After playing football at Ithaca College, Kelly transferred to New York University where he earned a BA in English and Writing, with the intention of pursuing a career as a writer.
The following year, he entered the NYC Golden Gloves, winning his first fight by knockout, only to have to subsequently drop out of the competition for work on the film The Devil's Own.
[3] The Boston Globe praised the "fierce edge" Kelly's performance brought to the series, opining, "Godfather leads with the competitive fury of a high school football coach.
Kelly appeared in the first season of the science fiction series Fringe as Agent Mitchell Loeb, beginning with the episode "In Which We Meet Mr.
[8] He has also played recurring characters on For Life (ABC), Power (Starz), Banshee (Cinemax), House of Cards (Netflix), Legends (TNT), Hostages (CBS), Army Wives, The Whole Truth, Delocated, Rescue Me, and The Black Donnellys.
Additionally, he has also guest starred on The Blacklist (NBC), Alpha House (Amazon), Motive, Nikita, Burn Notice & The Jury, NYC 22, Blue Bloods, Unforgettable, Body of Proof, Ray Donovan, Golden Boy, and Blindspot.
In 2022 he again played a different Law & Order character, portraying Duke Baker (Law & Order: SVU episode #2312 "Tommy Bakers Hardest Fight" 2022) Chance portrayed Coach Mike Martz in the feature film American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story Martz was the Offensive Coordinator responsible for "The Greatest Show on Turf" via which un-drafted free agent quarterback Kurt Warner led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXXIV his first year with the team.