BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's been a tradition at One Bills Drive for 36 years now, and even though none of the campers are old enough to remember Jim Kelly's days on the Bills, his football camp still sells out every year.
"A lot of grandparents out there talking to their grandkids and tell them all about what I used to do," the Hall of Fame Quarterback joked. "But it's so much fun"
Kelly says his goal is to inspire the young players to get better on and off the field over the course of camp.
"You've gotta enjoy yourself and learn something when you leave here, knowing it made you a better person and a better player," he said. "They don't just learn about football. they learn about life. They learn about the right kids to hang out with. So I do what I do to make a difference."
As is tradition, Kelly gets on the field and throws passes with the kids. After all, he says, he's a big kid himself.
"A few years ago they were thinking of not allowing the camp to be here because they have so many things going on, I said, 'I've been doing this for 30 something years,' I go, 'I'm going to do it until the day I die,'" he said.
If he can give the kids a memory they'll have for life, he'll have done his job.
Kelly also shared, "The parents understand what it's all about, they've learned, and you wouldn't believe how many parents I've had come up to me on the first day and say 'I was at your football camp, that's why my son's here,' which is pretty cool. I love that."