K. C. Keeler

Kurt Charles Keeler (born July 26, 1959 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania), known as K.C. Keeler, is the current head football coach at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, in the United States.

High school and collegiate career

Keeler played high school football at Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where he competed in the Lehigh Valley Conference, one of the most competitive high school athletic divisions in the nation. He went on to play collegiate football at the University of Delaware, where he was a linebacker from 1978–1980 under coach Harold "Tubby" Raymond.

NFL and USFL

In 1980, Keeler signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was one of the last players released during the 1980 pre-season. He later earned tryouts again with the Eagles (1982-83) and with the United States Football League’s Philadelphia Stars (1983) and Jacksonville Bulls (1984).

Coaching career

Amherst and Rowan

Keeler began his coaching career as an assistant at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1981 and then at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey in 1986. He became Rowan head coach in the 1993 season, ending his tenure in 2001 with an 88-21-1 (.804) record and seven NCAA Division III playoff appearances. [ [http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/football/staff/index.html Head Coach K. C. Keeler at University of Delaware Sports Information web site.] ] ] He was, however, 0-5 in NCAA Division III National Football Championship Stagg Bowls at Rowan, losing by an average of 42.4 to 18.4.

University of Delaware

After Raymond retired in 2002, Keeler was named the fourth Delaware head football coach in 62 years. He immediately brought a new offensive philosophy to the team, replacing its famed and historic Winged-T formation with a no-huddle, spread offense. Under Keeler, Delaware won its first national championship since 1979 and its first-ever Division I-AA title (in 2003) with a 15-1 record and a 149-23 total score in the four-game playoff series.

Although he is a native of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, Keeler has become a celebrity in Delaware as a result of the significant and rapid success he has brought the Delaware football program. He was named "Delawarean of the Year" in 2004 by "Delaware Today" magazine and was listed as one of the top college football recruiters in the nation by "American Football Monthly" magazine. "The (Wilmington) News Journal" reported that Keeler was forced to hire an agent after the 2003 championship to help manage speaking engagements, guest appearances and private functions. His trademark sunglasses (which he also wears during night games) and wireless headgear are emulated with K.C. Keeler bobbleheads sold at games and local Wilmington, Delaware businesses.

Keeler often attacks criticism that Division I-AA programs are of lesser caliber than I-A. “We’re the LSU; we’re the Georgia, the Florida of Division I-AA,” Keeler said in a 2004 interview with "American Football Monthly". “We have every resource. There’s some people who have better resources than we do, but in general, the college campus we have is in one of the greatest college towns in America, and the academics ... we led the nation last year in out-of-state applications, more than Michigan or Texas. But that’s what this school has become. Everybody wants to come to school here." [ [http://americanfootballmonthly.com/Subaccess/login.php?d=index.php&P=Magazine/2004/sep/keeler.html "His Own Man," "American Football Monthly", September 2004.] ]

On June 19, 2008, Keeler was granted a 10-year contract extension that will keep him on as head coach of the Blue Hens through the 2017 season.

External links

* [http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/football/staff/index.html Head Football Coach K. C. Keeler official profile at University of Delaware Sports Information] .
* [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1231 K. C. Keeler Year by Year Record at Delaware] , College Football Data Warehouse.

Notes