Doug Pelfrey is a man committed to his Christian faith, his family, his work, and the community in which he lives. The former Cincinnati Bengals’ kicker is a hometown hero who has won football games at many levels, tirelessly works with young people throughout the tri-state area, and loves spending time with his wife and daughters. In addition to the fact that he is one of the most accurate field goal kickers in NFL history, Doug has also started his own non-profit organization, Kicks For Kids (KFK), as a way to assist children at-risk in our community. As a result of his success in the National Football League, his involvement with youth in our area and his family values, Doug became the 34th recipient of the NFL’s Byron “Whizzer” White Award in 2000 and was named by the Bengals as their “Man of the Year” all seven years he played for them!

Born in Northern Kentucky, Doug was an honor student and star athlete first at Scott High School, then at the University of Kentucky. Though Doug began his college career at UK as a walk-on, his hard work and accurate kicks soon earned him a scholarship. He would go on to become not only one of the best kickers ever at UK, but in the history of the SEC as well. In addition to also being an “Academic All-American,” Doug further distinguished his university football career by being named by the NCAA to its Good Works Team, as one of the top 12 collegiate athletes recognized for outstanding community achievement.

In 1993, Doug was an 8th round draft choice (202nd overall) of the Cincinnati Bengals. He soon distinguished himself as a leader on and off the field. Doug holds/shares six Bengals’ scoring records, was recognized as an NFL Special Teams “Player of the Week” four times, ranks second in Bengals’ scoring history, kicked six game-winning field goals, and has a career mark of 69.2% on “clutch” field goals (ties the score, puts a team ahead in the last two minutes, or wins a game in OT).

Both as a Bengal and since his playing days, Doug has devoted countless hours to serving youth in the communities of Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana and Greater Cincinnati. This has been most notably accomplished through KFK, which began in the spring of 1995. The organization’s mission is to provide area children at-risk with opportunities to pursue their dreams. The kids who are touched by Doug’s efforts are those who are challenged mentally, physically, or by the environment they live in.

The revenues generated from two fund raisers (Celebrity Golf Classic, Twilight River Run), along with the corporate contributions, grants and individual donations that are raised, are utilized by the charity to implement its own programs, fulfill children’s individual requests, and support a group of organizations that assist children at risk—such as the Aaron W. Perlman Center (Cincinnati), the Moore Activity Center (Covington), the Think Smart - Stay Safe program (Lawrenceburg), the Brighton Center (Newport), Boys Hope - Girls Hope and Youth Opportunities United (both of Cincinnati).

Doug’s accomplishments, both on the football field and in our community through KFK, are a source of inspiration to many… parents, business owners, athletes, and most importantly, kids with dreams.