The Rochester Americans announced that former Buffalo Bills quarterback and legend Jim Kelly will make a special guest appearance for Seneca Legends Night on Friday, Jan. 24 when the Amerks host the Laval Rocket at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The National Football League Hall of Famer is scheduled to sign autographs from 5:45 to 7 p.m. prior to the game, which is presented by Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, in the upper concourse and will meet with fans throughout the night.
Kelly played his entire 11-year NFL career for the Buffalo Bills from 1986-96, turning the Bills into one of the biggest offensive powerhouses in the league while cementing himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Selected in the first round (14th overall) by the Bills in the 1983 NFL Draft, Kelly’s career in Buffalo was highlighted by an unprecedented four straight Super Bowl appearances from 1990 to 1993, an NFL record that still stands to this day, as well as six divisional championships. It was also during his time in Buffalo that saw him engineer the “no-huddle” offense that terrorized opposing defenses and made the Bills so successful during the 1990s.
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, the strong-armed Kelly passed for more than 3,000 yards in a single season on eight different occasions during his NFL career, including five straight between 1991 and 1995. He also passed for more than 300 yards in a game 26 times while leading the Bills to eight playoff appearances.
During the 1986 season, his first in Buffalo, Kelly threw for more than 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns, earning him his first of five Pro Bowl selections. He recorded an NFL-best 101.2 passer rating in 1990 before posting his best season in 1991 when he threw for a career-high 3,844 yards and led the league with 33 touchdown passes. He also completed 304 of his 474 passes, the first and only time he recorded 300 or more completions in one season.
In 17 playoff appearances, including four consecutive Super Bowls, he passed for 3,863 yards and 21 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, his 84.4 passer rating ranked sixth all-time and was second when compared to Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
He also set Super Bowl records for pass attempts (58 in Super Bowl XXVI against Washington) and completions (31 in Super Bowl XXVIII against Dallas), the second of which has since been broken.
Kelly finished his 11 NFL seasons with 2,874 completions in 4,779 attempts for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns, all of which are Buffalo franchise records. He also rushed for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns. His 35,467 career passing yards ranked 10th in NFL history while his 2,874 completions ranked eighth and his 237 touchdowns ranked 13th among all quarterbacks.
In addition to being named to five Pro Bowls (1987, 1988-199-92), Kelly was named an NFL First Team All-Pro in 1991 and was twice named a Second Team All-Pro in 1990 and 1992.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility. The Bills retired is his jersey number 12 in 2001, and as of 2008, it remains one of only three numbers retired by the organization.
Individual game tickets for the 2019-20 season start at just $16. For more information, visit www.amerks.com or call 1-855-GO-AMERKS.
