Career
He also played in the National Football League for the New York Giants. Kelly never missed a game in his 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League, playing 175 consecutive games. Kelly usually played guard or tackle, but the versatile performer also provided depth at the defensive end and linebacker positions.
Teammates recall him as being a tough, solid competitor, even when injured.
Kelly was drafted in the fifth round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Giants after a stellar career at Michigan State University, but he opted to go to Canada to play in the Canadian Football League in his second season. Kelly is one of the few football players to have a race horse named after him.
Kelly was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He spent his entire post-football life in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, first as a teacher with the Hamilton Board of Education, and later as a Recreations Officer with the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, where he was regarded as a gentle giant and a gentleman.
He was a frequent guest on Tiger Cat alumni days and was asked to speak on many occasions.
His speeches were often dominated by a spiritual appreciation and gratitude for the wonderful life and opportunities he had been given. He continued to live in Hamilton until his death in 2016.
