Former Cincinnati Bearcats Football Star, Color Commentator Dies

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats community has heavy hearts this week, amidst news that former UC wide receiver and longtime football color commentator Jim Kelly Jr. has passed away following a battle with cancer.

Kelly had just taken some time away from the booth this season to focus on his fight. He had been in the booth every season since 1995 and led the Bearcats in receiving for three straight seasons from 1973 to 1975.

He was wildly beloved by Bearcats fans and got inducted into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. His dad has the Hall of Fame named for him.

"It feels really good, and if he was alive, it would mean a lot to him," Kelly said in an article published in 2017 ahead of his induction. "I just want it to be seen as deserved. That's been the hardest thing for me to deal with. I was a good football player, not a great football player. Since my dad passed away, I've been on this (selection) committee. I've seen the football players' names that have been brought up to this, and it's amazing the great players that have come through this program, particularly in the last 20 years. And even back before me and during my period, there are guys on that list who were just incredible football players that are never going to make this honor."

Kelly marks the second loss in a rough stretch for the program following the death of freshman offensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly this spring.

"Our hearts are with Jim Kelly and his family," Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham said in a press release. "Jim embodied Bearcats football: growing up at Nippert Stadium and choosing to stay in Cincinnati to play college football on that same field. He stood with the program through thick and thin for more than 30 years in the radio booth. He was a standout player, a beloved radio voice and a Hall of Famer. No one loved the Bearcats more than Jim. We are thankful he was able to be surrounded by his teammates from the 1975 team this past weekend. We were all blessed to know him.

Our hearts at Cincinnati Bearcats on SI go out to both families in full force as they navigate difficult times.

Cincinnati will likely honor Jim Kelly at the next home game on Oct. 25 against Baylor.

Talk to anyone who knew Jim Kelly Jr. and you'll hear the same thing again and again: Nobody loved the Bearcats more.

In case you missed it, here's the recognition from Saturday's game. pic.twitter.com/oLuHz0U8eI
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) October 13, 2025

So many incredible Jim Kelly Jr. moments but I'll always remember the pure joy of this 2008 game at wvu as @Dan_Hoard calls the winning play.

(Go to the 2:52 mark) https://t.co/7cI4eSMqV0
— Mark Raines - SF Author (@bearcatmark1) October 13, 2025

One other comment tonight, I hope UC football fans remember Jim Kelly Jr. in their prayers every night.

He is without a doubt one of the most genuine people at UC that I have met during my years of covering Bearcat football.

His call of “How Sweet it is” when the Bearcats beat…
— Tim Adams (@timpadams1) October 11, 2025

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