Travis Kelce
NFL tight end, three-time Super Bowl champion, record-setting receiver.
Adam Schultz · via Wikipedia: Travis Kelce · Public domain
Travis Michael Kelce (born October 5, 1989) plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. Drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 draft, he has won three Super Bowls (LIV, LVII, and LVIII) with the team. He is widely regarded as one of the best tight ends to ever play the game.
Kelce holds the NFL record for the most consecutive seasons (seven) and the most overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end. In 2020, he set the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,416, despite playing only 15 games. He was the fifth tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards, doing so faster than any other tight end in league history. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Kelce has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro teams (four first-team, three second-team). During the 2023 season, he passed Jerry Rice for the most career playoff receptions, helping the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII—their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.
Off the field, Kelce co-owns the beer brand Garage Beer. He has appeared in commercials and on both reality and scripted TV, including as the star of the dating show *Catching Kelce* (2016) on E! and as host of a 2023 episode of *Saturday Night Live*. With his brother Jason, he co-hosts the podcast *New Heights*, which covers football and pop culture; by 2024, it ranked as the eighth most popular podcast on Apple Podcasts in the United States.
Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, the younger son of Ed Kelce (a former steel industry sales rep) and Donna Kelce (a former bank executive). His older brother, Jason, played center for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 seasons. The brothers have partial Croatian descent through their mother, whose ancestors came from Brod Moravice and Velike Drage near the Slovenian border; their maternal great-grandmother Marie Stajduhar was born to Croatian immigrants. Another maternal great-grandmother, Helen Henrietta Sadlowski, was born to Polish immigrants, and a maternal great-grandfather, Frank Petranek, was born to Czech immigrants.
He attended Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio, playing football, basketball, and baseball. As a quarterback for the Tigers, he was a three-year letter winner.
- Born
- October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio
- Field
- Professional football (tight end)
- Nationality
- American
- Known for
- NFL tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs; holds records for most consecutive and overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end (seven); most receiving yards by a tight end in a single seas
Lore & Background
Travis Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, the younger son of Ed and Donna Kelce. He attended Cleveland Heights High School, where he played quarterback, and later played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats. After redshirting in 2008, he appeared in 11 games in 2009, playing tight end and quarterback out of the wildcat formation. He was suspended for the 2010 season after testing positive for marijuana. In 2012, he set personal season highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (722), and receiving touchdowns (8), earning first-team all-conference honors and the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year. He graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree.
Kelce was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He missed most of his rookie season due to a knee injury requiring microfracture surgery. In 2014, he recorded his first NFL touchdown and finished as the Chiefs' leading receiver with 862 yards. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2015. In 2016, he signed a five-year, $46 million contract extension and led all NFL tight ends with 1,125 receiving yards. He has since become an 11-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro. During the 2022 season, he became the fifth NFL tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards, doing so faster than any tight end in history. In the 2023 season, he surpassed Jerry Rice in career playoff receptions en route to winning Super Bowl LVIII.
Outside of football, Kelce is a co-owner of beer brand Garage Beer. He appeared in advertisements and on reality and scripted television, including the dating show Catching Kelce (2016) on E! and hosting a 2023 episode of Saturday Night Live. He co-hosts the podcast New Heights with his brother Jason, which was ranked the 8th most popular podcast in the United States on Apple Podcasts in 2024.
Reader's Guide
Travis Kelce's significance lies in his redefinition of the tight end position through unprecedented receiving production. He holds NFL records for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end (seven), and the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,416 in 2020). He was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. His playoff performance is historic: during the 2023 season, he surpassed Jerry Rice in career playoff receptions. Kelce's consistency and durability have been central to the Kansas City Chiefs' sustained success, including Super Bowl victories in LIV, LVII, and LVIII and four Super Bowl appearances in five seasons. His legacy is further cemented by his selection as a seven-time All-Pro and his status as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. Off the field, his ventures into television and podcasting have expanded his cultural footprint, but his primary legacy remains his statistical dominance and championship achievements.
Did You Know?
- Kelce holds the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416 in 2020, despite playing in only 15 games.
- He was suspended for the 2010 college season after testing positive for marijuana.
More in Band Members & Collaborators
Elsewhere in Taylor Swift
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced