Bills Icon Jim Kelly Visits Minicamp Practice
While a bitter divisional rival was celebrating the accomplishments of their legendary quarterback, the Buffalo Bills were also welcoming a bit of Hall of Fame aura back to western New York.
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Former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was a guest at the team’s mandatory minicamp Wednesday — the second of three minicamp sessions they held this week. Kelly apparently savored the moment by chatting with several members of the team including quarterback Josh Allen.
In fact, Kelly was captured offering his signature “thumbs up” for BuffaloBills.com photographers.
Kelly was selected at No. 14 overall by the Bills in the 1983 NFL Draft — one of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round. Despite spending the first two years of his career with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, Kelly officially joined the Bills in 1986. Utilizing the "K-Gun" offense, known for its no-huddle shotgun formations, Kelly led one of the greatest NFL scoring offenses of the decade. From 1990 to 1993, he helped guide the Bills to a record four consecutive Super Bowls, although the team lost each game. Kelly was also named to five Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro honors in 1991.
Along with running back Thurman Thomas and defensive end Bruce Smith, Kelly is one of only three players to have his number retired by the Bills. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
It turns out the the Buffalo’s iconic “number 12” had a reunion of his own in mind this week — much to the delight of Bills Mafia.