Today, there are very few NFL players who are more in the media than tight end Travis Kelce. Obviously, the storyline of him dating Taylor Swift has brought his popularity to a different stratosphere. Make no mistake about it though, Kelce is a huge star in his own right.
While he has become a superstar with the Kansas City Chiefs, where did he get his start and become the Kelce we all know and love?
Travis and Jason Kelce’s Upbringing in Cleveland Heights
Both Travis and his brother Jason grew up and went to high school at Cleveland Heights High School. Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is one of Cleveland’s streetcar suburbs to its east, and it has a rich tradition when it comes to football.
Travis was a star dual-sport athlete in high school, dominating on both the football field and the basketball court. In his final season as a quarterback, Kelce threw for 1,523 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing 1,016 yards and 10 scores.
He went on to join his brother and play college football at Cincinnati, but before that, he wanted to play college basketball.
After going to a Bob Huggins-West Virginia basketball camp, Kelce said he wanted to play for the former Cincinnati basketball coach. However, he decided to go play college football, and it was an up-and-down college career.
Kelce’s College Days at Cincinnati
There was never a doubt of the talent that Kelce had, but he had to mature off the field and make some better choices.
Kelce was never a great student, even during his high school days. However, between classroom issues and being suspended for a year in 2010 due to weed, his college career wasn’t off to a good start.
However, he started to get on the field in 2011, and it allowed him to take a huge step in 2012. He finished his junior year with 45 catches for 722 yards and eight touchdowns, deciding to go pro.
Jason’s Role in Travis Ending Up in Kansas City
Andy Reid was the new coach in Kansas City, and the Chiefs were considering Travis in the 2014 NFL Draft. However, with some of his off-field issues in college, Reid wanted to know if he could trust Kelce to continue to get the job done.
So, looking for a good reference to talk about Travis, Reid decided to call on his older brother, Jason.
Jason played for Reid in Philadelphia for two seasons, and Reid had a ton of respect for the center. After hearing what Jason said about Travis, Reid decided to make the move, and the rest is history.
Early Growing Pains in K.C. Led to an All-Time Great
Much like his college career, his professional career got off to a slow start. There were times when he would show up late to workouts, and it took a little while for Reid and Kelce to have the relationship they currently do.
Kelce also would get the occasional big penalties for a celebration or losing control of his emotions at key times.
However, the team trusted him, and you are now looking at a guy making a case for the greatest tight end of all time. If Kelce retired after Sunday, he would likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. As good as he has been in the regular season, his postseason performances are what put in the greatest-of-all-time conversations.
Nothing indicates that Kelce is anywhere close to retiring, especially with his play in the playoffs.
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