Few people have meant more to University of Cincinnati football than Jim Kelly Jr.
Kelly, who died Sunday night of cancer at age 72, was a UC Hall of Fame receiver in 1973-75 and the Bearcats radio analyst for football since 1988.
“He was a legend at UC and an even better human. He cared deeply about everyone. He loved his Bearcats more than anyone I have met,” said Tom Gelehrter, who worked with Kelly as a UC football sidelines reporter and fill-in play-by-play announcer.
Kelly played football at Moeller High School for coach Gerry Faust, and turned down overtures from other schools to attend UC, where his father, James P. Kelly Sr., played football for the Bearcats from 1947 to 1950. Young Jim was a ball boy in the 1960s for UC when his father was a coach and administrator. His dad retired in 1994.
Like his father, Kelly played wide receiver for the Bearcats. He caught 76 passes for 964 yards from 1972 to 1975. He was inducted in 2017 into UC’s James P. Kelly Hall of Fame, named after his father.
Despite battling cancer, Kelly returned to the radio booth this season with play-by-play voice Dan Hoard, host Mo Egger, and sidelines reporter Tony Pike. He stepped away from radio after the Northwestern State game on Sept. 13.
“Quite simply, Jim and his family's name are synonymous with UC football,” said Egger on Facebook Monday. He worked with Kelly for 24 years. “His passion for the program came through in every broadcast, right up until his final one last month.”
Hoard, a New York native and Syracuse University grad, called Bearcats games with Kelly for 26 years.
“Working with Jim was one of the greatest joys of my professional life,” Hoard said in UC’s story announcing Kelly’s death. “In addition to being a great broadcaster and friend, Jim was the link among generations of Bearcat football players. He got to know them as a kid hanging around his dad’s teams, as a teammate in the 1970s, and as a broadcaster for more than three decades. No one loved the University of Cincinnati more.”
Hoard said that his “love and appreciation for Bearcats athletics came quickly” from working with Kelly and basketball commentator Chuck Machock, “two of the best people I’ve ever known."
Kelly also called games with Tim Moreland, George Von Benko, fellow Moeller alum Paul Keels, and Gelehrter.
“You'll never meet a nicer and more caring person than Jim,” said Keels, now the voice of the Ohio State Buckeyes. “Whenever the Bearcats had success, he was the first person I thought of. This hurts a lot — but I will always treasure the time spent with him.”
Kelly’s colleagues fondly recalled many fun road trips to Bearcats games with Kelly.
“Traveling for UC games has given me the opportunity to enjoy Jim's company for more than a few meals — and way more than a few cold beverages — on the road. The conversations invariably touched on two topics: the Bearcats and their next game,” Egger said. Hoard said he and Kelly shared lots of “laughs, meals, beers, and other adventures from coast to coast.”
Kelly also was an accomplished guitarist and vocalist who performed for years with Ooh La La & the Greasers, a local rock ‘n’ roll cover band.
"Our hearts are with Jim Kelly and his family,” said UC Athletic Director John Cunningham in the school’s statement. “Jim embodied Bearcats football: growing up at Nippert Stadium and choosing to stay in Cincinnati to play college football on that same field. He stood with the program through thick and thin for more than 30 years in the radio booth. He was a standout player, a beloved radio voice and a Hall of Famer. No one loved the Bearcats more than Jim. We are thankful he was able to be surrounded by his teammates from the 1975 team this past weekend. We were all blessed to know him.”
Kelly is survived by his wife, Sarah, and his sons, Kevin, Dave, Scott, and Brian, and their families, UC said.
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