“We did everything together you know”: How Travis Kelce’s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame | NFL News
Travis Kelce has spent more than a decade in the NFL spotlight, but some of the people closest to him knew him long before the Chiefs star became a household name. Aric Jones is one of them. The two met as young children in Cleveland Heights and grew up playing sports together, competing for starting spots and eventually becoming part of the same close-knit circle. Their friendship survived high school, college, Kelce’s move to Kansas City and his rise to NFL stardom.
How Travis Kelce and Aric Jones went from childhood competitors to family
Kelce and Jones first met in 1995 at the Cleveland Heights Recreation Center while playing youth hockey. Jones has described those early years as the foundation of a friendship that grew through several sports. They played hockey, attended basketball camps and eventually became teammates and competitors in football.Their friendship also had a competitive side. In high school, Kelce was the starting quarterback while Jones served as the backup quarterback and starting safety. Kelce wore No. 1 and Jones wore No. 2, and both earned all-league recognition.Jones explained the dynamic during a 2023 interview with Ideastream Public Media.“He was QB one, I was QB two,” Jones said. “I was the starting safety on defense. He was starting quarterback. He wore number one. I wore number two. We were both all-league at the same time. We did everything together, you know what I mean?”The relationship extended beyond the field. Their families also became close, with Jones describing Travis’ parents, Ed and Donna Kelce, as people who remain like family to him. Donna was around the team during their high school years, making food for the players before games.Jones later recalled just how much of his teenage life included Kelce. In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, he said, “I went to my first house party with Travis. I got in my first car accident with Travis. He was there for so much of my, honestly, just teenage-ness.”Sports also continued to connect them after high school. When they went to different colleges, they still made the effort to watch each other play. Jones said Kelce would drive hours to see him, while he returned the support.That bond continued when Kelce entered the NFL. The Chiefs selected him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and Jones was finishing school at Tennessee State the following year. Instead of letting distance change their friendship, Kelce invited Jones to move into his Kansas City home.
How Travis Kelce brought his childhood friend into his Kansas City life
Jones was initially unsure about accepting the invitation. In Vanity Fair’s July/August 2023 issue, he recalled asking Kelce if he was certain about the arrangement because he did not want to become a burden.Kelce responded by sending him a picture of a bedroom. “Here’s your room. It’s waiting for you,” Kelce told him, according to Jones’ account in Vanity Fair.Jones lived with Kelce for two years. By then, the friendship had moved well beyond childhood sports. Kelce’s NFL career was taking off, but Jones remained part of the group that knew him before the fame.That circle later became a regular part of Kelce’s football life. Jones has been part of the Kelce family suite since 2016 and became known as the group’s “party captain.” He was also there for major moments, including Kelce’s Super Bowl appearances. Ideastream documented Jones attending the 2020 Super Bowl with Kelce’s Cleveland Heights friends and joining the Kelce family for the 2021 game.“Still, to this day, as a group of friends, we all have a saying to each other: do your job, and everybody is a star in their own role,” Jones told PEOPLE in 2024.He also offered a simple description of the role their friendship plays around Kelce’s enormous public profile.“Travis is the car, and everybody sees the Bentley, and they see the Ferrari, but are you popping the hood? ’Cause we’re the engine,” Jones said.Away from football, their friendship still resembles the Cleveland Heights days. Jones said the group jokes around, talks trash, argues about football and revisits old memories like they are back at their high school lunch table. He also recalled spending Thanksgiving 2023 with Kelce and friends, eating KFC and watching movies.Their friendship has also remained connected to their hometown. Jones created the lifestyle brand Homebred, which grew out of his Cleveland Heights roots, and Kelce has supported the brand by wearing its gear. In 2024, Jones told KCUR that Kelce had worn Homebred clothing at press conferences, during the Super Bowl and privately.Jones remains part of the close circle surrounding Kelce. The NFL star may now have a very different life from the one they knew as kids, but the friendship began long before the cameras, championships and fame.
