Earlier this year, Jim Kelly announced that he was cancer-free via Instagram. Over the past several years, Kelly has been battling a rare form of cancer that has developed in his upper jaw and his football family has been there to support him each step of the way. As for his pro football career, Jim Kelly led a franchise to a plethora of Super Bowl appearances but quite couldn't seal the deal to have his name etched in stone and lift the Lombardi Trophy over his head. Despite being known as an explosive basketball player in high school, Jim Kelly wanted to pursue a sports career in football. Penn State University, led by coach Joe Paterno, offered Kelly a scholarship to play linebacker for the institution but Kelly decided to take his talents to the University of Miami from 1979 to 1982. Jim Kelly helped the Hurricanes become one of the most dominant Division I football programs, notching 406 completions, 5,233 total yards, and 32 touchdowns in four seasons with Miami.
In the 1983 NFL Draft, Jim Kelly was selected 14th overall by the Buffalo Bills but refused to sign with the team due to personal reasons regarding the climate and his faith in the organization. This led to Kelly playing two seasons in the USFL with the Houston Gamblers before finally committing to play with the Buffalo Bills in 1986. In the late 1980s and early '90s, Jim Kelly's ability to run the 'no-huddle' offense made the Buffalo Bills one of the most dangerous teams in all of football. As a starter, Kelly led the Bills to eight playoff appearances, six division titles, and four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in a row (Super Bowl XXV-XXVIII). Unfortunately, the Bills were never able to top their championship competition, but with an overall career record of 101 wins and 59 losses, the Bills have never seen a quarterback talent like his since.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."