Leroy Kelly

Another great Cleveland Browns running back. Leroy Kelly was an 8th round draft pick in 1964 from Morgan State. He led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing attempts twice in his 10-year career. Had 1,000-plus yard seasons 1966, 1967 and 1968 averaging 5 yards-per-carry or better each of those 3 seasons. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-1960s team he went to 6 Pro Bowls and made 3 1st-Team All Pro teams. Finished with 7274 yards and 74 rushing touchdowns he also caught 190 passes for another 2281 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is still the #2 All-Time Rushing Yards Leader for the Browns.

Image Gallery of Leroy Kelly, Running Back 1964-1973

The NFL's top runner in 1967 - Leroy Kelly of the Cleveland Browns - averaged 5.1 yards a carry on 235 carries picking up 1205 and 11 touchdowns. Here he gives Bear linebacker Doug Buffone the slip.

Congratulations are in order! Browns quarterback Bill Nelsen extends a hand to Leroy Kelly following a touchdown. All in all Kelly scored 90 Regular Season touchdowns and 3 Post Season. That's still #2 on the Browns franchise list.

Cowboy linebacker Lee Roy Jordan moves in to stop Browns runner Leroy Kelly during the 1969 NFL Playoff game between Dallas and Cleveland. Kelly rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown in the 38-14 Browns victory.

Leroy Kelly and Dave Robinson come face-to-face in 1968 NFL Pro Bowl Game. Both players had great seasons in 1967. Kelly led the league in rushing and Robinson, named lineman of the game by the way, had just won a Super Bowl a week before. Both were All-Pros in 1967 as well.

Filling in for a player such as the great Jim Brown is no easy task, but Leroy Kelly of Morgan State managed to do a pretty good job. When he left the NFL in 1975 he was the NFL's #5 All Time Leading Rusher with 7274 yards and his 74 touchdowns on the ground were #3.

When the great Jim Brown retired in 1965 Leroy Kelly of Morgan State filled the role as best as anyone could - led the league twice in rushing making 1st Team All Pro team 4 times. Still ranks #2 behind Brown as the Cleveland franchise All Time rusher. Here he gets a block from Milt Morin against Doug Buffone and the Chicago Bears - #85 is Willie Holman from South Carolina.

Browns offense in 1971. Leroy Kelly, the AFC's #4 leading rusher that year, gets behind the blocking of fullback Bo Scott and guard Gene Hickerson. In 1971 Hickerson was a 14-year NFL veteran and didn't retire till 1973.

Gene Hickerson clears the way for Leroy Kelly in 1968. 1968 was Kelly's 3rd straight 1,000-plus yard season. he was the NFL's rushing leader in 1966 and 1967 in both yards and touchdowns.

From the opening round of the 1968 NFL playoffs - Browns runner Leroy Kelly gives Cowboy cornerback Cornell Green the slip in route to a 35-yard TD. It was Kelly's 2nd score as Cleveland downed Dallas 31-20.

Browns Hall of Fame runner Leroy Kelly gets behind offensive lineman John Demarie after taking a handoff from quarterback Bill Nelsen.

Bears linebacker Doug Buffone (#55) holds on for dear life in an attempt to trip up Browns runner Leroy Kelly (#44). The story goes that Kelly broke free and scored.

Vikings linebacker Roy Winston stops Browns running back Leroy Kelly in the 1969 game. The Vikings in route to a Super Bowl appearance handed Cleveland a 51-3 obliteration.

The Cowboys Chuck Howley (#54) & Leroy Kelly of the Brown during the 1972 NFL Pro Bowl Game - Played in January it featured the league's best players of the 1971 season. For both players it was their 6th and final appearance in a Pro Bowl game.

Leroy Kelly Football Cards

Frank Ryan and Leroy Kelly shown on a program from a Cardinals-Browns game in 1968. Fullback Ernie Green can be seen in the right-foreground. The Cardinals won 27-16.

From the 1971 Topps collection. Had a good year rushing for 865 yards and 10 touchdowns. Named to the Pro Bowl as an AFC reserve runningback.

