1. Leroy Kelly was born on May 20,1942 and is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League from 1964 to 1973.
31 Facts About Leroy Kelly
1. 2.
Leroy Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
3.
Leroy Kelly attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, a leading HBCU.
4.
Leroy Kelly is considered by many knowledgeable Philadelphia sports writers to be one of the top 10 professional athletes ever to have come out of Philadelphia's high school leagues.
5.
Leroy Kelly was team captain and won honorable mention on the Pennsylvania All Star Team.
6.
Leroy Kelly was a star basketball player, as well as winning honors as a high school baseball player.
7.
Leroy Kelly was voted the most outstanding athlete in his senior year.
8.
In 1962, Leroy Kelly led Morgan State in rushing, scoring and punting, and the team won the CIAA Championship.
9.
In 1963, his senior year, Leroy Kelly was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the Orange Blossom Classic.
10.
Leroy Kelly holds Morgan State records for touchdowns in a half, the longest scoring play from scrimmage, and the longest punt return.
11.
Leroy Kelly was inducted into Morgan State's Hall of Fame in 1977.
12.
Leroy Kelly was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL draft.
13.
When Leroy Kelly was in danger of being cut in training camp because an injury was limiting his play, Jim Brown went to the coach and team trainer to convince them to give Leroy Kelly a week to heal, and his job was saved.
14.
Leroy Kelly was backup running back behind featured fullback Jim Brown and blocking halfback Ernie Green.
15.
Leroy Kelly moved up to become the Browns' featured running back after Brown's retirement at the end of the 1965 season.
16.
The Browns would make the playoffs in 7 of the 10 years Leroy Kelly played for them.
17.
Jim Brown, one of the greatest college and professional football players of all time, and the first person selected to the NFL's 100th Anniversary team, told Browns coach Blanton Collier that he need not worry about Brown's retirement because Leroy Kelly would be a great replacement and a top NFL running back.
18.
Hall of fame receiver Paul Warfield, who was the Browns first draft pick in 1964, considered Leroy Kelly's kick returning that year a key to the team's championship success, and that Leroy Kelly's return ability and style generally caused a change in strategy around the league for kick returns.
19.
When Jim Brown retired before the 1966 season, Leroy Kelly became the starter.
20.
Leroy Kelly played in three other Pro Bowls following the 1969,1970 and 1971 seasons, and earned first-team All-NFL in 1969 and 1971.
21.
Leroy Kelly led the NFL in rushing for two consecutive seasons.
22.
Leroy Kelly was a talented punt and kick returner, who averaged 10.5 yards per punt return and 23.5 yards per kick return for his career.
23.
Leroy Kelly was the NFL's leading punt returner in 1965 and the AFC's top punt returner in 1971.
24.
Leroy Kelly led the league with 1,205 yards rushing, averaging 5.1 yards a carry, and Browns owner Art Modell accepted that Kelly had gambled on his contract and won.
25.
In 1968, Leroy Kelly signed a four-year contract with the Browns for $250,000.
26.
Leroy Kelly ended his pro career with the Chicago Fire of the World Football League in 1974, rushing for 315 yards and catching 8 passes for 128 yards.
27.
At the time of his retirement Leroy Kelly, had rushed for 7,274 yards and 74 touchdowns on 1,727 carries for 4.2 yards per carry.
28.
Leroy Kelly caught 190 passes for 2,281 yards and 13 touchdowns.
29.
Leroy Kelly was named All-NFL five times and to six Pro Bowls.
30.
Pat Leroy Kelly, his younger brother, was an All-Star outfielder who played for five teams during a 15-year Major League Baseball career.
31.
Leroy Kelly II was invited to 2 workouts with the Cleveland Browns and 1 with the Detroit Lions.