Crisler Arena is the home of the Michigan football team’s postgame press conference, but for Kelvin Grady, it’s more than just an interview room.

Last Saturday, following Michigan’s win over Delaware State, Kelvin stood at the podium eagerly answering questions. Smiling widely with his brother Kevin, a fullback on the team, by his side, Kelvin used the word ‘blessed’ four times in his short interview. He looked like there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be.

It’s hard not to think that just a couple hallways away is the Crisler Arena floor, where for two seasons, Kelvin started 33 of 64 games and averaged 4.9 points per game. It’s hard not to think that last March he celebrated on the court as the Michigan basketball team’s name was called on Selection Sunday for the first time in 11 years. And it’s hard not to think of his former locker just another wing away where he celebrated upset victories over Duke and Purdue with his former teammates.

But as his playing time dwindled to practically nothing last season, Kelvin’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. Now, he’s refocused them with a new set of Wolverines.

Through the support of his family, his infectious personality and pure athleticism, Kelvin Grady has had an incredible journey.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Inside Kevin and Kelvin’s Ann Arbor apartment, a picture hangs prominently on the wall.
It’s from the 2004 MHSAA regional football final between East Grand Rapids and Lowell, Kevin’s final high school game. Shortly before the photo was taken, Kevin had just fumbled. As the all-time MHSAA rushing leader sat solemnly on the bench with his head between his knees, Kelvin, just a 10th grader at the time, sat beside his older brother.

Amid all the chaos and clamor, Kelvin slid his arm around Kevin and whispered words of encouragement into his brother’s ear.

“Every time I see it, it brings back that memory — it just brought tears to my eyes,” the Gradys’ father, Kevin Sr., said. “It’s just a love for his brother. Kelvin shares Kevin’s pains. He’s that type of kid, he’s got a big heart.”

Last Saturday, the brothers sat on another sideline bench, far from the one they shared five years ago on a cold November night in West Michigan. This one was inside Michigan Stadium. And instead of mourning defeat, they relished a much more joyous occasion — Kelvin’s first touchdown.

Moments after freshman quarterback Denard Robinson found Kelvin steps from the end zone, Kevin found Kelvin. He lifted his younger brother high into the air as Kelvin etched his name into a small part of Michigan history.

“I’ve been dying to get in the end zone to see what it feels like, and it feels great,” Kelvin said. “On top of that, to look back and see my brother coming and lifting me over my feet, he dang near threw me over his head — it’s definitely a blessing and these are the types of moments and opportunities you work for to get.”

Although they played high school football together for just one season, the Gradys started working together for those moments far earlier. From AAU teams to their East Grand Rapids backyard, Kelvin and Kevin played every major sport together. And they had the same coach — their father.

The former high school and semi-pro football coach trained his sons the same way he had trained to play sports a generation earlier.

“I’m an old-school disciplined person,” Kevin Sr. said. “Structured. Old school. Push. I push. I get the best out of them.”

During the summer when Kelvin was in fourth grade and Kevin in sixth, Kevin Sr. would push his sons every morning — to write.

The brothers would wake up around 8 a.m., and Kevin Sr. would have the boys run around Reese Lake in East Grand Rapids. But before they hit the road, Kevin Sr. had each boy write a one-page essay about anything they wanted.

“A lot of them were about sports, and me growing up and wanting to play college football, and playing in the NFL and beating Barry Sanders’ rushing records in Detroit,” Kevin recalled.

While they were writing, running or playing catch, they developed a relationship beyond any typical teammates. Their family will tell you Kevin is the laid-back, quiet brother, and Kelvin is feisty and inquisitive. They might be best friends, but they are also each other’s fiercest competitors.

When Kelvin was five and Kevin seven, the brothers were playing basketball at their East Grand Rapids home.