Leroy Kelly All Time Career Statistics

Regular Season Career Rushing & Receiving Totals
			Rushing					Receiving					Totals
Year	Age	Games	Rush	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD	Catches	Yards	Y/R	Long	TD	Touches	Total Y/Tch	YScm	TDs
1964	22	14	6	12	2.0	5	0						6	2.0	12	0
1965	23	13	37	139	3.8	16	0	9	122	13.6	52	0	46	5.7	261	0
1966*+	24	14	209	1141	5.5♦	70t♦	15♦	32	366	11.4	40	1	241	6.3	1507	16♦
1967*+	25	14	235♦	1205♦	5.1♦	42t	11♦	20	282	14.1	48	2	255♦	5.8	1487♦	13
1968*+	26	14	248♦	1239♦	5.0	65	16♦	22	297	13.5	68t	4	270♦	5.7	1536♦	20♦
1969*	27	13	196	817	4.2	31	9	20	267	13.4	36	1	216	5.0	1084	10
1970*	28	13	206	656	3.2	33t	6	24	311	13.0	55	2	230	4.2	967	8
1971*	29	14	234	865	3.7	35	10	25	252	10.1	29	2	259	4.3	1117	12
1972	30	14	224	811	3.6	18	4	23	204	8.9	28	1	247	4.1	1015	5
1973	31	13	132	389	2.9	19	3	15	180	12.0	36	0	147	3.9	569	3
10-Year NFL Ccareer		136	1727	7274	4.2	70	74	190	2281	12.0	68	13	1917	5.0	9555	87

Post Season Career Rushing & Receiving Totals
			Rushing					Receiving					Totals
Year	Age	Games	Rush	Yards	Y/A	Long	TD	Catches	Yards	Y/R	Long	TD	Touches	Y/Tch	YScm	TDs
1964	22	1											0
1965	23	1	0	0		0	0						0		0	0
1967*+	25	1	15	96	6.4	46	0	4	39	9.8	15	0	19	7.1	135	0
1968*+	26	2	33	115	3.5	35t	1	5	73	14.6	45t	1	38	4.9	188	2
1969*	27	2	34	146	4.3	39	1	4	27	6.8	15	0	38	4.6	173	1
1971*	29	1	14	49	3.5	15	0	4	24	6.0	13	0	18	4.1	73	0
1972	30	1	4	11	2.8	5	0	1	27	27.0	27	0	5	7.6	38	0
Total Post Season		9	100	417	4.2	46	2	18	190	10.6	45	1	118	5.1	607	3

Regular Season Career Kick & Punt Returns Totals
			Punt Returns					Kick Returns					All-Purpose
Year	Age	Games	Returns	Yards	Long	Y/R	TD	Returns	Yards	Y/Rt	Long	TD	APYd	AP Scoring
1964	22	14	9	171	68t	19.0	1	24	582	24.3	45	0	765	1
1965	23	13	17	265	67t	15.6	2	24	621	25.9	51	0	1147	2
1966*+	24	14	13	104	52	8.0	0	19	403	21.2	49	0	2014	16♦
1967*+	25	14	9	59	32	6.6	0	5	131	26.2	32	0	1677	13
1968*+	26	14	1	9	9	9.0	0	1	10	10.0	10	0	1556	20♦
1969*	27	13	7	28	13	4.0	0	2	26	13.0	14	0	1138	10
1970*	28	13	2	15	12	7.5	0						982	8
1971*	29	14	30	292	74	9.7	0	1	11	11.0	11	0	1420	12
1972	30	14	5	40	14	8.0	0						1055	5
1973	31	13	1	7	7	7.0	0						576	3
10-Year NFL Ccareer		136	94	990	74	10.5	3	76	1784	23.5	51	0	12330	90

Post Season Career Kick & Punt Returns Totals
			Punt Returns					Kick Returns
Year	Age	Games	Returns	Yards	Y/R	Long	TD	Returns	Yards	Y/Rt	Long	TD	APYd
1965	23	1						1	46	46.0	46	0	46
1967*+	25	1	1	13	13.0	13	0						148
1969*	27	2	3	18	6.0	8	0	1	18	18.0	18	0	209
1971*	29	1	3	71	23.7	48	0						144
1972	30	1	1	8	8.0	8	0						46
Total Post Season		9	8	110	13.8	48	0	2	64	32.0	46	0	781

+ – All-Pro Selection
* – Pro Bowl Selection
♦ – Led the League

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table

For some good additional reading on Leroy Kelly:

Leroy Kelly: Cleveland Browns Greatest Halfback

Image Gallery of Leroy Kelly, Running Back 1964-1973

Leroy Kelly Football Cards

Leroy Kelly All Time Career Statistics

For some good additional reading on Leroy Kelly:

Reggie White

Tommy McDonald

Dick Bass

Deacon Jones

Cleveland Browns – Most Catches in a Career

Eric Dickerson

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Leroy Kelly Football Cards

Leroy Kelly All Time Career Statistics

For some good additional reading on Leroy Kelly:

More Past NFL Greats!

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