Kelly respected among peers
Hall of Fame Inductee 2002

buffalobills.com
Feb 2, 2002

Jim Kelly Hall of Fame home page

Jim Kelly secured a place in the hearts of Buffalo Bills fans years ago. He will forever be engrained into Bills history for his outstanding achievements on and off the field.

However, Kelly has impacted more than just Bills Backers across the country, he has earned the respect of colleagues around the league as well. Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino shared their thoughts on Kelly and his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as did teammate and current Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt.

Bill Polian:

"Jim Kelly is most deserving of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From the day he arrived in Buffalo, it was apparent that his unique combination of talent, leadership, will to win and toughness would bring a new era to Bills football.

What an era it was!

Four straight AFC Championships and Super Bowls. Five AFC Championship game appearances. Fifteen playoff games. Eighty thousand people rocking Wilson Stadium every week in any kind of weather. Western New York excited and proud of Bills Football three hundred and sixty five days a year. In large measure because Jim never met an opponent he couldn't lick and never took a hit hard enough to make him quit. As the saying goes, 'Jim Kelly never lost a football game. He just ran out of time on a few occasions

Others can focus on statistics, impressive as they are. I'm certain however that like myself, the enduring memory for many of his teammates and fans will be of number 12 at the helm of our offense taking the opponents' best shot and leading us to victory time and time again, no matter what the odds. His fighting heart and will to win inspired all of us: players, coaches, staff and fans. He was the embodiment of the Red, White and Blue spirit that brought Bills fans everywhere so much pride.

Whether it was ending the Dolphins dominance or raising thousands of dollars for charity, Jim Kelly contributed positively to Western New York every day of his career and beyond. He was truly the heart of the Bills during their greatest days. We all rejoice with and for him as he takes his rightful place among the game's immortals."

Bill Polian following the announcement:

“I think it validates the great contribution that he made. It’s a great day once for Western New York and for Bills fans everywhere. It’ll be great occurrence in Canton and it’s just another in the number of wonderful, happy things that have happened to that team.

The surprising thing is when you look at his numbers, because none of us focused on that. We focused on his competitiveness and his toughness and his will to win and his leadership, But when you look at his numbers, it’s amazing that he stacks up there with the greatest of all time. You figure that that’s accomplished with the Buffalo weather and 15 playoff games, many of which were in awful conditions, especially for passing the ball. That in itself is a singular accomplishment When you measure the body of his work over a long period of time, he’s clearly among the best of all time.”

Frank Reich:

"That's great. It's certainly not a surprise, and it's certainly well deserved. Last year, I think with Marv getting inducted, was a good sign of things to come for guys on that team. Jim, being the leader that he was, exemplifies the kind of guys that should be in the Hall of Fame. He just provided superior leadership and performance on the field, over a long period of time. One thing about Jim that people certainly understood was his consistency. He was consistently at the top of his game for a lot of years."

Dan Marino:

"I'm excited for Jim. He's been a friend and all the years I can remember he's been a true competitior, great quarterback, as good as it gets in his era and if I had a vote I'd be voting for Jim for the Hall of Fame."

Steve Tasker:

“It seems silly that we even talked about him not getting in. I never doubted that he would get in. In fact, I never doubted that he’d be a first ballot guy. When you talk about the whole package that Jim brings, there’s no doubt that he’s an elite guy. I think his personality between the lines was unparalleled. He was a battler more so than anyone I’ve ever met. He ran his team with a rough hand on the field but I don’t think it rubbed anyone the wrong way because he expected as much from himself as anyone else. I think his teammates liked that about him. It’s fun for me to look back and say that I was there for most of it. I think he only played eight games or so when I wasn’t on the team and I was certainly there for the part of it that put him in the Hall of Fame.”

Alex Van Pelt:

"It's huge for him to get in. That's great, there's no one more deserving than Jim. That's a huge honor for him. Hopefully when he gets inducted we'll get that day off so we can all get out there and see that happen, that's great for Western New York and it's also great for the Bills and Jim

It was interesting to play with Jim, especially in the meetings because Jim ran the meetings. He would hold the clicker while watching film and point out this is what I see and this is what you should see. His leadership was just amazing. The way he controlled the meetings, the way he conducted himself on the field, the competitiveness that he had was second to none. You weren't going to be him, it didn't matter what it was in you weren't going to beat him. You can take your hat off to that, the guys is a heck of a competitor."

Ruben Brown

“It’s an honor, no doubt. And it’s an honor for me to be part of a select group who can say that I played with Jim Kelly, even if it was when he was at the end of his career and I was at the beginning of mine. As an offensive lineman it was kind of tough because he would always come back in the huddle and say, ‘I need just a little more time, just a little more.’ But he always had that confidence that he could get it done and that leadership that made everyone else think that they could. The Hall of Fame’s a big deal and he definitely deserves it. And now I can tell my kids and grandkids that I played with a Hall of Famer.”