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LEROY KELLY

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Leroy Kelly developed as a player in the shadow of Cleveland Browns teammate Jim Brown. While Brown was wowing football fans with his impressive career, Kelly was quietly buoying up the Browns' offense on special teams. When Jim Brown retired in 1965, it was time for Leroy Kelly to step into the spotlight.

Selected in the eighth round of the 1964 draft from Morgan State University, Leroy Kelly had the moves and speed if not the size (he was only 188lbs in 1964, but bulked up to 200 during his NFL career) of Brown, but maintained a distinct style of play. Leroy Kelly was always a team player who would take on any role of support when needed. Having left special teams in 1966, Kelly nonetheless responded to the need in 1971 to take on the role of punt returner in addition to his running back position.

Leroy Kelly was also a durable player who deftly played the inside on rushing and avoided the injuries usualy associated with that style of play. He missed only four games in his ten year career with the Browns. Through those years he was named punt return champion twice (1965, 1971), went All-NFL five times and Pro-Bowl six times. He received NFL rushing titles in 1967 and 1968. It seems that Leroy Kelly's name will always be tied to his predecessor, Jim Brown- his combined career yardage is second only to Jim Brown's in the Cleveland Brown's history. But, Kelly holds his own team single-season record with a 1965 15.59 average on punt returns.

Asked about Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly responded, "I'm just glad he retired when he did! ...I learned a lot from (him) but I never tried to copy him. I just wanted to be Leroy Kelly and do the best job I possibly could." A quick review of his record proves that Leroy Kelly acheived his goal of individual greatness. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.