The Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason, will square off in the Super Bowl on Sunday. One of them is destined to become a world champion, while the other will watch the celebrations from home. There is one member of the Kelce family who is guaranteed to win on Sunday – their mother, Donna Kelce. “It’s like you won the lottery,” Donna said Tuesday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “From middle school to high school to college to get to the pros and actually to play. To be playing for this many years, to get Super Bowls, and then to play against each other, I mean, what are the odds of that? It’s gotta be astronomical. We should’ve been playing the lottery, I’ll tell you.” Mom of two top NFL players, Kelce is most of all grateful for her family, who made this winning lottery ticket possible.
FORBES: As The Kelce Brothers Square Off In The Super Bowl, Their Mom Wins No Matter What
By Adam Zagoria; February 7, 2023
No matter who wins the Super Bowl on Sunday, Donna Kelce will have a son who’s a newly minted world champion.
The mother of All-Pros Travis and Jason Kelce is enjoying the moments leading up to Sunday’s big game in Glendale, Arizona, and trying to make her boys happy, too. On Monday, she surprised her sons during an interview with NFL Network’s Michael Irvin with two batches of cookies — one for each. Her husband Ed is also along for the ride.
“It’s like you won the lottery,” Donna said Tuesday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “From middle school to high school to college to get to the pros and actually to play. To be playing for this many years, to get Super Bowls, and then to play against each other, I mean, what are the odds of that? It’s gotta be astronomical. We should’ve been playing the lottery, I’ll tell you.”
Both Kelce brothers already have one Super Bowl championship under their belts. Jason, 35, a 6-foot-3, 295-p0und center with the Philadelphia Eagles, won Super Bowl LII, while Travis, 33, a 6-5, 250-pound tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, won Super Bowl LIV. Jason is a five-time first-team All-Pro, while Travis is a four-time All Pro. Both are considered future Hall of Famers.
They have met three times in their careers, with Travis and the Chiefs winning each game.
“Obviously, it’s been a whirlwind season,” Jason told reporters Monday. “We both knew that we had good teams going into the season. They’re in their third Super Bowl… in four years; I mean, they’ve been on a helluva run.
“To meet him and that team and [Chiefs coach] Andy Reid, the guy that drafted me [with the Eagles], it’s a pretty surreal moment for the family and for both of us.”
Growing up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Donna said both kids were busy playing multiple sports when they weren’t eating her out of the house and home.
“The good thing was is athletics kept them from breaking things in the house, so that was awesome,” Donna said. “A lot of broken windows, a lot of slats in the floor that were broken.
“But basically, they would come to us, they would tell us what they were interested in, and we would try the best that we could with the timing and the scheduling and financially to see if we could help them out.”
Donna said her sons played football, basketball, lacrosse, hockey — and “Jason did a stint with wrestling” — “and I think this is why they’re so well-rounded. They have been able to find things in every single sport to bring to football, and I think that’s helped them in the game.”
Travis looked up to his older brother and wears No. 87 because that’s the year Jason was born.
“I know that a lot of younger kids look up to their older brothers and sisters for support, how to do things, street cred, and that was no different with Travis,” Donna said.
“He really did look up to his big brother and was constantly trying to get his attention, which turned into some fights here there but all in all, they’re very, very close.”
As for keeping her kids fed, it wasn’t easy.
“We couldn’t keep food in the house, especially my favorites,” Donna said. “When I would go to a restaurant and bring home leftovers, I would put my name on it, tape on it, and it was gone the next morning.
“So it was constantly going to the grocery store. Really when they went to college, I got a raise because I didn’t have to feed them so it was awesome.”
Now they’re ready to face off, fully aware that one brother will experience the thrill of victory and the other the agony of defeat.
“We both realize that for somebody, it’s not going to go well, and I know it sounds crazy, but I think we’re both still rooting for each other,” Jason said. “I feel like you can’t help but do that. I’m might not be rooting for the Chiefs, but I’m always rooting for Trav.”
Said Travis: “I wouldn’t be here without my brother, his competitiveness, his leadership; there’s no way I’d be here without him. It’s a special moment, it’s something that obviously we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. But I’m focused on making it a Chiefs win and not necessarily a win for the Kelce on his side.”
Donna figures she can’t lose either way and will wear a split jersey to represent both sons.
“The good thing is they both have one under their belt,” she said. “If one of them didn’t, it would be really easy. I would hope the other one would win. But in this instance, this is pure joy.
“This is the first time I’m actually going to be able to enjoy the game. I’m going to be able to go there and just scream my head off no matter who has the ball. I hope it’s a high-scoring game; I really do.”
Photo: Getty Images