{"id":30409,"date":"2026-09-29T20:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30409"},"modified":"2026-09-29T20:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:40:18","slug":"we-did-everything-together-you-know-how-travis-kelces-childhood-rival-became-family-and-stayed-close-through-his-journey-from-cleveland-to-nfl-fame-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30409","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe did everything together you know&#8221;: How Travis Kelce&#8217;s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame | NFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134555564,imgsize-73258,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/travis-kelce.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cWe did everything together you know&quot;: How Travis Kelce's childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame\" title=\"How Travis Kelce's childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"How Travis Kelce's childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images)\">How Travis Kelce&#8217;s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/travis-kelce\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Travis Kelce<\/a> has spent more than a decade in the <a href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/nfl\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NFL<\/a> 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\u2019s move to Kansas City and his rise to NFL stardom.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>How Travis Kelce and Aric Jones went from childhood competitors to family<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>Jones explained the dynamic during a 2023 interview with Ideastream Public Media.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>\u201cHe was QB one, I was QB two,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI 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?\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>The relationship extended beyond the field. Their families also became close, with Jones describing Travis\u2019 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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>Jones later recalled just how much of his teenage life included Kelce. In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, he said, \u201cI 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.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>How Travis Kelce brought his childhood friend into his Kansas City life<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Jones was initially unsure about accepting the invitation. <!-- -->In Vanity Fair\u2019s July\/August 2023 issue, he recalled asking Kelce if he was certain about the arrangement because he did not want to become a burden.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Kelce responded by sending him a picture of a bedroom. \u201cHere\u2019s your room. It\u2019s waiting for you,\u201d Kelce told him, according to Jones\u2019 account in Vanity Fair.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>Jones lived with Kelce for two years. By then, the friendship had moved well beyond childhood sports. Kelce\u2019s NFL career was taking off, but Jones remained part of the group that knew him before the fame.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>That circle later became a regular part of Kelce\u2019s football life. Jones has been part of the Kelce family suite since 2016 and became known as the group\u2019s \u201cparty captain.\u201d He was also there for major moments, including Kelce\u2019s Super Bowl appearances. Ideastream documented Jones attending the 2020 Super Bowl with Kelce\u2019s Cleveland Heights friends and joining the Kelce family for the 2021 game.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>\u201cStill, 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,\u201d Jones told PEOPLE in 2024.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>He also offered a simple description of the role their friendship plays around Kelce\u2019s enormous public profile.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>\u201cTravis is the car, and everybody sees the Bentley, and they see the Ferrari, but are you popping the hood? \u2019Cause we\u2019re the engine,\u201d Jones said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>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.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/nfl\/news\/we-did-everything-together-you-know-how-travis-kelces-childhood-rival-became-family-and-stayed-close-through-his-journey-from-cleveland-to-nfl-fame\/articleshow\/134555456.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Travis Kelce&#8217;s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images) 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"How Travis Kelce&#8217;s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images) 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 [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790714420_travis-kelce.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}