Regular American football fans who follow the NFL are definitely aware of who Jason Kelce is. But even for the casual viewer, there is a pretty good chance that they also know about him. For all of his exploits on the football field, Kelce has become quite popular off the field as well.
Kelce, the long-time starting center for the Philadelphia Eagles was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio on November 5, 1987. The Ohio native has spent well over a decade playing for the Eagles and has earned the respect of his fellow teammates as well as peers. Jason Kelce’s performances on the football field have helped him become a 6-time First-team All-Pro, a 7-time Pro Bowler, and a Super Bowl Champion in his illustrious career.
Off the field, the Ohio native has delved into the media world starting a football podcast called ‘New Heights’ alongside his brother Travis Kelce who is also a tight end in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs. This podcast has quickly become a fan favorite with its fun-filled stories and popular guests from time to time. Kelce has also recently released his documentary titled ‘Kelce’ which was very well received.
After a glorious football career that spanned for 13 years with the Eagles, Jason Kelce formerly announced his decision to step away from the game on March 4, 2024 in front of the media and his family members who were there in support.
Jason Kelce College
Kelce attended the University of Cincinnati and played football for the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. He joined the team as a walk-on running back but then switched over to the fullback position before completely changing his position as an offensive lineman. When Kelce started as a football player, he did not play the center position from the very beginning. Even now the 13-year veteran player is undersized for the position despite being recognized as one of the best to have ever played as a center.
In 2008, which was Kelce’s sophomore year, he started 13 games as a left guard. He was an important player in the Bearcats' success that year as they went 11-3 on the season and became the Big East Champions but came up short in the FedEx Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.
In 2009, Kelce again started 13 games as a left guard and with his performance earned second-team All-Big East honors. This time the Bearcats won the Big East for the second year running with a 12-0 undefeated record but once again fell short in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Florida.
In 2010, Jason Kelce was moved over to the center, and under a new coach the Bearcats fell to a dismal 4-8 record. Starting 12 games as a center in his final year of college, Kelce finished his college career with 26 starts as a left guard and 12 as a center.
Jason Kelce NFL Draft
Kelce was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round with pick number 191 in the 2011 NFL Draft. Despite being undersized, Kelce was expected to be drafted in the fourth round. Unfortunately, though, he had to wait much longer for his eventual selection.
The 2011 NFL Draft is famous for other big-name players such as quarterback and number 1 overall pick, Cam Newton, linebacker Von Miller, wide receiver Julio Jones, defensive end J.J. Watt, cornerback Richard Sherman, and more.
Jason Kelce NFL
After being drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Kelce impressed during the training sessions despite his size. The then Eagles offensive-line coach, Howard Mudd felt very highly about Kelce’s game and compared him to the Indianapolis Colts' famous center Jeff Saturday as both players shared similar body builds and game style.
As a result of which, the Super Bowl Champion was named as the starting center in his rookie season. Impressed with his performances, Kelce remained the starter in the years to come and has now firmly established himself as one of the best centers the game has ever seen.
There is a high probability that Kelce’s name will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame which would be a huge accomplishment given that the position is one of the most difficult to judge due to a lack of stats.
FAQs
Ed and Donna Kelce are the parents of Jason Kelce.
Jason Kelce has three beautiful daughters named Wyatt, Elliotte, and Bennett.
Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII on 5 February 2018.
Jason Kelce is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and around 295 lb (134 kg) which is considered a little undersized for an NFL center.
At the 2011 NFL combine, Jason Kelce ran his 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds which was the fastest time for that year’s offensive linemen.
