Former Giants linebacker Brian Kelley heading into College Football Hall of Fame

Click here to watch an interview with Brian Kelley after the induction.

Brian Kelley was used to being the forgotten man of the Giants' vaunted linebacking quartet known as "The Crunch Bunch." Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson were future Hall of Famers, and Brad Van Pelt was a five-time Pro Bowler.

"You're not going to steal the spotlight from those guys," said Kelley, a ferocious hitting linebacker who played all 11 of his seasons with the Giants, from 1973-1983. "You get used to not seeing your name in the paper. I was always in the background."

Kelley, 58, will have his moment today, however, when he enters the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. - even if a congratulatory phone call a few months ago jokingly kept Kelley in his place.

"Congratulations," Taylor told Kelley over the phone. "Call me back when you've been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

The 353rd player selected in the 1973 NFL Draft out of Division 2 California Lutheran University, Kelley carved out a pretty successful career in his own right. Granted, it may never have happened had Kelley failed to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Richard.

After starring at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Calif. as a tight end and a defensive end, Kelley was ready to continue his football career at a local junior college. However, Richard Kelley wasn't going to have it.

"That would've been a stupid decision," said Richard, one year ahead of Brian in school. "I told him, ‘You're coming with me.' "

As he had growing up, Brian listened and went with his older brother to Cal Lutheran, a tiny college in Thousand Oaks, about two hours from their hometown, with an enrollment of around 1,200 students.

"He was like my father," said Brian, who was raised by his grandmother after his parents divorced when he was young. "I did everything he did. It was habit."

The 6-3, 225-pound Kelley became the anchor of the Kingsmen's defense. He led Cal Lutheran to a Division 2 national championship as a junior, earned All-American honors as a senior and left as the program's all-time leader with 16 interceptions.

While in college, Kelley earned money picking up reporters at Los Angeles International Airport and dropping them off at the Dallas Cowboys' training camp, which at the time was held in Thousand Oaks. The Cowboys were very aware of Brian's talents and told him that they anticipated drafting him somewhere in the third-to-fifth rounds.

However, on draft day they passed on him and the Giants ended up selecting Kelley in the 14th round because assistant coach Jim Garrett, who had been with the Cowboys prior to joining the Giants, had seen Kelley play.

A long shot to make the team out of camp, Kelley impressed the Giants and earned a roster spot. He was a reserve during his rookie season, but quickly ascended to the top of the depth chart and led the team in tackles each year from 1974-76.

In 1981, Kelley, Carson and Van Pelt were joined by Taylor - and the Giants 3-4 defense helped produce a 9-7 record and the franchise's first playoff berth in 18 seasons.

"That was without a doubt the highlight of my career," Kelley said of the only winning campaign he enjoyed
with the Giants. "Especially given how bad we'd been in the past."

Kelley retired two years later and settled with his family in New Jersey. He lives in Basking Ridge, making a living as a partner in a hedge fund group in New York.

But today, his football career gets one more highlight.

"It's truly an honor," he said. "When I was (selected), I didn't realize how big this honor really is."

And a credit to his days at Cal Lutheran.

"Brian's induction was a product of his hard work and determination," said Cal Lutheran athletic director Dan Kuntz. "His success is something we'd like all of our students now and in the future to strive for."

--- Published in The Star-Ledger on July 17, 2010