Ben Kuchipudi ’25

Sports Editor

By the time you all are reading this, we will only be two days away from the biggest event in sports: the Super Bowl. To most people it’s Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, but for Ed and Donna Kelce, it’s the opportunity to see both of their sons play against each other in the biggest game of their lives. This is the first scenario in NFL history where siblings will go head-to-head against each other in the Super Bowl, and these siblings have their own legacies to protect. 

Both Travis and Jason Kelce are already Super Bowl Champions and perennial All-Pros at their respective positions (Travis being a tight end and Jason being a center), but this will be a legacy game for both of them as they are looking to assert themselves as the best of all time at their positions. Even though they are foes on the football field now, they are still “Cleveland Heights through and through”.

Travis and Jason played the same sports growing up, such as football, basketball, and baseball, but they were completely different children personality-wise. Being the older sibling, Jason was the tough and responsible brother while the younger Travis was the jokester who wanted to play around a little bit. When they attended Cleveland Heights High School, they were immediately thrown onto the varsity team, as head coach Mike Jones had scouted them since they were in middle school. Travis was a freak athlete, so Jones played him at quarterback and he didn’t play his current position of tight end until he committed to the University of Cincinnati. It wasn’t just his athleticism that made him quarterback; it was his leadership and swagger. He had that “him” factor when he walked into the locker room and he still carries that swagger to this day. 

Like Travis, Jason didn’t play his natural position of center in high school. In fact, he played everywhere besides the offensive line, whether it was running back, middle linebacker, or even long snapper. He didn’t touch the line until he walked on at Cincinnati and gained 50 pounds. His coaches never thought he would play on the offensive line, as they stated that he can run with the fastest guys on the team and would be the one carrying jet sweeps. 

Both Kelces attended the University of Cincinnati and Jason was taken in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles while Travis was drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Fast forward to today, the brothers are the best in the league at their positions and could very well be the best of all time. Even with all of the fame that comes with being a star in the NFL, Jason and Travis never forgot where they came from as they would visit their alma mater and have as many conversations with the current students as possible, as well as attending camps in the area and inviting their old coaches to their games. The connection they have to their community is the reason why Cleveland Heights is going to be just as raucous as Philadelphia and Kansas City during the Super Bowl.

Featured image courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer