Childhood and Education Journey of Travis Kelce in Timeline

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Travis Kelce. A timeline of key moments.

Travis Kelce is a prominent American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, he has since become a key player for the team. Kelce has achieved significant success, winning Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the Chiefs. Prior to his NFL career, he played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

October 5, 1989: Travis Kelce's Birth

On October 5, 1989, Travis Michael Kelce was born. He later became a professional football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Others born on this day/year

2007: Senior Year Football Stats

In 2007, as a senior at Cleveland Heights High School, Travis Kelce rushed for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and threw for 1,523 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, earning him All-Lake Erie League honors.

2008: Redshirt Year at Cincinnati

In 2008, Travis Kelce redshirted at the University of Cincinnati.

2009: Debut at Cincinnati

In 2009, Travis Kelce appeared in 11 games for the Cincinnati Bearcats, playing at tight end and quarterback out of the wildcat formation. He had eight rushes for 47 yards and two touchdowns and one reception for three yards.

2010: Suspension from Cincinnati Bearcats

In 2010, Travis Kelce was suspended for the season after testing positive for marijuana, a violation of team rules while playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

2011: Returns to Cincinnati Bearcats

In 2011, Travis Kelce returned to the Cincinnati Bearcats, playing tight end and recording 13 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

2012: Final Collegiate Season

In 2012, Travis Kelce had his last collegiate season, setting personal season highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (722), yards per reception (16.0), and receiving touchdowns (8).

March 2013: College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year

In March 2013, Travis Kelce was named the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year.

January 2016: Stars in Catching Kelce

In January 2016, Kelce starred in the E! Entertainment Television dating show "Catching Kelce", choosing Maya Benberry as the winner.

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April 2016: Began Dating Maya Benberry

In April 2016, Travis Kelce started dating Maya Benberry, the winner of his dating show, after the show ended.

January 2017: Breakup with Maya Benberry

In January 2017, Maya Benberry confirmed that she and Travis Kelce had broken up.

2019: AFC Championship Celebration

In 2019, Travis Kelce began reciting the chorus from the Beastie Boys' 1986 song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" during team celebrations, starting after the 2019 AFC Championship Game.

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2019: Founding of Hilo Nutrition

In 2019, Travis Kelce founded his own health brand, Hilo Nutrition, which sells gummy supplements for performance nutrition and other health benefits.

2019: Investment in Cholula Hot Sauce

In 2019, Travis Kelce invested in L Catterton's purchase of the condiment brand Cholula Hot Sauce.

January 2020: Launch of Tru Kolors Clothing Brand

In January 2020, Travis Kelce launched his own clothing brand, Tru Kolors.

2020: Appears in Moonbase 8

In 2020, Kelce appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the first episode of the comedy series Moonbase 8.

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2020: Sale of Cholula Hot Sauce

In 2020, Travis Kelce earned four times his investment when McCormick & Company acquired Cholula Hot Sauce for $800 million.

2021: Signature Sneaker Collection with Nike

In 2021, Travis Kelce released a signature sneaker collection as part of a deal with Nike called Nike x Kelce Blazer Mid '77 Vintage, including six shoes inspired by his life and team colors.

August 2022: Launch of "Kelce's Krunch" Cereal

In August 2022, Hy-Vee began manufacturing "Kelce's Krunch", a limited-edition frosted cornflakes breakfast cereal endorsed by Travis Kelce, with a portion of proceeds donated to his charity foundation.

September 2022: Launch of "New Heights" Podcast

In September 2022, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason launched the "New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce" podcast, produced with Wave Sports + Entertainment, discussing NFL news and their games. The podcast is broadcast on YouTube and released in video and audio formats.

2022: Kelce Graduates from Cincinnati

In 2022, Travis Kelce graduated with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree from the University of Cincinnati.

2022: Tru Kolors Collaboration with Kansas City Chiefs

In 2022, Travis Kelce's brand, Tru Kolors, became the first brand by an NFL player to launch an official merchandise collaboration with an NFL franchise: the Kansas City Chiefs.

2022: End of Relationship with Kayla Nicole Brown

In 2022, Travis Kelce's relationship with social media influencer Kayla Nicole Brown ended; they had been together since 2017.

2022: "New Heights" Named Sports Podcast of the Year

In 2022, the "New Heights" podcast was named the Sports Podcast of the Year by Sports Illustrated.

February 2023: Podcast Popularity Surge

In February 2023, the "New Heights" podcast experienced a rise in popularity as Travis and Jason faced off in Super Bowl LVII. It reached No. 1 in Apple sports podcasts and No. 3 on Spotify in all podcast categories.

