Kelly Tough by Erin Kelly, daughter of NFL Hall of Fame
QB Jim Kelly, hits New York Times bestseller list

Media Contact: Shanon Stowe
shanon@iconmediagroup.com, 931-307-1988 

RACINE, Wis., (June 11, 2015)— BroadStreet publishing announced today that Kelly Tough: Live Courageously by Faith (May 2015) by Erin Kelly with Jill Kelly is a New York Times bestseller appearing on the June monthly Sports list. The book is in its second printing.

NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly’s fight against cancer has been a very public battle, garnering widespread support and attention from both media and football fans. In Kelly Tough, Jim’s oldest daughter Erin Kelly shares the not-so-public ups and downs of the family’s journey as they watched their father and husband fight the toughest opponent of his life—cancer.

The book launched mid-May with major national media including interviews with the TODAY show in the 8am and 10am hours, FOX & Friends, FOX Business Network, ESPN, ESPN2, The NFL Network, CBS Sports Radio, CBS Sports TV, TheBlaze, Fox News Radio, SiriusXM, Yahoo Sports, Sporting News, Entrepreneur, The 700 Club and much more. Erin also did public book signings in New York City and Buffalo. 

Upcoming media interviews include ESPN’s SportsNation, The NFL Network, The Rich Eisen Show, Good Day LA, LA Times, Charisma Magazine and Jay Mohr Sports on FOX Sports Radio Network. Parade will include the book in a Father’s Day feature and CBS This Morning will air a special feature with the Kelly family on Friday, June 19.  

“Cancer wasn’t supposed to be a part of my story,” writes Kelly. “Our family experienced the heart-shattering loss of my younger brother Hunter in 2005. When you go through something like that, you kind of assume that you’ve been through the worst and that the other shoe dropped when the first one did. But that’s not the case with our family.”

In the past decade, the Kelly family—Jim, his wife Jill, and daughters Erin and Camryn—have faced the death of their son and brother Hunter, who was diagnosed with Krabbe Leukodystrophy, the fatal disease that took his life at eight and a half years old, and Jim’s life-threatening diagnosis, removal and return of squamous-cell carcinoma of the upper jawbone. 

In Kelly Tough, Erin shares the love, faith and meaning behind the mantra that binds them together and pulls them through life’s greatest struggles. She also reveals unknown details of her father’s battle against cancer—candid family moments as they learned of treatment successes and setbacks, forgiving those who brought death wishes against her father, supporting her father from afar while in college in Lynchburg, Virginia, cancer victims who deeply impacted the family, weekend visits to the toughest man she knew, fighting with all he had for the little life left in him—along with never-before-seen photos and journal entries.

“Seeing him cry only made me cry more—my big, tough father who was slammed to the turf by blitzing linebackers day after day…only to rebound and put six points on the scoreboard. But there was no linebacker, and the numbers we were following were very different from the numbers on the scoreboard as he sat across from me with tears rolling down his cheeks. This wasn’t football; it was the game of life! Getting thrown for a loss in this forum meant losing a lot more than yardage.”

Featuring a foreword from Sports Illustrated Senior Writer and NFL Columnist Peter King, as well as a letter from the legend Jim Kelly himself, readers will learn valuable life lessons and be inspired by the wisdom, maturity, and determined faith of young Erin Kelly as she candidly shares her family’s strength in weakness, hope in the midst of heartache, and joy in spite of suffering in Kelly Tough. 

About the Authors

Erin Kelly is the oldest daughter of Jim and Jill Kelly. She has always had a passion for writing, journaling, and sharing her faith. A sought-after speaker to young women, Erin has co-authored 5 books with her sister, Camryn. She is a Strategic Communications major studying at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Jill Kelly is the wife of retired Buffalo Bills Quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. She is a speaker and the author of several books including the New York Times bestseller Without A Word. She and Jim live in Buffalo with their daughters.