Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly ( born February 14 , 1960 ) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and in the USFL for the Houston Gamblers . Kelly was the third quarterback taken in the 1983 NFL Draft which featured six quarterbacks taken in the first round where John Elway was first pick . Employing the K - Gun offense ( also known as the red ( read ) gun offense , a shotgun variation of the run and shoot offense ) , known for its hurry - up shotgun formations , Kelly led one of the great NFL scoring juggernauts in the Buffalo Bills . Kelly led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl s , from 1991 to 1994 ; however , each time the team lost . He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility . Kelly ' s jersey number , # 12 , is the only number ever retired in Buffalo Bills history . In 2009 , Kelly was elected to the Buffalo Bills 50th Season All - time Team . Playing career . East Brady High School . Kelly grew up in the small town of East Brady , Pennsylvania , about 55 miles northeast of Pittsburgh . He was a standout at East Brady High School , where during his high school career he won all - state honors after passing for 3 , 915 yards and 44 touchdowns . After his senior year , Kelly played in the Big 33 Football Classic . Kelly also played basketball in high school , scoring over 1 , 000 points in his high school basketball career and had six 30 + point games . As a senior he led East Brady to the basketball state semifinals and averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds . University of Miami . Kelly wanted to attend Penn State under Joe Paterno , but he was not offered a quarterback scholarship , instead offering him a scholarship at linebacker . USFL . The Buffalo Bills selected Kelly in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft , but because of the Bills ' poor attendance and the cold weather , he instead signed with the Houston Gamblers of the rival United States Football League . In two seasons in Houston , he led coach Mouse Davis ' run - and - shoot offense , he threw for 9 , 842 yards and 83 touchdowns , completing 63 % with an average of 8 . 53 yards per attempt with 45 interceptions . He was the USFL MVP in 1984 , when he set a league record with 5 , 219 yards passing and 44 TD passes . Kelly ' s USFL records eclipsed those of fellow league quarterbacks Doug Williams and Steve Young . When the Houston Gamblers folded , Kelly went to the New Jersey Generals and was slated as their starting quarterback . Kelly also appeared on a cover of " Sports Illustrated " while holding a Generals ' helmet , but the league collapsed before he ever fielded a snap with the Generals . Buffalo Bills . Kelly finally joined the Bills ( who had retained his NFL rights ) in 1986 after the USFL folded . He helped lead the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances and six divisional championships from 1988 to 1995 . Buffalo made the playoffs in eight of Kelly ' s 11 seasons as their starting quarterback . Kelly ' s primary ' go - to ' wide receiver with the Bills , Andre Reed , ranks among the NFL ' s all - time leaders in several receiving categories . Kelly and Reed connected for 65 TD ' s during their career together trailing only the tandems of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison ( 112 ) , Steve Young and Jerry Rice ( 85 ) , Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne ( 69 ) and Dan Marino and Mark Clayton ( 79 ) for touchdowns by an NFL Quarterback / Receiver tandem . " No - huddle offense " . Kelly ran the Bills ' " K - Gun " no - huddle offense , which was a fast - paced offense named after tight end , Keith McKeller , that denied opposing defenses the opportunity to make timely substitutions . ( The NFL later changed the rules in response to this to allow opposing defenses time to change formations under no - huddle situations , but this applied only if the offense made personnel substitutions . ) This offensive scheme called for multiple formation calls in a huddle , so that after each play was completed , the Bills would eschew a following huddle , instead lining up for the next play where Kelly would read the defense and audible the play . This led to mismatches and defensive communication breakdowns and , in the 1990s , established the Bills as one of the NFL ' s most successful and dangerous offenses , instrumental in leading Buffalo to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances . Records and accomplishments . Kelly holds the all - time NFL record for most yards gained per completion in a single game ( 44 ) , established on September 10 , 1995 in the Bills ' game against the expansion Carolina Panthers . He recorded an NFL best 101 . 2 passer rating in 1990 , led the league with 33 touchdowns passes in 1991 , and made the Pro Bowl four times ( 1987 , 1990 , 1991 , and 1992 ) . In his four Super Bowls , Kelly completed 81 of 145 passes for 829 yards and 2 touchdowns , with 7 interceptions . His 81 completions and 145 attempts are the second most in Super Bowl history behind Joe Montana . In Super Bowl XXVI , he set a record with 58 pass attempts , and in Super Bowl XXVIII he set a record with 31 completions ( this was later surpassed by Tom Brady ' s 32 completions in Super Bowl XXXVIII and by Drew Brees in Super Bowl XLIV ) . Kelly finished his 11 NFL seasons with 2 , 874 completions in 4 , 779 attempts for 35 , 467 yards and 237 touchdowns , with 175 interceptions , all of which are Buffalo records . He also rushed for 1 , 049 yards and 7 touchdowns . Including his time in the NFL and USFL , he finished with over 45 , 000 passing yards and 320 touchdowns . In 2001 the Buffalo Bills retired his number 12 jersey . On August 3 , 2002 , Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Kelly was enshrined during the first year he was eligible , and headlined a class that also featured John Stallworth , Dan Hampton , Dave Casper , and George Allen . Fellow Hall - of - Famer and former head coach , Marv Levy , was Kelly ' s presenter at the ceremony . Career statistics . NFL Key to Abbreviations < br > GP = Games Played < br > Rec = Quarterback Record < br > Att = Passes attempted < br > Com = Passes Completed < br > Pct = Completion percentage < br > Yds = Yards < br > TD = Touchdowns < br > Int = Interception s < br > Rate = Passer rating Personal life . Kelly devoted much of his post - football life to his son , Hunter James Kelly , who was diagnosed with Globoid - Cell Leukodystrophy ( Krabbe disease ) shortly after his birth on February 14 , 1997 . Hunter died as a result of this disease on August 5 , 2005 , at the age of 8 . This loss deeply affected Kelly . To honor his son , Kelly established a non - profit organization in 1997 : Hunter ' s Hope . Kelly ' s advocacy on behalf of Krabbes ' patients has increased national awareness of the disease . He and his wife Jill founded the annual Hunter ' s Day of Hope , which is held on February 14 , the birthdays of both Jim and Hunter Kelly . When Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 , he dedicated his speech to Hunter . " It ' s been written that the trademark of my career was toughness , " he said as he choked back tears . " The toughest person I ever met in my life was my hero , my soldier , my son , Hunter . I love you , buddy . " Kelly continues to reside in East Aurora , New York , with his wife Jill and their daughters , Erin and Camryn . He has several business ventures , including Hall of Fame Life Promotions , a promotional company that is committed to donating a percentage of all of its proceeds to The Hunter ' s Hope Foundation . Since 1988 , Kelly has run a football camp for youths between the ages of eight to 18 at the Buffalo Bills facilities . It started with 325 campers in its first year , growing to over 500 campers a year . This camp provides teaching from experienced coaches and previous players from all over the country . Kelly also participates in various drills with the participants . He has expressed interest in being , at least in part , owner of the Buffalo Bills when current owner Ralph Wilson no longer holds the title to the franchise . He has committed to doing what he can to keep the Buffalo Bills in Western New York . Kelly is the uncle of Chad Kelly , a highly rated high school quarterback prospect and punter who has committed to the Clemson Tigers football team .