| Date of birth: | September 1, 1951 |
| Place of birth: | Dallas, Texas |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Linebacker |
| College: | California Lutheran |
| NFL Draft: | 1973 / Round: 14 / Pick: 353 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1973-1983 | New York Giants |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Brian Lee Kelley (born September 1, 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played his entire career for the New York Giants (1973–1983) after being drafted in the fourteenth round of the 1973 NFL Draft.
Kelley grew up in Fullerton, California, where he was an outstanding athlete at Sunny Hills High School. He attended California Lutheran University, an National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member and played college football. Cal Lutheran won the NAIA National Championship in Kelley's junior year, but in his senior year, they lost, even though Kelley was named MVP of the championship game. He was also honored as a little All-American.[1] On May 11, 2010, Kelley was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
As a member of the Giants, Kelley was one of the Crunch Bunch, a team of fierce linebackers composed of Kelley, Brad Van Pelt, Lawrence Taylor, and Harry Carson. The group is widely considered one of the best linebacking combos in NFL history.[2][3]