Jason Kelce once convinced Cincinnati’s coaches to give his brother, Travis, a second chance. The rest is history.

PHOENIX — Upon the beginning of his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce figured his days of living under the same roof as his older brother and Eagles center, Jason, were long gone, left behind at their parents’ home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

It turned out that the universe had other plans for the Kelce brothers.

Before the 2010 season, his sophomore year, Travis was suspended from the program for violating team rules, having a little “too much fun,” he said, and failing a drug test for marijuana. With his scholarship revoked, Travis moved into Jason’s room in his off-campus house, relying on him to pay rent and provide food. Jason, in his senior year, asked his coaches to give Travis another chance. Cincinnati reinstated Travis the following year, providing him with a second chance at a football career.

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“He was my lifeline,” Travis said.

Nearly a decade and a half later, the brothers are preparing to become the first to face off against each other in a Super Bowl, with this year’s edition gaining notoriety as the “Kelce Bowl.” Jason, two years Travis’ senior, is a six-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, Super Bowl champion center for the Eagles. Travis is an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, Super Bowl champion tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Between Cincinnati and football’s biggest stage, Jason watched his younger brother mature, morphing into a leader in the Chiefs’ tight ends room and becoming one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ most trusted receivers. Still, Travis has maintained his effervescence and charm, not shying away from being his authentic self on the football field and on the airwaves of their New Heights podcast.

Jason refuses to take even partial credit for his brother’s journey to becoming one of the best tight ends of all time. Travis has a different opinion.

“I’m forever indebted to this guy for putting his name, our name, just putting his honor on the line to give me another chance,” Travis said. “So when I say I owe it all to him, I really do.”

Jason’s influence on Travis dates back to their tenure on the Cleveland Heights High School football team. Travis played quarterback for the Tigers, while Jason served as running back and linebacker.

Each brother played a variety of sports — football, basketball, and baseball for Travis, and football, hockey, and lacrosse for Jason. The elder Kelce brother also played baritone saxophone in the Cleveland Heights symphonic and jazz bands. But amidst myriad activities, Jason was fully committed to the constant responsibility of being Travis’ older brother, especially when that meant dragging Travis to 6 a.m. football practices.

“Travis was his little brother, meaning that he was going to make sure that Travis was doing what Travis was supposed to be doing,” former Cleveland Heights football coach Mike Jones said. “If it took him grabbing Travis or dragging Travis or gripping Travis up, he did. Or hugging Travis and giving him five, or whatever the moment was, Jason was there for Travis. He was the ultimate big brother.”

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Even when they weren’t sharing the football field at school, Jason and Travis were fueling their competitive spirits at home. Jason had the edge in board games, including Monopoly and Hungry Hungry Hippos. Travis excelled at sports-related video games, but he was known to turn off the console midgame and storm out of the room when he was on track for a rare defeat.

Their competitions also migrated to the backyard, where Jason and Travis would engage in wrestling matches. Travis joked that despite playing a multitude of sports growing up, he never felt a desire to try wrestling — after all, he got “beat up” enough at home. But while the brothers grappled with each other, they also learned lessons of leverage applicable to football.

“Things like that have all kind of formed what you see on the field today,” Travis said.

After walking on at Cincinnati as a running back in 2006, Jason made the transition to fullback and eventually to the offensive line. Travis had a position evolution of his own, too, converting to tight end from quarterback in college.

Despite playing different positions, Travis said he learned plenty of lessons from his brother’s expertise. As a skilled blocker, Jason taught Travis about leverage and how to gain it. As a former linebacker, Jason was adept at understanding defenses, using his knowledge to instruct Travis about defensive schemes and coverages.

“He gave me a great understanding of not only how to get a step ahead and understanding coverages and things like that, but how to attack individuals,” Travis said.

But beyond the Xs and Os of football, Jason set the standard of the mindset required for success. He preaches that when a player goes on the field with a desire to improve and a curiosity to gain knowledge on a daily basis, they are going to improve and shine in their role.

Travis took to that mindset quickly, especially following his one-year suspension at Cincinnati.

“Some of the stuff he went through in college and adversity that happened, I think, is some of the best stuff that ever happened to him,” Jason said. “I think those moments and having something taken away and having to work to get it back. Those are things that when you look back, after you’ve overcome that, you realize how pivotal and important those moments were in your life.”

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That moment paved the way to a dominant career in the NFL. Since the Chiefs selected him 63rd overall in the 2013 draft, Kelce has racked up 10,344 yards on 814 receptions and has caught 69 touchdown passes over 10 seasons. This season, he became the fifth tight end in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards.

He also posted his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season, extending his records of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (seven) and most 1,000-yard seasons (seven) among tight ends. He’s reached the pinnacle of football while staying true to himself and balancing hard work with play among his teammates. One of Chiefs tight end Blake Bell’s favorite Travis jokes is when he lines up and asks which play the offense is running. No, he doesn’t only pull that prank in practice.

» READ MORE: The Jason Kelce brand has limitless opportunities post-Eagles, but it makes retirement ‘very daunting’

“Trav keeps it light-hearted,” Bell said. “We’re going to get our job done. We’re going to put in the work, get good meeting time. But there’s definitely some times where we’re joking around and laughing and I think that’s why it keeps our tight end group so special it’s because we take it serious, but also we can have fun with it.”

According to Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Travis is the “stylish” brother with more “swag,” while Jason’s personal style has been impacted by the Eagles’ less-flashy offensive line room. Jason’s fashion sense, Johnson said, more closely resembles that of Home Improvement star Tim Allen and his eponymous character on the show.

But despite their contrasting styles and their different journeys to Super Bowl LVII, Jason and Travis share a similar competitive drive bred within the walls of their Cleveland Heights home.

“Whatever we’re doing, we want to be the best at,” Travis said. “We want to be the greatest.”

The Kelce Bowl isn’t just a moniker popularized by the brothers to sell T-shirts. It’s an occasion that wouldn’t have been possible without the other’s support, propelling each of them to be among the greatest ever at their respective positions.

The Eagles are one win away from their second championship. Join Inquirer Eagles writers EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes and Mike Sielski on Gameday Central Sunday at 5 p.m. as they preview the game at inquirer.com/Eaglesgameday