Most people know Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce as NFL superstars set to make history as the first brothers to meet head-to-head in a Super Bowl.
But their coaches, administrators and even the bar staff that served them describe the brothers as a couple of Ohio kids they knew were destined for greatness.
“They both passed the eye test early on,” recalled Mike Jones, the head coach at Cleveland Heights High School when the Kelces attended school there in the early 2000s.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio natives Jason and Travis Kelce are set to become the first brothers to play one another in the Super Bowl
- The Pro Bowl players attended Cleveland Heights High School before going on to play the University of Cincinnati
- Both players credit their time in Ohio with helping them become the players, and men, they are today
Jones coached Jason for four years and Travis for three during their prep careers. But he knew of the playground legends long before they ever stepped foot on Hosford Stadium as high schoolers.
Shortly after arriving at Cleveland Heights in 2000, Jones joined his coaching staff at a local youth game to scout the up-and-coming talent in the system.
“We knew they’d be some talented players for us,” Jones said. “Travis was the most athletic out of the two, but Jason has the heart and the drive.”
Even today, the Kelces praise their upbringing in northeast Ohio with turning them into the football players, and men, they are today.
Travis travels back to Cleveland Heights more often than Jason, Jones said. Jason has a wife and children in Philadelphia, and the Pro Bowlers’ parents don’t live in Ohio anymore. But neither Kelce forgot where they came from, Jones said.
And Cleveland Heights hasn’t forgotten them, either. Their alma mater is lit in green and red this week in honor of each brother’s team colors.
“Cleveland Heights is a very unique spot. It’s a special place,” Jason told reporters Monday during Super Bowl LVII opening night in Phoenix. “We were fortunate to play sports, to go to school, play music with lots of different kids and people from all sorts of walks of life.”
“We were extremely fortunate to have… friends, coaches, mentors, people who constantly infused belief in us, constantly infused the idea that you can be successful in whatever you do if you put your mind to it, and work toward it, whether it’s my parents or anybody in the community.”
Both boys were hard-working from Day 1. Jones said he would have them in the weight room at 5:45 a.m. for workouts.
Of course, the teenagers Jones first met more than two decades ago have grown and changed over the years, he said.
For instance, Jason has loosened up over the years, Jones said. He believes that’s a result of him becoming more confident with his physical skills.
Jones believes the coaching staff at the University of Cincinnati – where both Kelces went to college — helped Jason grow from a preferred walk-on, who played on the defensive line, to an NFL draft pick and Super Bowl-starting offensive center.
Travis, on the other hand, was a more gifted athlete, Jones said. But he wanted to follow in his big brother’s footsteps.
Travis actually played quarterback in high school and started out in that position in college. While his position changed, the UC athletic staff saw him playing basketball one day and knew he was a “special athlete” they needed to recruit, UC assistant coach Kerry Coombs said.
Despite his talent, Travis faced adversity during his time at Cincinnati. He was essentially kicked off the team for the 2010 season because of a rule violation, according to UC Athletics. Former head coach Butch Jones made Travis work his way back onto the team and also to earn back his scholarship. He did so just prior to his breakout senior season in 2012.
Travis cited Coombs and UC Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Bob Mangine with helping him mature on and off the field.
Last year, Travis donated money to UC to create the 87 & Running Endowment, which provides mental health support to all 450 UC student-athletes. He and his brother also gave money in 2019 to create an endowment to support the Kelce Brothers Scholarship.
“The players, the coaches, the staff that was at the university at the time really believed in me to be able to turn things around and do better for myself,” Travis told members of the media on Monday. “That was huge for me at the time.”
While they’re different styles of athletes, Coombs believes both Kelce brothers are bound for the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Travis, 33, is an eight-time Pro Bowler and will probably hold most major receiving records for tight ends until he eventually retires. Jason, 35, is one of the top centers of his generation. Both brothers each already have a Super Bowl ring of their own.
Neither Kelce was highly recruited or a first-round draft pick. Jason was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2011, while Kansas City called Travis’ name in the third-round two years later.
Jones, a physical education teacher, uses the Kelce brothers’ story to motivate young athletes.
“If you want something in life, get up and go to work,” he added. “Nothing was handed to these guys, but they put in the work so that whatever doors opened for them, they were prepared to walk through.”
Although their personalities differ, the Kelce brothers share a love of UC and Cincinnati.
“It’s all about Cincinnati, baby,” Travis said Monday. “I’ve always been extremely prideful of coming from the University of Cincinnati. I finally got my diploma.”
“I try to help out as much as I can. I go back to the university when I can,” he added.
On a recent episode of their podcast, New Heights, the brothers reminisced about Uncle Woody’s, a popular UC student bar a short walk from Nippert Stadium. In the brief comments, they joked about a “glorious day” of keg stands at the bar.
“God, I miss Uncle Woody’s,” Jason said before his brother chuckled.
Matt Starkey, a former bartender at Uncle Woody’s, joked that the Kelces and other members of the Bearcats football team served as unofficial security at the bar.
“The memories that we remember are priceless. The memories we maybe don’t remember are countless,” Starkey said with a laugh.
Jason held his NFL Draft party at Uncle Woody’s, he added.
The Kelces still visit Uncle Woody’s when they are in town from time to time, according to owners Lori and John Levy. On Sunday though, they plan to watch them on TV with many former UC fans.
“We hope to all celebrate the both of them this Sunday,” Starkey said.
John Cunningham, UC’s director of athletics, called it a thrill to have the Kelce brother representing the university in the Super Bowl.
Cunningham pointed out that Chiefs safety Bryan Cook played for the Bearcats as well. But he noted that the Kelce brothers’ story has helped promote the university and the football program.
The “outstanding ambassadors” are both constant supporters of UC — whether it’s attending football and basketball games to sporting the school’s noted “C”-paw gear on their podcast, New Heights.
On Monday, Travis exclaimed “Go Bearcats” to begin his comments Monday night in Phoenix.
“You can’t put a price on that kind of exposure,” Cunningham said.
“This Sunday will be a ton of fun cheering on both teams,” he added. “Either way, a Bearcat and a University of Cincinnati alum will be a Super Bowl champion. It doesn’t get any better than that.”