His Own Man

Following in the footsteps of three College Hall of Fame coaches, Delaware’s K.C. Keeler is making footsteps of his own and has picked up right where his Blue Hen predecessors left off: by winning championships
by: David Purdum
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Delaware’s K.C. Keeler doesn’t have many bad days. And since his return to his alma mater in 2002, neither have the Blue Hens. “I’ve never seen him in a bad mood,” said Mike Corey, co-host of the “K.C. Keeler Show” on 94.7 FM, the River. “Even if he is having a bad day, you would never be able to tell it.”

Maybe that’s because, these days in Newark, Del., there’s just not a lot to be upset about: Times are good. Fresh off winning the school’s sixth national title in only his second year, the energetic Keeler says he has it all, except for a place to park.

“We’re the LSU; we’re the Georgia, the Florida of Division I-AA,” Keeler boasts. “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. Now that we won the national championship, I think we have everything, academically, socially and more recently our athletic success. We are the NFL franchise of the state of Delaware. I can’t even get a parking spot for my own radio show.”

Forget a parking spot, the former Blue Hen linebacker is lucky if he even has a place to sit. Every Wednesday night during football season, a legion of diehard Blue Hen fans (Is there any other kind?) flock to the upstairs of Deerpark Tavern for Keeler’s show radio show. Deerpark manager Jeremy Hughes says upstairs tables are sometimes reserved for entire seasons. “It’s standing room only, with I’d say more than 100 people up there,” Hughes says. Crowds are nothing out of the ordinary for Delaware, though. From 1999 to 2002, it was the only Division I-AA program to average more than 20,000 fans at home games. Last season, the Blue Hens were fifth in attendance in I-AA.

“Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove told me this and I tell all the recruits this story,” Keeler said. “The seniors at Maine fill out a little exit interview. One of the questions that they are asked is, ‘What was their greatest experience at Maine? Playing Delaware at Delaware.’” But it’s not just at the home games, Blue Hen fans travel in huge flocks. “When we played at Villanova, it was the largest crowd in the history of their stadium. Out of the 12,500, 8,000 were Delaware fans. We outdrew them at their place. The passion the fans have here is truly amazing.”

A different breed of Blue Hens

Last October, Keeler’s undefeated Blue Hens (7-0) headed down to Annapolis for a showdown with surprising Navy and its second-year head coach Paul Johnson. The Midshipmen were riding a three-game win streak, highlighted by a win over Air Force in their last home game and a win at Vanderbilt. An anxious crowd persevered through a massive traffic jam and packed Navy-Marine Corps Stadium to see the new-look Midshipmen take on the Blue Hens. The game was the first home sellout for Navy in four years.

Keeler says that Saturday afternoon provided him with one of the biggest thrills of his life. And it happened well before the opening kickoff. “I remember looking down at my watch at 1:07, the time we were supposed to end warm ups and get off the field, so they could do their fly-overs and presentations. We started heading off the field and the place just explodes; it ignites with this ovation. I’m looking around and can’t figure out what the heck was going on. We looked over and it was our fans. We brought 48 bus loads, to go along with everybody that drove down,” he said. Keeler estimated more than 8,000 of the 34,982 fans were sporting Delaware blue that day.

“When we left the field (before halftime), it felt like a home game. Our kids all got in the locker room; they’re all screaming, ‘It’s a home game.’ That’s the kind of support we take along with us. Delaware is really a very unique place. Being an alumni from here, I always knew it was special. But now it’s really nice to reconnect and remember how really special it is.”

The Blue Hens rewarded their faithful who made the journey down to Annapolis by erasing a 14-point first quarter deficit and rallying for a 21-17 victory over Navy – the Blue Hens’ first win over a Division I opponent since 1992.

Looking back at the game, Johnson said, “That wasn’t the same Delaware team.” Johnson had beaten the Blue Hens twice (2000, 2001) during his five seasons at Georgia Southern, and he was right: under Keeler, the Blue Hens were different. Eight Division I players were persuaded to transfer to Delaware, including former Georgia Tech quarterback Andy Hall. Defensive end Shawn Johnson and Hall were each selected in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. (Hall by Philadelphia and Johnson by Oakland.)

Keeler scrapped the wing-T offense, a staple of Delaware football for more than five decades in favor of a wide-open spread attack, raising the eye brows of many of the Blue Hen faithful. “We had some people call in the show and ask some pretty pointed, tough questions when Coach Keeler first took over for Coach (Tubby) Raymond,” said Corey. “He was always very honest with his answers. It’s hard to offend him.”

In 2003, the “new” Delaware offense ranked ninth in the nation in scoring at 34.7. The defense was just as good, ranking fifth in scoring at 15.44. The Blue Hens were also opportunistic, possessing a turnover margin of +19, good for sixth best in I-AA. But, as far as Keeler’s concerned, things had not changed that much. Nothing was that different. He’s just keeping up an old Delaware tradition – winning. And that’s exactly what the Blue Hens did in 2003.

