Jim Kelly

Buffalo Bills quarterback who led the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s.

James Edward Kelly was born on 14 February 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fourth of six sons, and grew up in East Brady, Pennsylvania, where his father, a machinist, often worked multiple jobs to support the family. Offered a linebacker scholarship to Penn State, Kelly instead chose the University of Miami, where he helped build the programme into a national power. The Buffalo Bills selected Kelly in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, though he initially signed with the USFL's Houston Gamblers, winning the league's MVP award in 1984, before joining Buffalo in 1986. Kelly employed the innovative "K-Gun" no-huddle offence to lead the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances between 1990 and 1993, a feat unmatched in NFL history, though the team lost all four games. Kelly, one of only three players to have his number retired by the Bills, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility, his standing among fans never diminished by his championship near-misses, and he has since become a respected advocate for cancer research following his own son's death and his personal battles with the disease.

Mobile pocket passer with strong arm, master of no-huddle hurry-up offense

One of greatest quarterbacks never to win Super Bowl, revolutionized fast-paced offense

• Pro Football Hall of Fame 2002
• 5x Pro Bowl
• led Bills to four straight Super Bowls (XXV-XXVIII)