March 4, 2023: Hosts Saturday Night Live

On March 4, 2023, Kelce hosted Saturday Night Live, appearing in a sketch with his brother Jason and SNL cast members Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman.

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April 2023: Launch of Kelce Jam

In April 2023, Travis Kelce announced the launch of his annual music festival called Kelce Jam, held in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The inaugural event featured Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury and Tech N9ne and quickly sold out.

September 11, 2023: Kelce Documentary Release

On September 11, 2023, "Kelce", a feature-length documentary about his brother Jason's football career and private life, was released on Amazon Prime.

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September 2023: "New Heights" Ranks #1

After the premiere of the second season in September 2023, New Heights became the No. 1 sports podcast in the U.S. and the No. 1 sports podcast globally on Spotify as well as No. 1 among all podcasts on Apple.

October 14, 2023: Cameo Appearance on Saturday Night Live

On October 14, 2023, Kelce made a cameo appearance on the Saturday Night Live episode.

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October 2023: Launch of Travis Kelce's Kitchen

In October 2023, Travis Kelce and Walmart launched Travis Kelce's Kitchen, a line of seven barbecue products inspired by the flavors of Kansas City.

2023: Kelce's Endorsement Earnings Estimated

In 2023, Business Insider estimated that Travis Kelce makes $5 million a year in off-the-field earnings and stated that "he was one of football's most successful endorsers."

2023: Release of "Fairytale of Philadelphia"

In 2023, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason were featured on the cover of "Fairytale of Philadelphia", a rendition of "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl, for the album A Philly Special Christmas Special. Proceeds benefited Philadelphia charities. The song topped the US iTunes chart.

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2023: Began Dating Taylor Swift

In 2023, Travis Kelce began dating singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, with the media frequently describing them as a "supercouple."

2023: Saturday Night Live Hosting

In 2023, Travis Kelce hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live".

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2023: Investment in Alpine F1 Team

In 2023, Travis Kelce joined a group of investors, including Ryan Reynolds and teammate Mahomes, to buy a stake in Alpine, a UK-based French Formula One team.

2023: Participation in The Match VIII and American Century Championship

In 2023, Travis Kelce participated in The Match VIII, teaming up with Patrick Mahomes against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and winning. He also won the long drive contest at the American Century Championship.

2023: Performance on The Tonight Show

In 2023, Travis Kelce performed the Beastie Boys' song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

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2023: Increased Interest in NFL Due to Relationship

In 2023, Travis Kelce's relationship with Taylor Swift stimulated interest in the Chiefs and the NFL, breaking viewership, ticket sales, and merchandise sales records.

January 21, 2024: Record Viewership for Chiefs-Bills Game

On January 21, 2024, the Chiefs–Buffalo Bills game became the most-watched NFL divisional playoff game ever and the most-watched program on any network since Super Bowl LVII.

April 2024: Diploma Received During Podcast Event

In April 2024, Travis Kelce received his diploma during a podcast event at the Fifth Third Arena with his brother Jason.

June 2024: Onstage Appearance at Eras Tour

In June 2024, Travis Kelce joined Taylor Swift onstage at her Wembley Stadium concert from the Eras Tour during her performance of "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart".

2024: Contribution to "It's Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)"

In 2024, Travis Kelce contributed vocals to the song "It's Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)" on A Philly Special Christmas Party.

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2024: Ownership Stake in Garage Beer

In 2024, Travis Kelce teamed up with his brother Jason as significant owners and operators of the light beer company Garage Beer.

2024: Hosts Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?

In 2024, it was announced that Kelce will host a reboot for the game show "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" on Amazon Prime Video. The show will be titled "Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?" with a 20-episode season.

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2024: Podcast Ranking

In 2024, the podcast "New Heights", co-hosted by Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, was ranked as the 8th most popular podcast in the United States on Apple Podcasts.

2024: Second Edition of Kelce Jam

In 2024, the second edition of the Kelce Jam festival took place, featuring performances from 2 Chainz, Diplo and Lil Wayne and attracting 20,000 fans.

March 2025: "New Heights" wins IHeartRadio Award

In March 2025, the New Heights podcast won the Best Sports Podcast award at the IHeartRadio podcast awards.

August 2025: Swift Announces album on New Heights and Engagement

In August 2025, Taylor Swift announced details of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl on New Heights. Later that month, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift became engaged. Their engagement announcement became one of Instagram's top 10 most-liked and reposted posts.

August 2025: Design collaboration with American Eagle Outfitters

In August 2025, Travis Kelce launched a design collaboration with American Eagle Outfitters.

October 2025: Partnership with Jana Partners to Improve Six Flags

In October 2025, Travis Kelce partnered with activist investment firm Jana Partners and other investors to push American theme park company Six Flags to improve its marketing and guest experiences.