By Jonah Bronstein
Niagara Gazette
SANBORN —
Jim Kelly rarely wears the commemorative jewelry he and his Buffalo Bills’ teammates got for winning four consecutive conference championships.
After all, they’re not Super Bowl rings.
Kelly made an exception Saturday, bringing his 1994 AFC Championship ring along to give the commencement address at Niagara County Community College.
“This ring is in honor of our team that never, ever gave up,” he told the 365 graduates. “We kept our sights set on our dream, we set our sights on our goal, and even though we didn’t achieve it, we never, ever gave up.”
Having mostly avoided huddles during his Hall of Fame career, Kelly was more than comfortable being the center of attention in a crowd of 2,000 inside the NCCC gym, weaving together anecdotes that supported the theme of his 20-minute speech — “never give up on your dreams.”
Kelly agreed to speak at NCCC as a favor to his friend, Bob Koshinki, the school’s public relations director. He pumped both of his fists when introduced as “the best quarterback in Buffalo Bills’ history” by Maegan Kivler and Kathie Kreppenneck, co-recipients of the President’s Medallion.
Standing proud in his cap and gown, Kelly talked about how he passed on a scholarship to play for his favorite college, Penn State, because he wanted to play quarterback, not linebacker.
He talked about being in the fifth string in his first year at the University of Miami, because coach Lou Saban’s offense required a mobile quarterback.
He talked about struggling in his first start for the Hurricanes, then injuring his shoulder early in his senior season and being told by doctors he might never regain the range of motion to throw a football again.
He talked about watching the 1983 NFL Draft and wishing that he didn’t get picked by a cold weather team.
“For some of you older adults,” Kelly said, “you remember that day when I came on the TV and told you I was so excited about playing for the Buffalo Bills?”
“I lied.”
But after a two-year detour to the United States Football League, Kelly came to Western New York in 1996 in what he called “the best decision I ever made in my life.”
Kelly’s career was filled with mostly highlights, but there were a couple of low points, notably the bickering that derailed the 1989 season, and the four Super Bowl losses.
“Every thing is not going to be peachy and creamy every single time you step out,” he told the graduates. “You are going to have things that confront you, but it’s what you do about it that counts. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Move on. Make a difference.”
Kelly’s resolve to “make a difference” was tested in his first year of retirement. His newborn son, Hunter, whom he hoped to groom into a future Hall of Famer, was diagnosed with Krabbe disease, a rare and often fatal inherited condition.
“I prayed to God every single day that my son would be there the day I was inducted (into the Hall of Fame in 2002),” Kelly said. “My dream came true. My prayers came true. My little buddy Hunter was there with me.”
Kelly lost his son in 2005, and has since made it his No. 1 priority to advocate for newborn screening that can help increase the survival rate for children with Krabbe and other genetic diseases.
“What we are doing with our Hunters Hope foundation affects everybody in that room,” Kelly said after the ceremony. “Whether you are an 8-year-old girl, or a grandmother. Everything out there that is horrible, that can kill our kids, can be diagnosed early.”
E-mail reporter Jonah Bronstein at jonah.bronstein@niagara-gazette.com
