K. C. Keeler
Encyclopedia
Kurt Charles "K. C." Keeler (born July 26, 1959) is an American football
coach and former player in the United States
. He is the current head football coach at the University of Delaware
, a position he has held since the 2002 season. Keeler served as the head football coach at Rowan University
from 1993 to 2001. His 2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens squad won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, and returned to the Division I Championship game in 2007 and 2010.
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
. He went on to play collegiate football at the University of Delaware
, where he was a linebacker
from 1978 to 1980 under coach Tubby Raymond.
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).
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. 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.
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.
Keeler has become as much of a celebrity in Delaware
as Raymond. 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 I-AA/FCS 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."
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.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is the current head football coach at the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, a position he has held since the 2002 season. Keeler served as the head football coach at Rowan University
Rowan University
Rowan University is a public university in Glassboro, New Jersey, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town...
from 1993 to 2001. His 2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens squad won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, and returned to the Division I Championship game in 2007 and 2010.
High school and college
Keeler played high school football at Emmaus High SchoolEmmaus High School
Emmaus High School is a public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
. He went on to play collegiate football at the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, where he was a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
from 1978 to 1980 under coach Tubby Raymond.
NFL and USFL
In 1980, Keeler signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. 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
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
's Philadelphia Stars (1983) and Jacksonville Bulls
Jacksonville Bulls
The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
(1984).
Amherst and Rowan
Keeler began his coaching career as an assistant at Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in 1981 and then at Rowan University
Rowan University
Rowan University is a public university in Glassboro, New Jersey, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town...
in Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro is a borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 19,068....
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. He was, however, 0-5 in NCAA Division III National Football Championship
NCAA Division III national football championship
The NCAA Division III National Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the NCAA's former "College Division"....
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 philosophyOffensive philosophy (American football)
The approach to offense in American and Canadian football has splintered and evolved in the 100 years in which the modern form of the sport has existed. Many philosophies exist about deploying a team's 11 players.-Smash Mouth:...
to the team, replacing its famed and historic Winged-T formation
T formation
In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
with a no-huddle, spread offense
Hurry-up offense
The hurry-up offense is an American football offensive style which has two different but related forms in which the offensive team avoids delays between plays. The no-huddle offense refers to avoiding or shortening the huddle to limit or disrupt defensive strategies and flexibility...
. 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.
Keeler has become as much of a celebrity in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
as Raymond. 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 I-AA/FCS programs are of lesser caliber than I-A. “We’re the LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
; we’re the Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, the Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
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
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
or Texas. But that’s what this school has become. Everybody wants to come to school here."
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.