- Leroy Kelly
Infobox NFLretired
|caption=
position=Running back
number=44
birthdate=birth date and age|1942|5|20Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
debutyear=1964
finalyear=1973
draftyear=1964
draftround=8
draftpick=
college=Morgan State
teams=
*Cleveland Browns (1964-1973)
stat1label=Rushing Yards
stat1value=7,274
stat2label=Average
stat2value=4.2
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=74
nfl=KEL681051
highlights=
* 6xPro Bowl selection (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971)
* 5xAll-Pro selection (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971)
*NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
* 1968Bert Bell Award
HOF=113
CollegeHOF=Leroy Kelly (born
May 20 ,1942 inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania ) was anAmerican football player. APro Football Hall of Fame running back , he played for theCleveland Browns in theNational Football League from 1964-73.During his 10-year NFL career, the 6-foot, 202-pound running back rushed for 7,274 yards and 74 touchdowns, on 1,727 carries. He also caught 190 passes for 2,281 yards and 13 touchdowns. On
special teams , he returned 94 punts for 990 yards and 3 touchdowns, and 76 kickoffs for 1,784 yards. Overall, he gained 12,330 all-purpose yards and scored 90 touchdowns. He was named All-NFL five times and to sixPro Bowl s.Kelly led the NFL in rushing in 1967 and '68, also leading the league in rushing
touchdown s for three consecutive years from 1966-68. He also was a talented punt and kick returner, who averaged 10.5 yards per punt return and 23.5 yards per kick return during his career.Noted as an exceptionally fine runner on the muddy playing fields then in use, the 6-0, 202-pound Kelly favored the famed Browns trap play up the middle for his major yardage ventures but he was equally devastating on sweeps or as a receiver. His quick-starting ability, along with a sense of balance and knack of evading direct hits by tacklers, kept him relatively injury-free, missing only four games in 10 years and never more than one game per season.
Prior to his pro career, Kelly attended
Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia andMorgan State University in Baltimore. He was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the1964 NFL Draft . During hisrookie season, he was a key return man, contributing to the Browns' 1964 NFL Championship. Initially he was a backup running back, behind featured fullbackJim Brown and blocking halfback Ernie Green. After Brown's retirement, he became the Browns' featured back.Kelly played with the Chicago Fire of the
World Football League in 1974, rushing for 315 yards (4.1 average) and catching 8 passes for 128 yards (16.0 average). [http://www.hworth.net/wfl/index_wfl_summary.html]Kelly was enshrined in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.Family
His brother Pat Kelly was an All-Star
outfielder who played for five teams during a 15-yearMajor League Baseball career.His oldest son David Kelly is a play-by-play announcer for the Triple-A
Memphis Redbirds .External links
*"Pro Football Hall of Fame:" [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=113 Member - Leroy Kelly]
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