CINCINNATI — Jim Kelly, Jr., a University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and longtime area sports broadcaster, has died.
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Kelly died Sunday night, surrounded by family, the university announced. Our news partners at WCPO said the 71-year-old had battled cancer.
Kelly was a standout wide receiver for the University of Cincinnati from 1973 to 1975 and later became a beloved color analyst for the Bearcats’ radio broadcasts, a role he held for 35 years.
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After graduating with a business degree, Kelly briefly pursued a professional football career with the Chicago Bears before an injury led him back to Cincinnati as a graduate assistant coach. He later embarked on a career in business.
In 1988, Kelly joined the Bearcats’ radio broadcast team as a color analyst, where he became a fixture in the booth, calling games alongside Paul Keels, George Von Benko, and, later, Dan Hoard.
“Working with Jim was one of the greatest joys of my professional life,” Hoard said. “In addition to being a great broadcaster and friend, Jim was the link among generations of Bearcat football players. He got to know them as a kid hanging around his dad’s teams, as a teammate in the 1970s, and as a broadcaster for more than three decades. No one loved the University of Cincinnati more.”
Kelly’s tenure as a broadcaster spanned pivotal moments in Bearcats football history, including the BIG EAST Championships and BCS Bowl appearances, as well as the team’s recent successes.
Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham said Kelly “embodied Bearcats football.”
“He stood with the program through thick and thin for more than 30 years in the radio booth. He was a standout player, a beloved radio voice and a Hall of Famer. No one loved the Bearcats more than Jim,” Cunningham said.
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