Catching Up With: Jim Kelly

Miami fans will remember Jim Kelly as the quarterback who helped Howard Schnellenberger kick off his infamous five-year national championship plan at the U, knocking off no. 1 Penn State in his first college game.

They will also remember him as Dan Marino's AFC foil, rewriting the record books in Buffalo while leading the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early '90s. 

The first of the stellar signal-callers who turned Miami into "Quarterback U," and the Orange Bowl's original fashionista, Kelly was inducted into UM's Hall of Fame in 1992. The NFL Hall of Fame followed a decade later, and Kelly, who retired in 1996, has spent most of his time working with Hunter's Hope, the foundation he began in honor of a son who was stricken with Krabbe Disease and died at age 8.

We caught up with Kelly to talk 'Canes, Dolphins, and dudes as he helped roll out the Depend Campaign to End Prostate Cancer, a four-month long initiative aimed at informing men of the risks of the disease and the importance of early detection. Seeing as he spent his whole career staring at mens' backsides, it seemed only natural.

You were at the U during Howard Schnellenberger’s first years, helping build a program that would later dominate college football. Your class certainly had its moments with big wins over Penn State and Miami's first bowl win since 1967, but was there a particular period when you watched the 'Canes later and thought, 'Man, I wish I could have been there for that?'
I’ve never really thought that, and my junior and senior years we were on probation, so I never really had the luxury of going to [another] bowl game. I never really looked back and though that. Maybe I did with some of the offensive systems. The wide open offenses I would have enjoyed, because in my day if you threw 20-25 times a game that was normal.

But those were just great years. The honor of getting to play for the great Howard Schnellenberger -- incredible. He was a drill seargeant.

You’ve long been an advocate for other medical and health causes through your work with Hunter’s Hope and other charities. What drew you to the Depend Campaign?
When they started to explain to me how so many men are scared to take a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test, I knew I had to get involved. I just turned fifty, and my buddies, they don't want to take the test. And if you have anyone in your family, even around the age of 40, they should be taking it: 1 of every 6 men will have prostate cancer, and the risks are even greater for African-American guys. It's around 40%.

And it's beatable! The test is just having your blood taken. You just go in for your annual physical, and have them do the PSA test with your bloodwork. My buddies who are super macho, guys my age, they say, 'Oh, I play basketball. I run. I'm healthy. I keep fit.' But it has nothing to do with that.

While you’re busy with worthy causes, some of your contemporaries are off Dancing with the Stars or appearing on Survivor. Do you ever see them on TV, feel those competitive juices start to flow, and become tempted to demand a dance-off with Dan Marino?
[Laughs] No way! I’ve got two left feet. Actually, I'm not that bad of a dancer. But you could not pay me enough money to do that. It's a lot of work! I’ve got a bad back, my knees hurt...I play basketball all the time, but what they do is tough. I'll leave that to those guys.

Speaking of Dan Marino, the Bills and Dolphins kick off the season against each other on Sunday, with both teams trying to grapple their way back to where the two of you left them. What’s it going to take for the Bills?
Stay healthy, first of all. Last year they had 21 players on the injured reserve; at one point, 4 of 5 offensive lineman were out. We cannot afford injuries, we don’t have the luxury of depth other teams do.

But it's a new system, with a new coordinator and a new head coach. I think the Bills might surprise a few people. The first month is key. We start out with the Dolphins, then head to Green Bay, and then face the Patriots and the Jets. The first month is gonna dictate how our season’s gonna be going. It’s very important to start strong.

There’s a lot of young quarterbacks in the league now who grew up watching you run that incredible offense in Buffalo. When you look at the current crop, is there anyone that stands out to you, anyone you particularly enjoy watching?
I still like watching the older guys. Peyton [Manning] and Tom Brady. And of course, my boy Brett Favre. I still can’t believe he’s out there playing so many games in a row! 

There's a lot of good guys, but no matter who's out there, the key today is protecting the quarterback. People say they focus on that too much, but if you look at the teams left standing at the end of last season, it was those with quarterbacks who were protected really well.

Finally, who’s going to win in Columbus this weekend when the Canes take on Ohio State?
27-17, Canes! No question. And 27-17 is going to be the score when the Bills beat the Dolphins, too.

Click here to order Jim Kelly’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nbcmiami.com)