Papa Kelce reminisces about his first date with ex-wife Donna, drawing a heartfelt parallel to his son Jason Kelce’s love story.

“It’s better to fall in love and lose it than to never find it.” Well, this quote perfectly fits Mama Kelce and Papa Kelce. After being together for over 25 years, Donna and Ed parted ways around 10 years ago! While things might not have worked out for the couple during their marriage, they had an interesting first date!

On August 22, Ed appeared on the Hidden Pearls podcast to discuss his love life and parenting Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce. When the host Bruce Kittle asked Ed about how the couple met, Papa Kelce couldn’t resist remembering his first date with Donna. And to add a little twist to the story, it was a blind date! Ed recalled how he worked for a contractor and just went to a bar after work. Little did he know that grabbing a couple of beers would help him meet the love of his life! A man in a jumpsuit, covered in concrete, met her lady luck on the deck of a place on the river in Cleveland for the first time. Sounds like a movie, right?

And if that’s not romantic enough, the couple spent most of the evening and even the night together! When Kittle asked him about the blind date, Ed said, “This business about her being on getting ready for a blind date. I didn’t hear about this till a few years ago. That was never ever brought up to me at the time, right? Or it was brought up, and I just didn’t hear it.” Despite not being aware of Mama Kelce’s blind date, Papa Kelce ended up being one!

There is another twist in the story. Jason Kelce is a star on the field, but he is also a great husband off-court! And guess what? Jason has been taking notes from his father—his love life coach. Inspired by the real-life events of his parents, even Jason Kelce has an interesting first date story!

Jason Kelce’s rookie mistake almost cost him his relationship

Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce‘s relationship was about to end before even beginning. The Philadelphia Eagles center made such rookie mistakes at the first meeting, that were enough for Kylie to say two not-so-pleasing words—it’s over! From meeting Jason on Tinder to not recognizing that he is a football player, and eventually calling him a ‘catfish’, that’s how Kylie met her husband.

Soon after chatting with Mrs Kelce on Tinder, Big Yeti invited her for some drinks. And as luck would have it, it was a love at first sight for our Eagles center. He said, “Right away when she walks in the door, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” However, it wasn’t the most romantic night for Kylie—Jason was so captivated by her beauty and so drunk that he fell asleep just 45 minutes in! The player called her next day for another couple of drinks and did not fumble this time. And that’s how their happily ever after started. Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce tied the knot in April 2018 and have a small world of three daughters: Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 1.

While Papa Kelce was not prepared for the date, Jason passed out on his first date! Despite the awkward first meet, a few drinks helped them bond and kick-start their love story. As they say, love will find a way. In this case, it surely did.

That was all about Ed Kelce and Jason Kelce. Want to dive deeper into the NFL? Check out this video to see how Chris Gronkowski made his way to becoming an NFL player.