Travis Kelce
Travis Michael Kelce (/ˈkɛlsi/ ⓘ KEL-see;[a] born October 5, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft and later won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the team. He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
No. 87 – Kansas City Chiefs
October 5, 1989
Westlake, Ohio, U.S.
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Cincinnati (2008–2012)
2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 63
Active
907
907
11,328
74
Considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time,[8][9] Kelce is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro, with 4 first-team and 3 second-team selections. He holds the NFL records for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end: seven.[2] He holds the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416 in 2020, despite playing in only 15 games.[3][10] During the 2022 season, Kelce became the fifth NFL tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards and reached the milestone faster than any tight end in NFL history.[2] Kelce was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.[11][12] During the 2023 season, he surpassed Jerry Rice in career playoff receptions en route to Super Bowl LVIII, his fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons.
Outside of football, Kelce has appeared on reality and scripted television and in advertisements. He co-hosts the podcast New Heights with his brother Jason, covering topics from football to popular culture. Kelce's relationship with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has drawn massive media coverage and stimulated viewership and revenue for his team and its league.
Early life, education and career
Kelce was born on October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio. His father, Ed Kelce, is a sales representative in the steel industry, and his mother, Donna, is a former bank executive. Kelce's older brother Jason played center for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 seasons.[13]
Kelce attended Cleveland Heights High School in his hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.[14] He was a three-year letter winner as quarterback for the Tigers. As a senior in 2007, he ran for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and threw for 1,523 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His 2,539 yards of total offense garnered him All-Lake Erie League honors.[15][16]
NFL
NCAA
Non-football awards
Personal life
Kelce and Maya Benberry, the winner of his dating show, started dating after the show ended in April 2016.[232] In January 2017, Benberry confirmed that they had broken up.[180] From 2017 to 2022, Kelce was in a relationship with social media influencer Kayla Nicole Brown.[233][234]
Kelce began dating singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in 2023.[235][236] There is evidence that the highly publicized relationship and Swift's attendance at games has increased NFL viewership.[237] Some NFL games that Swift attended broke viewership, ticket sales, and merchandise sales records: a Chiefs–Chicago Bears game drew the most television viewers of the weekend,[238] a Chiefs–New York Jets game averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday-night television show since Super Bowl LVII,[239] and a Chiefs–Buffalo Bills game on January 21, 2024, became the most-watched NFL divisional playoff game ever and the most-watched program on any network since Super Bowl LVII.[240] The Chiefs–Baltimore Ravens AFC Conference Championship Game, was the most watched AFC Championship game of all time.[241] Kelce and Swift have been widely referred to as a supercouple; some call them "America's very own royal couple".[242][243][244][245] With the Chiefs advancing to Super Bowl LVIII, the game has been referred to as the Taylor Swift Bowl.[246][247][248][249] One widely cited estimate by a sports marketing company said the Kelce-Swift relationship had so stimulated ticket sales, viewership, and merchandising that the Chiefs franchise had gained $331.4 million in value in six months.[250]
Kelce plays golf during the offseason.[251] He has participated in several celebrity tournaments, including the American Century Championship, at which he won the long drive contest in the 2023 edition.[251][252] In 2023, he participated in The Match VIII, teaming up with his Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes against Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Mahomes and Kelce won. [253] Kelce owns homes in the Kansas City area[254] and a condo in Orlando, Florida.[255] He is also an avid car collector.[256]