The University of Delaware football program turned to one of its own on March 5 as former Blue Hen standout K.C. Keeler was introduced as the new head coach in a press conference at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Keeler, 42, who was a three-year starting linebacker for the Blue Hens in 1978-80 and led the team to the NCAA Division II national title before becoming one of the nation's most successful coaches on the NCAA Division III level, replaces Harold R. "Tubby" Raymond, who announced his retirement in February after a Hall of Fame career that saw him serve as head coach for 36 years and become only the ninth coach in college football history to record 300 victories.
Keeler becomes just the fourth head coach to lead the Blue Hens since the 1940s, following in the footsteps of College Football Hall of Fame inductees Bill Murray (1940-50) and David Nelson (1951-65) and certain future Hall of Famer Tubby Raymond (1966-2001). Keeler is just the fourth University of Delaware alumnus to lead the football program, joining Ira L. Pierce (1896), Clarence A. Short (1902, 1906) and Joseph J. Rothrock (1927-28).
"K.C. Keeler has an almost unparalled record of success at Rowan," UD Director of Athletics Edgar N. Johnson said in announcing the hiring. "His teams are nationally ranked and in the running for post-season honors almost every year. He is an enthusiastic and personable coach who relates well with his players and fans alike. His teams run a high-energy offense that will create a high level of excitement on the field. I am pleased that he will bring that energy to the University of Delaware and continue our great football tradition."
Delaware, a perennial power in NCAA I-AA football, is coming off a 4-6 season in 2001, the team's first sub .500 campaign since 1987. During those 14 straight winning seasons, Delaware teams qualified
for the NCAA I-AA playoffs eight times, advancing to the national semifinals in 1992, 1997 and 1999. Delaware also captured five Atlantic 10 titles during that span.
Serving as head coach at Rowan (formerly Glassboro State College) for the last nine seasons, Keeler developed a dynasty in small college football. Known as an outstanding offensive innovator, he is Rowan's all-time leader in coaching wins with a record of 88-21-1, and his winning percentage of .801 is fourth among all active coaches at that level of football. Keeler took his teams to the national semifinals in seven of nine seasons and to the national championship game (Stagg Bowl) five times. He took his head coaching position after one season as an assistant coach at Amherst (Mass.) College and seven years as an assistant at Rowan, five of them as an offensive coordinator.
"I'm absolutely delighted that K.C. Keeler will be the next head football coach at the University of Delaware," says Raymond, who coached Keeler for four seasons, including the 1979 national championship campaign. "He is a natural for the job. He has a proven track record and he is a Delaware man from our football family. I'm anxious to be a fan. As a player he was a very aggressive guy, an emotional player and a good leader. I'm excited about the future of Delaware football."
Keeler's teams enjoyed a winning tradition all nine seasons and won at least six games each year. Included in the total are seven seasons with 10 or more wins, including a 12-2 mark in 1999. His teams won four New Jersey Athletic Conference titles and were honored with the Lambert Cup Trophy, symbolic of Eastern college football supremacy, six times.
His teams were named ECAC Team of the Year six times, and he has been named NJAC Coach of the Year three times. Keeler received the Stan Lomax-Irving Marsh Award by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association as its Division III Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1993.
Also during his tenure, Keeler coached eight NJAC Offensive Player of the Year award-winners, three NJAC Defensive Player of the Year award recipients and two NJAC Rookie of the Year winners. He coached 19 All-Americans.
A native of Emmaus, Pa., Keeler headed to UD and quickly earned a name for himself as an aggressive 6-0, 210 lb. linebacker who was often in the right place at the right time. He was a three-year starter under Raymond and led the team to a three-year record of 32-7. In 1978, he led the Blue Hens to a 10-4 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II championship game before falling to Eastern Illinois, 10-9. The Hens put it all together in 1979, winning the school's fifth national title with a 13-1 record and a 38-21 win over Youngstown State in the NCAA II championships game in Albuquerque, N.M. The 1980 team posted a record of 9-2 but did not qualify for post-season action.
Keeler was a member of two ECAC Team of Year squads and one Lambert Cup winner and was named the Newark Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1980. He posted six career interceptions, including three in a 1978 NCAA Division II 42-27 quarterfinal playoff win over Jacksonville State. All three interceptions came on consecutive pass attempts by Jacksonville State. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown vs. Temple in 1980.
He was signed to an NFL free agent contract by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1982 and was released twice in the final cuts. He also received tryouts with the Philadelphia Stars and Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League.
Keeler and his wife, Janice, have two children, a daughter, Kate, and son, Jackson.
--Scott Selheimer