Two Sport Stars: Kenny Kelly from football star to MLB flameout
Kenny Kelly was one of those highly touted two-sport stars who started at quarterback for the University of Miami and played sparingly in the majors.
The days of two-sport stars are well behind us. No more Bo Jackson, Brian Jordan, or Deion Sanders. Kyler Murray, becoming the first person drafted in the first round of the MLB and NFL drafts, may have had the best chance, though it won’t happen. Kenny Kelly was another name we can add to the list of players who looked the part-of two sport stars, only to fall by the wayside.
Kelly was drafted out of high school in the 2nd round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was also given a scholarship to play football for the University of Miami the following season. Off Kelly went to play minor league baseball before reporting to Miami to take over as the starting quarterback for the Hurricanes.
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In two years with the ‘Canes Kelly threw for over two thousand yards with twenty touchdowns and fifth-teen interceptions. His numbers were not stellar so he decided to focus solely on the baseball side of life.
In the early stages of his minor league tenure, Kelly was more of a slap hitting, speed guy. The more he developed his game the more of a well-rounded hitter he became. The little power he did have started to come on as he climbed the minor league ladder.
Kelly spent time in the Devil Rays organization before being sold to the Seattle Mariners. He also spent time with the New York Mets farm teams before finally getting the call to the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds. In 2005 he spent time with both the Reds and Washington Nationals, though played sparingly and uninspiring.
The following year he found himself in the Chicago White Sox system and the year after that he was out of baseball.
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Every year there are several players who are drafted in multiple sports, but most give up one or the other. For the investment the team is making in the player, this will most likely be the case moving forward. We may have seen our last dual-sport threat.