Ever since Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce started dating pop superstar Taylor Swift, the Kelce family has been thrust into the spotlight. Donna Kelce has become a fan favorite who has gone viral several times, and Jason Kelce co-hosts a top podcast with Travis and has a successful post-NFL broadcasting career with ESPN.
But who is Travis and Jason’s father? Did he play professional sports like his two sons? Here’s everything you need to know about Ed Kelce.
Ed Kelce and His Relationship With Travis and Jason
In July 2023, Ed appeared on the New Heights podcast and opened up about his life. For starters, the patriarch of the Kelce family revealed that he wanted to enlist in the U.S. Army, following in the footsteps of many of his relatives.
“Everybody in my family prior to me was in the service,” Ed said.
However, while playing high school football, Ed tore cartilage in his left knee, so the Army turned him away. Instead, he was advised to join the U.S. Coast Guard.
However, right before joining the Coast Guard, a new obstacle surfaced: Crohn’s Disease.
“I enlisted in the Coast Guard, and the Crohn’s reared up,” Ed explained. “I’d never had that before, and I was sick. I went through most of the basic training with some severe gastrointestinal issues. They don’t need sick people in the service; they need people who are ready to perform.”
Even with Kelce’s unfortunate health conditions, he has still accomplished quite a bit.
MORE: Who Is Donna Kelce? Get To Know the Famous Mom of Travis and Jason
After his Crohn’s Disease diagnosis, he went on to have a very successful career in the steel and metal industry in Cleveland, the family’s hometown. Ed has gone on record saying that he often took his two sons to work with him at the steel mill.
“I’d take them there — hard hat, safety glasses, boots, the whole nine yards,” he told the LA Times. “I’d tell them, ‘You can have a job like your mother’s, or you can have a job like mine.'”
He also helped Travis and Jason discover their love of football and played a significant role in both of them becoming future NFL Hall-of-Famers.
“My job is to help you find a passion and then fuel that passion,” he explained on the podcast. “Your passion, both of you guys, was sports.”
Ed and Donna’s Relationship History
How did Ed and Donna first meet? They detailed their relationship history on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason.
It turns out Donna was on her way to a date with another man before Ed stepped in.
“I was supposed to go out with a guy that night; we were supposed to go to a play, and I never made it. Your dad and I talked forever,” Donna said.
Ed ended up running into his future wife at Fagan’s Bar in Old Cleveland Flats. He was there for an after-work drink and was “covered in cement” but still struck up a conversation with Donna. The rest is history.
Unfortunately, the relationship ended after 25 years, but Ed and Donna remained friends.
“We are friends to this day … We get along great; just sometimes, people move apart, that’s all,” Donna said.
Donna and Ed’s marriage ended around 13 years ago. In her Glamour Women of the Year cover story, Donna opened up about the decision to end the marriage.
“My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids,” Donna explained. “Ours was a very friendly relationship. So, we could do that and make sure that their life was normal as possible. But in that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on on my own.”
Still, Ed and Donna produced a pair of NFL legends who have won a combined four Super Bowls. He also might have Swift as a daughter-in-law in the near future, so it’s safe to say Ed’s life has been a rollercoaster.
After sitting with Swift at one of Travis’ games, Ed spoke to People magazine about their relationship.
“We’re sitting in the suite, she gets up, and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something, and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around,” Ed said. “Because in the suites, everybody gets stuff, and you empty it down wherever you can.
“And I’m just thinking, I don’t think she got the diva memo. She didn’t get the spoiled musician [memo]. She doesn’t know how to pull that off. And that really, to me, said a whole lot.”