Kelly leads group of five into Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio -- Jim Kelly never tossed a touchdown pass as meaningful or had a moment on the field as sweet.

Just as if he once again were running Buffalo's no-huddle offense, Kelly spread things around Saturday during a moving induction speech into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Choking back tears throughout his 10 minutes at the podium, the Buffalo Bills quarterback thanked the teammates, coaches, family and friends who helped him achieve football's highest honor.

Then Kelly looked down at his terminally ill 5-year-old son.

Hunter Kelly, who shares his father's birthday and grit, has Krabbes disease, a rare degenerative disorder of the nervous system that robbed him of motor skills.

"It's been written that the trademark of my career was toughness," Kelly said. "The toughest person I ever met in my life was my son, my hero, Hunter.

"I love you, buddy."

Kelly's closing capped an emotional day as he was enshrined along with the late coach George Allen, tight end Dave Casper, defensive lineman Dan Hampton and wide receiver John Stallworth.

On a hot day, a record crowd of 17,700 attended the ceremonies in Fawcett Stadium, a long TD pass from the Hall. This was the first time the ceremony wasn't held on the Hall's front steps since 1965.

Good thing, too, since Kelly's enshrinement brought thousands of Bills fans -- many of them wearing his No. 12 jersey -- who made the 240-mile drive to Canton and made Fawcett feel like an October afternoon in Orchard Park, N.Y.

"Is there anyone back in Buffalo today?" said Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, who presented Kelly for induction.

"I feel like I'm in Buffalo," Bills center Kent Hull said before the ceremony. "Look at this."

People back in western New York undoubtedly were watching the ceremonies on TV to see Kelly, who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls.

Some lofty numbers

Kelly passed for 35,467 yards and 237 TDs during his 11-year NFL career. He led the Bills to the playoffs eight times, and Levy has no doubt who he would want with the ball and time running out.

"Right there," Levy said, stepping back from the podium to point at Kelly. "Jim Kelly, No. 12. He cared about winning. He cared about his team and his teammates. He cared about his family. His arm was great, but so was his heart."

Beyond his unquestioned physical skills, Kelly's greatest attribute was the way he led -- with a swagger.

"If there was a movie made about the life of John Wayne," Levy said. "Jim Kelly ought to play the part."

Kelly was the afternoon's final speaker, and for a moment it seemed like the sea of red, white and blue Bills fans wasn't going to let him get started, drowning out his opening with a rousing ovation.

"Today, I'm joining the greatest team of them all," he said.