| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Temple |
| Conference | American |
| Record | 5–6 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1959-07-26)July 26, 1959 (age 66) Emmaus, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1978–1980 | Delaware |
| Position | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1981–1982 | Amherst (assistant) |
| 1986–1992 | Rowan (assistant) |
| 1993–2001 | Rowan |
| 2002–2012 | Delaware |
| 2014–2024 | Sam Houston State |
| 2025–present | Temple |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 276–118–1 |
| Tournaments | 21–7 (NCAA D-III playoffs) 25–7 (NCAA D-I-AA/FCS playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2NCAA Division I-AA/FCS (2003,2021) 4NJAC (1993, 1995, 1997, 2001) 2A-10 (2003–2004) 1CAA (2010) 3Southland (2014, 2016, 2020) 1WAC (2021) | |
| Awards | |
| Eddie Robinson Award (2016) AFCA Coach of the Year Award (2010) Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2010) All-American Football Foundation Frank Leahy Coach of the Year (2003) All-American Football Foundation Johnny Vaught Head Coach Award (2007) Field Turf FCS Coach of the Year (2010) Maxwell Club Coach of the Year (2003, 2007, 2010) | |
Kurt Charles Keeler (born July 26, 1959) is an Americanfootball coach and former player. He is the head football coach atTemple University. Keeler was the head coach atSam Houston State University from 2014 to 2024; theUniversity of Delaware, his alma mater, from 2002 to 2012; and atRowan University from 1993 to 2001.
Keeler is the all-time winningest coach inNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff history and, after winning the national championship with Delaware in 2003 and Sam Houston in 2020, the only coach inFCS history to win a national championship at two institutions. In 2019, an ESPN Blue Ribbon Panel selected Keeler as one of the 150 greatest coaches in college football history.[1]
Keeler played high school football atEmmaus High School inEmmaus, Pennsylvania. He was chosen to play in the 1977 PennsylvaniaBig 33 All-Star game. He went on to play collegiate football at theUniversity of Delaware, where he was alinebacker from 1978 to 1980 under coachTubby Raymond. He was a member of the1979 Division II National Championship squad.[2]
In 1982, Keeler signed a free agent contract with thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League. Keeler was resigned by the Eagles in 1983 after being a late cut by thePhiladelphia Stars of theUSFL. He was one of the last players cut by the Eagles in 1982 and 1983. Keeler was also a member of the 1984Jacksonville Bulls of theUnited States Football League during their training camp.
Keeler began his coaching career as an assistant atAmherst College inAmherst, Massachusetts in 1981 and then atRowan University inGlassboro, New Jersey in 1986. He became Rowan's head coach for the 1993 season, ending his tenure in 2001 with an 88–21–1 (.804) record and sevenNCAA Division III playoff appearances.[3] He was, however, 0–5 inNCAA Division III Football Championship Stagg Bowls at Rowan, losing by an average of 42.4 to 18.4.
After Raymond retired in 2002, Keeler was named the fourthDelaware Fightin' Blue Hens football coach in 62 years. He immediately brought a new offensive philosophy to the team, replacing its famed and historic Winged-T formation with ano-huddle, spread offense. Under Keeler, Delaware won its first national championship since 1979 and its first Division I-AA title (in 2003) with a 15–1 record and a 149–23 total score in the four-game playoff series.
Like his predecessor, Keeler became a popular figure inDelaware. He was named "Delawarean of the Year" in 2004 byDelaware Today magazine and was listed as one of the top college football recruiters in the nation byAmerican 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 wore during night games) and wireless headgear were emulated onbobbleheads sold at games and local Newark businesses.
Keeler often challenged criticism that I-AA/FCS programs are of lesser caliber than I-A. "We're theLSU; we're theGeorgia, theFlorida of Division I-AA," Keeler said in a 2004 interview withAmerican 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 thanMichigan orTexas. But that's what this school has become. Everybody wants to come to school here."[4]
On June 19, 2008, Keeler signed a 10-year contract extension, which would have had him coaching the Blue Hens through the 2017 season. However, Keeler was fired following a disappointing2012 season, in which his team went 5–6.[5]
In 2024, Delaware announced that it will be inducting Keeler into the Delaware Athletic Hall of Fame, alongside UD 2002–2003 quarterbackAndy Hall.[6]
On January 23, 2014, Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston State history.[7] In 2014, Sam Houston State went 11–5, as Keeler helped the Bearkats return to theFCS playoffs. They won three playoff games, including a win over Keeler's old CAA rivalVillanova, before losing in the semifinals. The Bearkats went 8–3 in 2015 and once again advanced to the playoff semifinals.
In 2016, Keeler led Sam Houston State to its first undefeated regular season since 2011. Led byWalter Payton Award winner Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State won theSouthland Conference and made an FCS playoffs run before being blown out byJames Madison in the quarterfinals. Keeler was named Coach of the Year.
In 2017, Keeler led Sam Houston State to the playoffs for the fourth straight year, once again advancing to the semifinals. This was his third appearance in the semifinals with Sam Houston, although he was once again stopped before the title game, losing toNorth Dakota State.
Keeler led the2020 Bearkats to a 10–0 season, culminating with a 23–21 win over theSouth Dakota State Jackrabbits in the2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.[8] It was the first NCAA football championship in program history; the Bearkats had shared the 1964NAIA football championship withConcordia College ofMoorhead, Minnesota.[8]
Through 2022, Keeler had won three Southland Conference championships, a WAC championship, 14 FCS playoff games and a national title through eight seasons at Sam Houston. With the Bearkats, Keeler became the all-time FCS playoffs wins leader and the only coach to win an FCS title with two schools.
Keeler was named the head coach atTemple University following the 2024 regular season, replacingStan Drayton.[9]
While out of coaching in 2013, Keeler worked as a content producer forNFL Films'NFL Matchup (featuringRon Jaworski,Merril Hoge, andSal Paolantonio, and produced byGreg Cosell) and as a color commentator forESPN.