Travis Kelce, born October 5, 1989, is a celebrated American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Widely regarded as one of the best tight ends ever, he’s a ten-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro.
Drafted in 2013, he has won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the Chiefs after playing college football at the University of Cincinnati.
Beyond football, Kelce has appeared on TV shows like Catching Kelce and hosted Saturday Night Live. He co-hosts the popular New Heights podcast with his brother Jason.
Parents
Donna and Ed Kelce are the proud parents of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce. They met in a bar in the 1970s and raised their sons in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, fostering an environment that would nurture their athletic talents.
Donna Kelce has a background in finance and has taken on the role of an NFL ambassador, actively supporting her sons’ careers.
She frequently appears on their popular podcast, “New Heights,” where she shares insights into their lives and experiences.
Notably, Donna was the first in her family to graduate from college and had a hidden talent for track and field in her youth, even winning medals at the Junior Olympics.
Tragically, her mother passed away when she was just 12 years old, and she was raised by her stepmother, Mary.
Ed Kelce worked in sales for steel manufacturers and played a significant role in coaching his sons in youth sports, instilling in them a passion for football from an early age.
Coming from a military family, Ed had aspirations to serve but was unable to do so due to a knee injury and Crohn’s disease.
Career
Kelce played college football at the University of Cincinnati from 2008 to 2012. Initially a two-star recruit, he chose Cincinnati over offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Miami (OH) to join his brother, Jason Kelce.
Kelce began his college career as a quarterback but transitioned to tight end in 2011 after redshirting in 2008.
In 2009, he appeared in 11 games, showcasing his versatility by playing both tight end and in the Wildcat formation as a quarterback, where he recorded 47 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
However, he faced a setback in 2010 when he was suspended for violating team rules. Upon returning in 2011, Kelce made an impact with 13 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
His breakout season came in 2012, where he achieved 45 receptions for 722 yards and eight touchdowns, earning first-team all-conference honors and being named the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year in March 2013.
The Cincinnati Bearcats had a combined record of 32-7 during his three seasons of play.
Kelce graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree and received his diploma at a podcast event in April 2024.
Kelce was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, marking the beginning of a remarkable professional career.
He has since won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the Chiefs and is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
Over his career, he has earned ten Pro Bowl selections and seven All-Pro honors.
Kelce holds several NFL records, including those for the most consecutive and overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end.
In 2020, he set the record for the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with an impressive total of 1,416 yards.
By the end of the 2022 season, he became the fifth NFL tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards, achieving this milestone faster than any other tight end in history.
He was also named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
