Travis Kelce said he had a flood of memories during Chiefs’ trip to Cleveland
Have you ever sat next to someone on a plane who wouldn’t stop talking?
Chiefs players got a taste of what that’s like last weekend when the team flew to Cleveland for a game against the Browns. That’s because tight end Travis Kelce was returning to his hometown and he was excited.
“It was so fun,” Kelce said in the latest episode of the New Heights podcast. “When we flew in, I felt like a tour guide, just telling everybody (about) every single city that we were going past, every monument, every building. ‘Oh, that’s where my mom worked right there, the big one, the KeyBank.’”
Kelce felt a flood of emotions when he was back in Cleveland. Seeing places he visited as a kid and meeting with family and friends brought back some strong emotions.
It’s clear Kelce loved his time as a kid in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and is grateful to have had so many people make a positive impact on his life. All of that returned to him ahead of the Chiefs-Browns game on Sunday.
“Just flying into the city, seeing the skyline. I have such a love and appreciation for how we grew up and the fun that we had and all the people that we knew that helped mold me and have the values that I have today,” Kelce said. “And a lot of them were at the game, and I knew they were at the game. And it felt awesome, whether it was my friends being there, my friends’ parents being there, my childhood friends’ kids now watching me as like when I was a little kid, watching the Browns.
“It’s so crazy to drive to the stadium. I had crazy flashbacks of going to, you know, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is right there on the same block, as well as the Science Center. The Science Center, we went there on field trips to both of those places as kids, you know, school field trips. Silly memories, like going to the cafeteria at the Science Center and spitting spitballs at random people and getting in trouble for it as a kid.
“Just being reckless, and getting in trouble with my friends, and the memories and all that silly stuff was just going in and out of my mind. It felt so surreal.”
Sunday’s game was just the second time Kelce had played in Cleveland and the Chiefs shared this video of him leaving the field.
Kelce, 35, admitted it might be his final time suiting up for a game in Cleveland.
“I don’t know if it’s the last time I’ll ever play in Cleveland, but it kind of felt like I was giving it one last hoorah before I’m done,” he said. “I’ve only played there twice in 12 years. So yeah, unless we get thrown out there in the next couple (years), I don’t really see it ever happening again.
“It was just a special day for me personally, man. So shoutout to everybody from the Heights and everybody from Cleveland that showed up for me and has always supported me in life, not just since I’ve been in the league.”
Christmas in Pittsburgh
Kelce also talked on the podcast about the Chiefs’ Christmas Day game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. It’ll be four days after the Chiefs play the Texans.
“I’m excited,” Kelce said. “You know, the body’s not as excited to get out there and try and run around and get the game plan together during practice. But I’ll play whenever, man.
“I’ll play whenever, wherever. I just know that I’m so fortunate to be able to play this game that I’m going to cherish every time I get to play on the field.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 10:49 AM.
