Miami football: 25 greatest Hurricanes of all time
By Joe Romano
9. Jim Kelly
Quarterback, 1979-1982
The third, but not the last, quarterback to make this list is Jim Kelly. His story with Miami actually starts with a different college, Penn State University. Then head-coach Joe Paterno worked hard to keep Kelly in his home state of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately for both the Nittany Lions and Paterno, the team saw Kelly as a linebacker. Instead of playing defense he opted to head to Miami and play quarterback where he would become a building block for what the program would become.
Kelly started all four seasons he was on campus. He was the chosen quarterback to lead Miami into the new Schnellenberger era. His first season in 1979 the team went a lowly 5-6 with an offense that leaned heavily on the running game and Kelly threw more interceptions than touchdowns and only 721 yards. That was a rough start for both quarterback and coach who threw out lofty expectations when taking over.
Luckily the duo would rebound quickly and in 1980 Kelly was the leader of a 9-3 team. That was good enough to earn Miami’s first bowl game invitation in 13 years. Kelly followed that up in 1981 with his best statistical season throwing for over 2400 yards and 14 touchdowns. That 1981 team would finish the season inside the top ten with an upset victory of top-ranked Notre Dame as the key to their resume.
A shoulder injury cut short the progress the team was making in 1982 and Miami went 7-4 with Kelly not able to keep up his fantastic play. His legacy at Miami is much more than just statistics. He was the first in the long line of elite quarterbacks that followed and can be credited with helping bring Miami football into the passing era.
Professionally his resume speaks for himself. A short stint in the USFL to force himself away from the Buffalo Bills did not work. Two years after being the team’s first round pick Kelly joined the Bills. To this day he is the best quarterback in team history and led them to four Super Bowl appearances (and four losses). He is a member of the Bills Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame for his success on the field. Off the field, he’s battling cancer and has been in and out of hospitals. Kelly is a fan favorite across football for his positive attitude through adversity and all he did for the game in Miami and Buffalo.