Kelly to Serve as Grand Marshal of Homecoming
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Cancer-free and #KellyTough, Hurricanes football great Jim Kelly will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2014 Alumni Weekend and Homecoming festivities on the University of Miami campus.
Kelly will serve as Honorary Captain for the Homecoming football game against North Carolina, which will kick off on Nov. 1.
“The University of Miami was and remains an important part of my life,” Kelly said. “My family and I are honored and we look forward to being Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade and Honorary Captain for the Homecoming game.”
In conjunction with Kelly’s successful fight against cancer, the Homecoming game against the Tar Heels has been declared a “#KellyTough Green Out.” All Canes fans are encouraged to wear green to the game to show their support in the fight against cancer.
“We are thrilled and thankful to welcome a Hurricane great home!” said Donna Arbide, Associate Vice President of the UM Alumni Association. “We expect a packed house of people eager to honor Jim and his family.”
Kelly, his wife Jill and their daughters Erin and Camryn will all be taking part in the exciting weekend of festivities, set for Oct. 31 – Nov. 1.
“We are thrilled and honored to welcome Jim, Jill, Erin and Camryn back to Miami, and we are so grateful that they can join us for Homecoming weekend,” Athletics Director Blake James said. “Jim represents everything that we strive to achieve at UM: excellence, character, compassion and strength. His remarkable life’s journey is an inspiration for all of us.”
A four-year letterman from 1979-1982, Kelly is widely credited with beginning a tradition at Miami that led the school to be known as “Quarterback U.” Kelly led Miami to its first bowl appearance in 14 years in 1981, guiding the Hurricanes to a Peach Bowl victory over Virginia Tech and earning Offensive MVP honors in the win.
Under Kelly’s direction at quarterback, Miami’s signature Peach Bowl win is credited with jumpstarting the Hurricanes to become the “Team of the 1980’s”, with the program achieving unprecedented success during the decade.
“Jim Kelly to me is as much responsible for rescuing the University of Miami football program and athletic department as anyone,” said offensive line coach Art Kehoe, who played on the 1979 and 1980 teams with Kelly. “So many people have been important to this program, but Jim Kelly was a guy that took us from being ready to drop football to being a national championship contender and having prominence again. He was such a tough guy and such a leader. That’s how he was the whole time he was here. He always wanted to fight and scrap, always trying to compete and win. For me, no one can be the Grand Marshal of our Homecoming ceremonies better than Jim Kelly.”
As the starting quarterback in 1981, Kelly led Miami to a 17-14 upset of No. 1 Penn State – considered among the most monumental wins in program history.
“What an honor it is to have him be a part of Homecoming, and our tradition here at the University of Miami,” former teammate and current Miami Hurricanes radio analyst Don Bailey Jr. said. “Jim Kelly is going to be recognized as the type of man that he is – not just the type of football player he was.”
Kelly was inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and was inducted into the UM Football Ring of Honor in 2008.
“We’re honored that Jim Kelly will be returning to campus as the Grand Marshal of Homecoming ceremonies,” head football coach Al Golden said. “Jim is the definition of a Miami Hurricane. He is a winner and a leader, and his successful fight against cancer serves as an inspiration to all of us.”
Kelly began his professional career in the USFL, throwing for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns in two seasons with Houston. He earned league MVP honors in 1984. Two years later, Kelly joined the Buffalo Bills and led them to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s. Kelly, who was named to the NFL Pro Bowl five times, still holds a number of Buffalo franchise records, including career yards (35,467), completions (2,874) and passing touchdowns (237).
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, and his No. 12 was retired by Buffalo in 2001.
After retiring from professional football in 1997, Kelly and his wife Jill expended much of their energy on their son, Hunter James Kelly. Hunter was diagnosed with globoid cell leukodystrophy (commonly known as “Krabbe disease”) shortly after his birth, and after a brave fight through the age of eight, Hunter passed away.
In 1997, while Hunter was still a baby, the Kellys established a non-profit foundation called Hunter’s Hope. In 2004, the foundation became the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (HJKRI) at the University of Buffalo.
“For how he fought cancer, and how he’s raised money for Krabbe Disease and how he’s been an example for every walk of life that is affected by cancer, there is no better example of what a Hurricane stands for than Jim Kelly,” Don Bailey Jr. said.
Tickets to the Homecoming game can be purchased via Two-Game Mini Plan (which also includes Florida State), or on a single-game basis through CanesTix.com. For more information, click HERE.
