The Kelce family is gearing up for this week’s “Family Reunion” game, and it’s the perfect time to take a look back at their family history.
Donna Kelce, the family’s matriarch and mother to Philadelphia Eagles center Jason and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis, partnered with Ancestry.com to delve into her family’s past, and the results are enlightening.
Donna explained, “Family is very important to me, both current and ancestors. When we get together, we reminisce, tell stories, look at photos, and revel in the memories. It’s important to share those stories and preserve them for future generations.”
Donna’s Ancestry DNA profile turned up two significant traits, Risk Taker and Sprinter, that could help explain her sons’ athletic prowess. It turns out the mom of two NFL stars ran track in high school: “It probably goes with my sons and explains how quickly they move on the football field.”
For an NFL family, the holidays often depend on their teams’ football schedules. Even when Jason and Travis were young, the Kelce family was often traveling to sporting events over the holidays, so they didn’t often have traditional Thanksgiving celebrations. These days, Donna enjoys baking cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins, but when it comes time for Thanksgiving dinner, Donna explains that she is “not one of those people that gets up at 4:00 and makes the turkey. But my daughter-in-law [Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce] does. God bless her and her mother. They’re phenomenal cooks and they know how to cook for large groups of people.”
This year, the Eagles and Chiefs both play on Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas Day, but first they play each other on Monday, November 20. The game between the Chiefs and Eagles marks only the fifth time the NFL veterans have played each other. Donna explains, “I love when they play. I am a true fan of the game. I’m so totally involved in what’s going on on the field, and I just love football. I don’t have any angst going into it. It’s just pure joy.”
Donna shared never-before-seen family photos with Country Living, from her sons’ younger days to their recent Saturday Night Live appearance.
