Jake Kelchner

Jake Kelchner (born June 27, 1970) is an American former professional football quarterback. He began his college career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before transferring to the West Virginia Mountaineers, for whom he played in 1992 and 1993. As a senior, Kelchner shared quarterback duties with Darren Studstill during West Virginia's undefeated 1993 regular season and subsequent appearance in the Sugar Bowl. His professional career included the Canadian Football League (CFL), Arena Football League (AFL), and World League of American Football (WLAF). He was a member of the Tampa Bay Storm when the team won ArenaBowl IX in 1995.

Early life Kelchner attended Berwick Area Senior High School in Berwick, Pennsylvania. In 1988, he was named Pennsylvania high school player of the year and led Berwick to its first state football championship.

College career Kelchner enrolled at Notre Dame in 1989 and redshirted his freshman season. He did not appear in a game for the Fighting Irish. After transferring to West Virginia, he sat out the 1991 season and first played for the Mountaineers in 1992.

In 1993, head coach Don Nehlen used Kelchner and Studstill in a planned quarterback rotation. Kelchner started and generally played the first two or three offensive series before Studstill entered for two series. West Virginia completed an undefeated regular season and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl. During the regular season, Kelchner completed 97 of 147 passes for 1,565 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions. His passing efficiency rating of 176.0 would have led the nation, but he finished three pass attempts short of the NCAA minimum.

Professional career Kelchner signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on June 14, 1994, and was released on August 10. He signed with the Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League on August 22 and appeared in one game.

Kelchner joined the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League in 1995. He appeared in 11 games and completed five of seven passes for 64 yards and one touchdown. The Storm finished the regular season 10–2 and defeated the Orlando Predators 48–35 in ArenaBowl IX. Kelchner played five games for the Florida Bobcats in 1996.

On May 1, 1997, Kelchner signed a one-year contract with the Barcelona Dragons of the World League of American Football. He returned to the Bobcats later that year and appeared in five games. Kelchner concluded his professional career with the Grand Rapids Rampage in 1998, appearing in six games. Over his AFL career, he completed 34 of 64 passes for 480 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also rushed for 24 yards and four touchdowns.