Instant Impact

Although the Hens’ 6-6 mark and sixth-place finish in the Atlantic 10 in Keeler’s first season, looks ordinary, it was anything but. Injuries and inexperience forced 43 different players to start at least one game. But progress was being made, and it was seen in the form of three wins over top 15 squads (Georgia Southern, Maine and Northeastern). Delaware’s six losses came by a total of only 26 points. The future was promising. But who knew it would arrive that soon and would be that promising. Keeler had an idea it might. Actually, he predicted a national title would be returning to Delaware during the press conference announcing his hiring. In his second spring session, he said he could see the players’ commitment level rising, as well as their understanding of his philosophies. The result was possibly the best season a Delaware team has ever had.

The 2003 Blue Hens won their first 10 games, before dropping a 24-17 decision to Northeastern. They rebounded to finish the season with close wins over Maine and Villanova, and earned the No. 2 seed in the I-AA playoffs.

Keeler was no stranger to the post-season atmosphere. He led Rowan University to five championship games in his nine seasons as head coach of the Division III school in New Jersey. But Keeler was on the losing end of each of those title tilts.

“If you look at the history of Division III private schools, they generally have pretty good resources. But Rowan was a unique situation, because we didn’t have all the resources other schools had across the nation,” said Keeler, who replaced current North Carolina head coach John Bunting at Rowan in 1993. “So for us to do what we did there, being among the final four in the country seven out of nine years, I feel pretty special about what we did. I really wanted a championship ring for the kids, because I had some pretty special teams there.”

He wanted a ring for himself, as well. One that would fit nicely next to his 1979 Division II National Championship ring, which he won as a linebacker for Delaware. The 2003 Blue Hens would deliver.

In one of the most dominating playoff performances in I-AA history, Delaware routed its four opponents by an average of more than 30 points a game. In the national title game in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Blue Hens stunned previously undefeated Colgate, winners of 21 straight, 40-0, giving their coach another ring to sport.

A lot of legendary footsteps to follow

One afternoon during Keeler’s first year, the man he replaced, Harold “Tubby” Raymond, popped his head in on a staff meeting. “Of course, everybody just stopped and looked over ... because he’s Tubby,” said Keeler. “He kind of looked around, checked everything out and said, ‘I’m out of here. Keeler, you’re in charge.’ Everybody just busted out in laughter.”

Before retiring after the 2001 season, Raymond coached the Blue Hens for 37 years and became only the ninth coach in the history of college football to reach the 300-win plateau. When he retired, he owned more than 50 percent of Delaware’s all-time victories. He also won three national titles (1971, 1972, and 1979) with the Blue Hens.

Athletic director Edgar Johnson called Raymond’s face a Delaware landmark. Johnson also said Raymond’s replacement would be the most important hire Delaware would ever make, including the school president. Before Keeler’s first game as head coach, the field at Delaware Stadium was christened Tubby Raymond Field. Keeler says he felt no pressure because of it.

Since 1940, the Blue Hens have had only four head coaches. Raymond’s most recent predecessors, Bill Murray (1940-50) and David Nelson (1951-1965), are in the College Hall of Fame, and Raymond joined them last year. So, not only was Keeler replacing one legend, but he had the daunting task of filling three pairs of very big shoes. Still, he says he wasn’t worried. “I don’t get nervous; that’s not what I do,” says the 45-year-old. “If I spent a lot of time worrying about the fact that we’re changing from the wing-T to a no-huddle spread, or the fact that I’m following Coach Raymond, or the fact that the previous three coaches in front of me all won national championships and are all in the College Football Hall of Fame ... I think if I thought about all that a lot, I’d have some pretty serious issues.”

Shorty after he was hired, Keeler sat down with his former coach and predecessor, and let him know that he’d always be welcome. “I hadn’t been around in about 25 years,” Keeler said. “I was around, but I wasn’t here everyday. I’d see (Coach Raymond) at coaches conventions, and I’d come over and watch practice at least once in the spring time. Coach Raymond’s question was, ‘what’s my role?’ I said, ‘Coach, it’s real simple, you built this place, I’m just going to lock it up at night. You gave me the keys, as much as you want to be around, we’d love to have you.’

“They always say you can’t follow a legend and you can’t go home, but I disagree with both of those things. I was very fortunate that I played for the legend, and he was very accommodating.” Raymond still hangs around. He does some analysis for a local radio station and loves to tease Keeler. “I think he likes it when I joke with him,” said the 77-year-old Raymond. “That’s just him; he’s always upbeat and positive.”

But Keeler, the linebacker, was no joking matter. He once intercepted three passes on consecutive attempts against Jacksonville State in a 1978 Division II quarterfinal game. He also signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, making it to the last cut before being released.

“He was a high-energy player and still has that charisma today. What a dynamic communicator,” added Raymond. “We’re lucky to have him.”

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