to beat the disease.“The number of people who wrote me and sent me cards and prayers humbled me,” Kelly said. “A lot of them told me how my fight motivated them in their own struggles. They wrote, 'If Jim Kelly can do it, I can do it.'“But I want people to know that isn't true. I couldn't have done it without them,” Kelly added. “I just want people to understand how much they helped me.”Terry Henry, who coached Kelly on the football field at East Brady and has remained a close friend, said he saw that Kelly did not take the mail he received lightly.“He opened every envelope he received. He read every letter.“I saw him at his lowest point. He was down big time, as down as I've ever seen him. But he talked with us and tried to stay positive and we tried to stay upbeat for him.”During those dark days in the hospital as he was fighting for his life, Kelly said the support of his family and friends was important.Not just the visits and the hand holding.Their attitudes.Their smiles.Their jokes.“When my daughters, Erin and Camryn, came in the room to see me, they always had smiles on their face and said, 'Daddy! How are you?' and hugged me,” Kelly said.“They were always telling me, 'You can do this.' Everyone who came into that room had an upbeat attitude. I just say to people now when they go to see someone who is sick to have that attitude, to have a smile on their face. It doesn't matter how bad off they are. It'll make them feel better.”
Henry said the cancer had actually spread to Kelly's brain stem, but the combination of radiation and chemotherapy succeeded in eradicating the cancer.“He still has problems. Because of the radiation they blasted on his face, he lost some of his saliva glands and always has a water bottle with him. He's always under a constant scare that the cancer could come back. But he's always lived life to the fullest.”Kelly called his battle with cancer tougher than any game he played in the NFL.Kelly started 160 games in his 11-year career with the Bills. He threw for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns in Buffalo and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility.With Kelly under center, the Bills went to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-93, but lost all four of them.Kelly was the first member of those teams to reach the pro football hall. Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed have been enshrined since.The general manager and architect of those teams, Bill Polian, was voted into this year's class.“It's very deserving,” Kelly said. “He was a great GM and he knew football. Other GMs know football, too, but he really knew the game and how to spot talent.”
Kelly lamented that not more of his Bills' teammates have joined him in the hall in Canton, Ohio.“I think if we would have won one or two of those Super Bowls, more guys would be in,” Kelly said.Kelly said special teams standout Steve Tasker is a prime example of that.“I think a guy like Steve Tasker will eventually get in,” Kelly said. “He was the best special teams player to ever play the game.”He is cancer free now. He still has pain, mostly from the biopsies taken to monitor his health.“I'm getting there,” Kelly said. “It's a slow process. I had a test (in January) and thank God there was no cancer, and my next one isn't until April. So, I just plan to enjoy myself.”
East Brady native Jim Kelly carved out quite a football career, first at the University of Miami, then at Houston of the USFL and finally at Buffalo in the NFL.Here is a breakdown of Kelly's career:<B>CollegeMiamiYear Comp-Att Yrds TD-INT</B>1979 48-104 721 5-61980 109-206 1,519 11-71981 168-285 2,403 14-141982 51-81 585 3-1<B>ProUSFL-HoustonYear Comp-Att Yrds TD-INT</B>1984 370-587 5,219 44-261985 360-567 4,623 39-19<B>NFL-BuffaloYear Comp-Att Yrds TD-INT</B>1986 285-480 3,593 22-171987 250-419 2,798 19-111988 269-452 3,380 15-171989 228-391 3,130 25-181990 219-346 2,829 24-91991 304-474 3,844 33-171992 269-462 3,457 23-191993 288-470 3,382 18-181994 285-448 3,114 22-171995 255-458 3,130 22-131996 222-379 2,810 14-19
