The Kelce brothers grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, two sons of a steel salesman (Ed) and a bank executive (Donna). They both played multiple sports, and neither spent high school football in the spot they'd wind up starring at in the NFL.
That's the key to the last sentence, though: "in the NFL." Both Travis and Jason Kelce went from Cleveland Heights High School to the University of Cincinnati to the NFL. Travis, a high-school quarterback and basketball player, is one of the league's best tight ends for the Chiefs, and Jason, a high-school linebacker and hockey player, just made his 100th-straight start for the Eagles, where he's a center.
“There were a lot of fights (growing up)," Donna told Sports Illustrated in September. “There were a lot of punches thrown. It all just stemmed from somebody being better than the other one, and the other one not being able to deal with it.”
Maybe more importantly for the fraternal rivalry, though, is that each Kelce brother has one ring finger occupied and one still open (speaking in football terms only). Jason's Eagles won Super Bowl 52, and Travis' Chiefs won Super Bowl 54. Both are past 30 years old without having left the team that drafted them, and each has made multiple Pro Bowls. The Watt brothers might win in a fight because there's three of them, but the Kelce brothers have the jewelry to make their case as the best active brothers in the NFL.
MORE: Meet the Watt brothers: J.J., Derek and T.J.
How many Kelce brothers are there?
There are two Kelce brothers, both of whom made it to the NFL. Older brother Jason has been in the NFL since 2011, when he was selected by the Eagles in the sixth round. Younger brother Travis has been in the league since 2013 when the Chiefs took him in the third round. Neither brother has changed teams during their NFL career.
Travis Kelce
The younger Kelce brother, Travis is also probably the more well-known thanks to his usage as a skill-position player. Travis didn't record any stats as a rookie due to knee surgery, but he started staking claim to top tight end notoriety as soon as 2014. After two seasons with receiving yards in the 800s, Travis topped 1,000 receiving yards in every season from 2016-2019 (and is on pace to do so in 2020).
Travis made every Pro Bowl from 2015-2019 and likely isn't done doing so. He's seen a mid-career boost from his partnership with Patrick Mahomes that began in 2018, with Kelce's two-highest receiving yard totals coming with the young phenom.
During the Chiefs' Super Bowl win following the 2019 season, Travis played a major role. He caught six passes for 43 yards, and his 1-yard touchdown reception from Mahomes began a stretch of 21-unanswered points to come from behind and beat the 49ers.
Jason Kelce
Jason walked-on in college as a running back before winding up on the offensive line, where he became an NFL prospect. His 4.89-second 40-yard dash at the 2011 NFL Combine was the fastest among all offensive linemen.
As a rookie, Jason won the starting center job and started all 16 games, the first rookie in Eagles history to start every game at center. In 2013, Jason was named the best center in football by Pro Football Focus, and in 2017, he was PFF's highest-rated offensive lineman overall.
Jason's biggest attention gained during the Eagles' run behind Nick Foles to a Super Bowl win in 2018 likely came in the celebratory parade, when he went on an epic rant that you can relive here.