When Travis Kelce decides the time is right to step away from football, he will retire a bona fide legend.
The NFL star, who has confirmed he will play at least one more season, is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in history.
He is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, who also boasts a string of league and franchise records to his name.
Kelce, a 10-time Pro-Bowl selection, has racked up 1,004 receptions, 12,151 yards and 80 touchdowns across 12 decorated seasons in the NFL, and there is no doubt he’ll enter the Hall of Fame once eligible.
But things could have been very, very different.
In fact, if it wasn’t for his dad, Kelce might not have been a pro footballer at all.
During a 2023 episode of his New Heights podcast, Travis discussed his college recruitment with brother Jason, and revealed he almost ditched the gridiron for basketball.
Considered a two-star recruit coming out of high school, Kelce accepted a scholarship from the University of Cincinnati.
He initially played both quarterback and tight end for the Bearcats, before settling into the position that would see him become an NFL legend.
But even after he committed to Cincinnati in 2007, the idea of pursuing basketball was on Kelce’s mind, because he wanted to play for legendary NCAA coach Bob Huggins.
“West Virginia is where I wanted to play basketball,” Travis told Jason, revealing he nearly became a Mountaineer two decades ago.
“I wanted to play for Coach Bob Huggins. The legendary Huggy Bear, the Cincinnati Bearcat legend.
Kelce has won three Super Bowls but might not have made it if it wasn’t for his dadGetty He nearly backed out of his commitment to Cincinnati back in 2007Getty Kelce was keen on the idea of playing basketball, instead of football, in collegeGetty“He had just moved there from Kansas State. He honored a few of the scholarships they had already given out. It was kind of up in the air.
“I’m not even sure if I would have went there if I would have had a full scholarship.
“Either way, I fell in love with how Coach Huggins ran his program and knew he was kind of a coach that I would respect and want to play for.”
Kelce was so serious about basketball, that he told his dad of his intentions.
However, he was quickly brought back in line.
“I went to dad and I was like, ‘Man, I really want to play basketball at West Virginia under Huggs,'” Kelce recalled.
Kelce wanted to play college hoops under legendary NCAA coach Bob HugginsGetty The tight end could have ended up at WVU to follow his basketball dreamsGetty“And he was like, ‘You’re a man of your f***ing word. You don’t go back on your word. You already committed. Don’t be like these other guys.’
“Oh my gosh. I appreciate my dad for keeping me honest about my word.”
If it wasn’t for his father, Kelce might not have gone on to play in the NFL at all.
There’s no telling how far he would have made it in basketball, but it’s unlikely he would have done more on the court than he has on the field.
Huggins, who had a 47-year NCAA coaching career that saw him win 935 games before retiring in 2023, recalled how Kelce nearly ended up in West Virginia.
“Kelce wanted to come to school here,” the Hall of Fame coach said back in 2020.
“He wanted to play basketball here. We just thought he was not tall enough to be a power forward.
“I tried to get the football coach at the time to take him, but he wanted to play quarterback.
Huggins recalled how Kelce nearly came to WVU in an interview years laterGetty“They said they would (take him) if he’d play tight end. (Kelce) said, ‘I’m not a tight end, I’m a quarterback.’
“So he went down to Cincinnati and they told him he could be a quarterback. I think they let him do it for two days and then they moved him to tight end, which was good for him.”
Kelce is set to return to the NFL in 2025 for his 13th year with the Chiefs.
The legendary tight end is said to be in great shape ahead of his ‘last ride’, as Kansas City look to bounce back after Super Bowl disappointment against the Philadelphia Eagles back in February.
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