Travis Kelce won his high school costume contest with one character that had his brother fuming
Travis Kelce has been racking up wins since his high school days.
But one Halloween victory came at a price.
And Travis Kelce won his high school costume contest with one character that had his brother fuming.
Yearbook photo reveals Travis Kelce as unlikely Halloween champion
A recently unearthed photo from Cleveland Heights High School shows Travis Kelce posing next to classmate Bianca Vann after winning the 2005 Halloween costume contest.¹
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bros. franchise — complete with a fake mustache that looked bigger than his actual head.
Kelce's costume earned him top honors alongside Vann, who won for her portrayal of civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
The yearbook clipping reads: "Sophomores Travis Kelce and Bianca Vann were the winners of the costume contest at the 2005 Halloween festival, Oct. 31. Kelce was dressed as Luigi, a video game plumber, while Vann dressed as Rosa Parks."²
Jason Kelce's admission about forcing his brother into the costume makes the win even better.
The brothers discussed the Luigi costume during a 2023 episode of their New Heights podcast.
Jason revealed he "forced" his younger brother into wearing the sidekick costume while he got to be Mario.³
"You can see how ecstatic I was to be Luigi, man," Travis said sarcastically as a photo of him frowning in the green outfit appeared on screen.⁴
Jason defended his older brother privileges by joking, "You'll see what it feels like to be the younger brother and your older brother forces you into doing something."⁵
The costume worked despite Travis's visible displeasure in the original photos.
But Jason ended up more "salty" than his brother when Travis won the contest and he didn't.
https://twitter.com/cowboylikedanii/status/1983620827703865423
Mom Donna reveals Jason's reaction to losing
Donna Kelce told US Weekly last year that both brothers were already over six feet tall when they wore the costumes, making them an "amusing" sight.⁶
But she also revealed Jason's emotional response to his brother's victory.
"He was kind of salty," Donna said about Jason not winning while Travis took home the prize.⁷
The Mario and Luigi costumes became family lore for the Kelce household.
Travis might have been unhappy wearing green instead of red, but the yearbook photo proves he made it work.
The brothers also shared stories about their father Ed Kelce's Halloween philosophy during their podcast.
Travis joked that Ed was "the Grinch of Halloween" who "would actively reject people" from getting candy.⁸
Jason said their father had strict requirements about who was young enough to trick-or-treat.
"Like, nah, not young enough!" Travis recalled his dad saying to older kids.⁹
Ed's Halloween rules shut down the brothers' trick-or-treating careers "at a very young age" according to Jason.¹⁰
The Kelces stopped going door-to-door before they even reached middle school.
Their Halloween experiences growing up in Cleveland Heights shaped how they approach the holiday today.
Jason revealed he now lets his four daughters take the lead on costume choices, dressing as whatever character fits their theme.
Travis found validation in the Luigi costume years later when he became a three-time Super Bowl champion and, some believe, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.
The 2005 Halloween contest victory at Cleveland Heights was just the beginning.
Travis Kelce went from reluctant video game sidekick to NFL superstar who won when it mattered most — even if his big brother Jason still can't let go of losing that high school costume contest.
¹ "Travis Kelce Won His High School Halloween Costume Contest as This Character in Recently-Unearthed Picture," People, October 30, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ "Donna Kelce Recalls 1 Especially 'Salty' Halloween With Sons Jason and Travis: See Their Costume," US Weekly, October 8, 2024.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ "Travis Kelce & Jason Kelce Reflect on the Funny Way Their Dad 'Ruined' Halloween for Them as Kids," SheKnows, October 31, 2023.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Ibid.
