How Travis Kelce’s childhood rival became family and stayed close through his journey from Cleveland to NFL fame (Getty Images)
1 and Jones wore No. 2, and both earned all-league recognition.
“He was QB one, I was QB two,” Jones said. 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. 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. “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?”
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.
In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, he said, “I went to my first house party with Travis. Jones has been part of the Kelce family suite since 2016 and became known as the group’s “party captain. Ideastream documented Jones attending the 2020 Super Bowl with Kelce’s Cleveland Heights friends and joining the Kelce family for the 2021 game.
Jones said Kelce would drive hours to see him, while he returned the support. 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. 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. That circle later became a regular part of Kelce’s football life. He was also there for major moments, including Kelce’s Super Bowl appearances.