Background
Travis Michael Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, on October 5, 1989. He attended Cleveland Heights High School in his hometown, excelling as a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and baseball), and went on to play college football at the University of Cincinnati. He is the son of Ed and Donna and younger brother to Jason Kelce, who also plays in the N.F.L. as a center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Upon accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Cincinnati, Kelce joined his older brother and played for the Bearcats team from 2008 to 2012, save for a one-year suspension in 2010 due to failing a drug test. He began by playing as a tight end and quarterback but went on to establish himself as a reliable and driven tight end after winning the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year in 2013.
Kelce’s professional career began with him being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 N.F.L. draft. On June 6, 2013, he signed a four-year $3.12 million rookie contract with a signing bonus. He scored his first N.F.L. touchdown the following year against the Miami Dolphins on a 20-yard reception and progressed to being the Chiefs leading receiver during the 2014 season. In January 2016, Kelce signed a five-year contract extension, and in August 2020, he signed another four-year extension with the Chiefs through the 2025 season. Kelce helped his team win five division titles and went from being ranked no. 91 by his fellow players on the N.F.L. Top 100 Players of 2016 to no. 18 in 2020. His career highlights include winning the Super Bowl in 2019, being named to the First-team and Second-team All-Pro thrice, being named seven times to the Pro Bowl, and being announced as part of the N.F.L. 2010s All-Decade Team. As a tight end, his N.F.L. records include “most 1,000-yard receiving seasons,” “most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons,” “most receiving yards in a season,” and “most 100-reception seasons.” He has also played the most 100+ yard receiving games in the Chiefs’ history.
Kelce established the “Eighty-Seven & Running” foundation in 2015 to facilitate underprivileged youth with mentorship and training. In January 2016, Kelce starred in “Catching Kelce,” an E! Entertainment Television dating show centered on himself. After the show ended, he started dating Maya Benberry, whom he chose as the winner, but they broke up in January 2017. He began dating social media influencer, host, and model Kayla Nicole in May 2017 but the couple broke up in 2022. In 2023, he was thrust into the spotlight when he began dating the Grammy-Award-Winning singer, Taylor Swift, who was spotted attending his games.
