After sharing their recently discovered Croatian heritage with WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark on Saturday, January 4th, the news of Travis and Jason Kelce has spread like wildfire in the Croatian diaspora media.
“We found out recently we’re Croatian. We didn’t even know! That’s why I was so excited when you said Croatia…” Jason said, responding enthusiastically after Caitlin shared her love for Croatia while visiting both Italy and Croatia. Travis also responded, “Yes, I got some (Croatian) blood!”
On Facebook, an article posted by Croatia Week shared a clip of Caitlin Clark’s interview on the Kelce brothers’ podcast, New Heights. The clip was shared at least 200 times and earned 872 likes with over 150 comments. The All-things Croatia received at least 23,624 likes from the short clip of the interview.
However, the conversation about their heritage didn’t begin during that interview, and the mystery of his ancestry undoubtedly didn’t end there.
The Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame and the discovery
Steve Rukavina, the President of the National Federation of Croatian American Cultural Foundation, mentioned six months before the New Heights podcast episode that Travis Kelce has Croatian ancestry. According to Mr. Rukavina, he had a phone call with the co-chair of the Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame, Verdan Nazor, who mentioned a short biography that was published by Ethnicity of Celebs four years ago about Travis Kelce’s Croatian heritage. Bob Jerin, Croatian American genealogist, confirmed that the maternal great-grandmother for Travis and Jason, Marie Stajduhar (Štajduhar), has Croatian parents.
Steve Rukavina then shared the news publicly in August with Večernji List and the selection process of the Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame committee to induct athletes, and the anticipated induction ceremony on October 26, 2024.
The Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame is a sports committee of the National Federation of Croatian American Cultural Foundation (NFCACF), to recognize Croatian Americans who have achieved national notoriety for their achievements in sports in the United States and Canada. Selection categories are athletes, coaches, referees, broadcasters, sports management, and overall contributors to the world of sports.
The biography on Travis Kelce was released by Ethnicity of Celebs and was written by Jackson9 on March 1, 2020. It also mentioned his additional ethnic backgrounds, which are Czech, Polish, Scottish, and English.
Kelce’s great-grandmother Marie was the daughter of Croatian parents, George Stajduhar and Marija “Mary” Jurković Štajduhar. Travis’ maternal grandmother was Ina Marie Petranek, the daughter of Frank Petranek and Marie Štajduhar.
Kelce’s Ancestral Region
The maternal great-great-grandfather, Juraj “George” Štajduhar, was born on April 20, 1875, in Vele Drage, Brod Moravice, a village in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. He was the son of Pavao “Paul” Štajduhar and Franka “Frances” Parian. His wife, Mary, was also born on December 19, 1886, in Brod Moravice, Gorski Kotar, and is the daughter of Tomas and Franciska Jurković. They both immigrated to New York on July 2, 1901, on the SS Romanic.
Their children were Marie, George Jr, and Anthony Štajduhar. Juraj passed away in 1924 at the age of 48 and is buried in Cleveland, Ohio, and Mary in 1979 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The tombstone of George Štajduhar, includes his name in Croatian, Juraj, a cross in the middle, and below a message in Croatian that reads “naj počiva u miru!’ which translates to “May he rest in peace!”
Photo by Jim Dernar posted on findagrave.com
Jason and Travis’s Croatian ancestry stretches far back to at least seven generations in the same village of Vele Drage in Brod Moravice. The furthest known ancestor is Andrija Štajduhar (1797-1855), the grandfather of George Štajduhar, and married to Margareta (1798-1867). The brothers also have English ancestry that extends to 14 generations and reaches further into the Connecticut Colony, where their ancestors have lived since the 16th century.
Gorski Kotar is an integral region in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in the western part of Croatia, between Karlovac and Rijeka, and next to the border with Slovenia. It’s a mountainous region and is often called the “green lungs” of Croatia or “Croatian Switzerland” for its abundant and stunning forests and high mountain peaks that span between Zagreb and Rijeka. The region also includes well-known towns, including the city center of Delnice, Čabar, Lokve, and Brod Moravice, Travis and Jason Kelce’s ancestral municipality.
The first mention of Brod Moravice was in 1260 and was formally founded in 1893. It is the oldest municipality of Gorski Kotar with one of the smallest populations, with 663 residents, and is located 80 km away from Zagreb and 55 km from Rijeka. Brod Moravice is well known for its picturesque landscapes and has been an ideal tourist destination for hiking, hunting, fishing, and cross-country skiing.
Photo: Screenshot of Jason and Travis Kelce during their New Heights podcast
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