Leroy Kelly
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Kelly playing for the Browns in 1971
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| No. 44 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 20, 1942 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Morgan State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1964 / Round: 8 / Pick: 110 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Rushing yards: | 7,274 |
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| Average: | 4.2 |
| Touchdowns: | 74 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Leroy Kelly (born May 20, 1942) is a former American football player. A Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, he played for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1973.
During his 10-year NFL career, the 6', 202-lb running back rushed for 7,274 yards and 74 touchdowns on 1,727 carries for 4.2 yards per carry. He also caught 190 passes for 2,281 yards and 13 touchdowns. On special teams, he returned 94 punts for 990 yards and 3 touchdowns, and 76 kickoffs for 1,784 yards. Overall, he gained 12,330 all-purpose yards and scored 90 touchdowns. He was named All-NFL five times and to six Pro Bowls.
When Jim Brown retired before the 1966 season, Kelly became the starter. For the next three years, he rushed for 1,000 yards, winning All-NFL honors each year and being selected as a starter in three straight Pro Bowls. Kelly also played in three other Pro Bowls following the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons, and earned first-team All-NFL in 1969 and 1971. Kelly led the NFL in rushing for two consecutive seasons (1967–1968), and in rushing touchdowns for three (1966–1968). He also was a talented punt and kick returner, who averaged 10.5 yards per punt return and 23.5 yards per kick return for his career.
Kelly had attended Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia and Morgan State University in Baltimore. He was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL Draft. As a Cleveland rookie he was a key return man, contributing to the Browns' 1964 NFL championship, and backup running back behind featured fullback Jim Brown and blocking halfback Ernie Green. He moved up to become the Browns' featured running back after Brown's retirement at the end of the 1965 season.
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