Travis Kelce
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
| Position | College | Years in the NFL |
|---|---|---|
| Tight End | University of Cincinnati | 13 |
Excellence on the Field
A three-time Super Bowl Champion, Kelce has exemplified excellence in his storied 13-year career. Entering the 2025 campaign, he caught a pass in 174 consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history. His 12,151 receiving yards rank him as the leading receiver in Chiefs history and third among league tight ends. He is only the second Chiefs player to exceed 11,000 combined yards, joining WR/KR Dante Hall (12,356). Kelce also began the year with 77 career receiving touchdowns, besting PFHOF TE Tony Gonzalez (76) for the most by a Chiefs player. Kelce and QB Patrick Mahomes began 2025 with 54 touchdown connections, tied for the third-most QB-tight end touchdown connections in league history. Kelce also holds the record for most receptions by any NFL tight end in their first 10 seasons with 814 catches, while his 37 regular season games of 100 receiving yards or more are the most by a tight end in NFL history. In postseason play, he is second amongst all NFL players with 20 receiving touchdowns and leads all NFL pass catches with 178 postseasons receptions. In five Super Bowl appearances, he's helped the Chiefs secure three titles.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts This Year
Kelce continues to expand his impact at the Ignition Lab, which he was instrumental in establishing five years ago. This 6,000 square foot incubator for inner-city teens provides youth with the opportunity to learn industry skills, gain real-world career experience, participate in entrepreneurial ventures, and build key life skills. This year, Kelce's efforts are focused on supporting summer internships for teens; helping support extended evening programming to allow additional teens to benefit from the program; and helping to expand three additional pathways to pursue: cybersecurity, construction, and general automotive. The students in the new automotive program are learning as they repair Operation Breakthrough's families' cars. The inaugural class of the "Ignition Lab" at Operation Breakthrough graduated high school, armed with work experience, internships, improved grades, industry skills, credentials, and newfound hope. "I was able to switch from being someone who didn't have any ideas for the future to someone who has ideas about exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it, and how I'm going to do it," Ignition Lab student Amira said. "Before I didn't see opportunity in absolutely anything and now, I see it everywhere." Kelce has rallied local support around the Ignition Lab, with many businesses and organizations partnering with Ignition Lab students for internships and special projects. Through Kelce's podcast, New Heights, multiple cars have been donated for the students to restore. Kelce's impact also extends to his family with participation by his mom and dad, and brother and sister-in-law. Thanks in part to these efforts combined with the incoming cohort of students this fall, the Ignition lab has served over 1,000 unique students, many of which are bussed to the lab for credit during the school day or paid internships after school. Industry skills that are acquired by students include computer refurbishing, welding, automotive, fabrication, product design, coding, graphic design, green tech, and digital media. In each of the last two years, teens completed over 25,000 hours of mentoring for younger students as part of summer school teaching teams and acquired 96 industry certifications. This year, the graphic design students are designing and painting his My Cause My Cleats shoes. Kelce has made sure his promise to the KC community is always at the forefront of everything he does through 87 & Running, forging something that will last, long after #87 hangs it up.
Dedication & Commitment to Community Efforts in Years Past
Shortly after arriving in Kansas City, Kelce focused his charitable efforts on partnering with Operation Breakthrough. In addition to aiding those living in poverty, 65% of the children reached by Operation Breakthrough have experienced trauma or witnessed violence by the age of five. This agency has candidly described its mission as serving some of the most vulnerable children in Kansas City. "My vision has always been to give the children in KC's underserved neighborhoods a safe haven," Kelce noted. "A place where they are exposed to interests and role models far beyond the field or court. Kids can't concentrate if they don't feel safe. They can't envision a career they've never heard of or learn a skill they've never been taught." Kelce's first visit to Operation Breakthrough was to read to a preschool class. It was intended to be one-off, but Kelce was hooked. That first visit was followed by after school pizza drop-ins, opportunities for the children to attend Chiefs games and football camps, wilderness camp scholarships, funding for a robotics and coding lab, and multiple gifts to make sure children had food, with thousands of meals provided during the pandemic and again more recently through Kodiak. Realizing there was no programming for students beyond age 13, Kelce purchased a vacant muffler shop in 2020. He helped transform it into a unique incubator for inner-city students, providing them with the opportunity to learn industry skills, gain real-world career experience, participate in entrepreneurial ventures, and build life skills. Since the initial investment in the Ignition Lab, Kelce has funded an e-sports lab and annual robotics teams at the elementary, middle, and high school level. For the past six years he has hosted the ever-popular Kelce Celebrity Challenge with funds going to help fund staff, new programs and the three teen businesses including a food truck, hydroponic farm, and film studio. Kelce has also been highly involved with various other charitable efforts throughout his time in the NFL, both at Operation Breakthrough and near his hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. As a result of his efforts, he's been recognized by multiple organizations, including the Missouri After School Network for his championing of STEM and as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City Role Model of the Year in 2015. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as their WPMOY nominee in 2020 and 2024.
Positive Character & a Lifestyle of Giving Back
In 2015, Kelce first visited Operation Breakthrough to read to the youth there. During that initial trek to 31st St. & Troost Ave., he recalled a sense of amazement at how comfortable it felt there in that moment, surrounded by the center's children. It was almost like holding a mirror to what he personally experienced growing up in the diverse suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. As a youth, his community transcended economic and cultural boundaries, merging rich and poor, black and white, and various religious affiliations into one big melting pot. He noticed that some of his closest friends didn't have the same family structure he was blessed with and weren't able to enjoy the same experiences. While supported by "the village" of family and individuals in the community, Kelce struggled in school and at times lacked motivation. Hence, he was looking to help underserved youth strive to become productive citizens by mentoring and motivating them to explore their abilities while learning critical life skills. He remains dedicated to providing resources and enrichment opportunities for youth and their communities through fundraising, athletic programs, mentoring, and outreach initiatives. His dedication to the kids of Kansas City and Operation Breakthrough will be his legacy off the field, and he often lauds the center in the media. That includes touting Operation Breakthrough and its youth on his podcast, "New Heights", which Edison Research consistently ranks as top 10 in the U.S. In fact, it boasts more than 3.14 million subscribers on YouTube alone, with a mammoth Gen Z listenership. Yet, the best leaders never consider a job done. For the Ignition Lab high school students, the person who thinks he hasn't yet done enough has given them hope and tangible skills for a brighter future—and that's enough for them as Kelce forges on.
