Chad Kelly and the Lowsman
By Kelly Smith
Punt, Pass, and Kick
In his youth, Chad Kelly was a four-time winner of the now defunct Punt, Pass, and Kick competition. Four times he went from being one of more than four million entrants to one of the age class winners (according to the official PPK website).
Chad, whose Uncle is Hall Of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly of The Buffalo Bills, once told a reporter “I was just at a Bills game, and I saw these kids getting introduced, and I asked my dad if we could do this.”
The Punt, Pass, and Kick competition was a combination of distance and accuracy. As stated on the official website, “if a youth camper passes the ball 100 feet, but the ball lands 30 feet to the left of the measuring tape, the final score would be 100 minus 30 = 70”. With a 2010 score of 212 feet 5 inches (almost 71 yards), no contestant of the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition has ever thrown a football better than Chad Kelly.
A High School phenomenon, he was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked among the top dual-threat quarterbacks in his graduating class, according to Rivals.com.
With offers from powerhouses like Alabama, Florida State, Louisville, and Michigan State (http:/www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting), Kelly committed to Clemson University for college football. Back in those days, I’m sure it all seemed like things would work out.