Travis Kelce Biography Update, Age, Personal Life, Career, Awards

Travis Michael Kelce, born on October 5, 1989, is an American football tight end who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. The Chiefs picked him in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has helped the team win Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII. Kelce played college football at the University of Cincinnati.

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Many consider Kelce one of the best tight ends ever. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl eleven times and named All-Pro seven times, including four first-team and three second-team honors. Kelce holds NFL records for the most consecutive and total seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end, with seven. In 2020, he set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416, even though he played only 15 games.

Age

He was born on October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio, and is 36 years old.

Biography

Travis Michael Kelce was born on October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio. His father, Ed Kelce, worked as a sales representative in the steel industry, and his mother, Donna, was a bank executive. His older brother, Jason Kelce, played center for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 seasons. Their mother’s family is from Croatia, with roots in Brod Moravice and Velike Drage in the Gorski Kotar region near the Slovenian border.

Kelce went to Cleveland Heights High School in his hometown, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was the starting quarterback for the Tigers for three years. In his senior year in 2007, he rushed for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns, and passed for 1,523 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His total of 2,539 yards earned him All-Lake Erie League honors.

College career

Rivals.com rated Kelce as a two-star recruit. He chose to attend the University of Cincinnati, turning down offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Miami (OH). He joined his brother Jason, who was already playing for the Bearcats. After redshirting in 2008, Kelce played in 11 games in 2009 as a tight end and sometimes as a quarterback in the wildcat formation. He ran eight times for 47 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for three yards. Kelce missed the 2010 season due to a suspension for violating team rules.

He returned in 2011 as a tight end, making 13 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. In his final college season in 2012, he set personal bests with 45 catches, 722 receiving yards, 16 yards per catch, and eight touchdowns. He earned first-team all-conference honors and was named the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year in March 2013. Kelce graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and received his diploma at a podcast event with his brother Jason in April 2024 at Fifth Third Arena.

Personal life

Kelce began dating Maya Benberry, who won his dating show, after the show ended in April 2016. Benberry confirmed their breakup in January 2017. From 2017 to 2022, Kelce was in a relationship with social media influencer Kayla Nicole Brown.

Kelce started dating singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in 2023, and the media often refers to them as a “supercouple.” In June 2024, Kelce appeared onstage with Swift during her Wembley Stadium concert on the Eras Tour while she performed “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart”.[280] In August 2025, Swift announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on New Heights. The couple got engaged later that month, and their engagement announcement became one of the top 10 most-liked and reposted posts on Instagram.

Their widely covered relationship and Swift’s presence at games boosted interest in the Chiefs and the NFL during the 2023 season. This led to record-breaking viewership, ticket sales, and merchandise sales. For example, a Chiefs–Chicago Bears game had the most TV viewers that weekend, and a Chiefs–New York Jets game averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday-night TV show since Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs–Buffalo Bills game on January 21, 2024, became the most-watched NFL divisional playoff game ever and the most-watched program on any network since Super Bowl LVII.

The Chiefs–Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship Game was the most-watched AFC Championship game ever. According to a sports marketing company, the Kelce–Swift relationship increased ticket sales, viewership, and merchandise so much that the Chiefs franchise gained $331.4 million in value in just six months.

Kelce enjoys playing golf in the offseason and has taken part in several celebrity tournaments. He won the long drive contest at the 2023 American Century Championship.

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL

• 3× Super Bowl champion (LIV, LVII, LVIII)
• 4× First-team All-Pro (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022)
• 3× Second-team All-Pro (2017, 2019, 2021)
• 11× Pro Bowl (2015–2025)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• NCAA
• First-team All-Big East (2012)

Non-football awards

• People’s Choice Awards – Athlete of the Year (2024)
• Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards – Favorite Male Sports Star (2024)
• IHeartRadio Music Awards – Favorite Surprise Guest w/ Taylor Swift (2025)

Records

NFL record (any position)

• Career postseason receptions: 172
• Career postseason 100-yard games: 9
• Career Super Bowl receptions: 35

NFL records (among tight ends)

• Consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons (7, 2016–2022)
• 1,000-yard seasons (7, 2016–2022)
• Receiving yards in a season (1,416, 2020)
• Career postseason receiving yards (1,903)
• 100+ reception seasons (3)
• Fewest games to 10,000 career receiving yards (140)
• 100 receiving yard games (37)
• Career postseason receiving touchdowns: 20
• Career postseason games started: 23

Chiefs franchise records (any position)

• 100-plus-yard receiving games (37)
• Receiving touchdowns in a game (tied, 4)
• Career receiving yards (12,878)
• Career receptions (1,064)
• Career touchdown receptions (82)
• Career total touchdowns (85)