Kenneth Ray Keller (September 12, 1934 – December 10, 1997) was a professional American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons. He played college football at North Carolina.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born: | September 12, 1934 Salina, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died: | December 10, 1997 (aged 63) | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1956 / round: 11 / pick: 126 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Early life
editKeller was born and grew up in Salina, Pennsylvania, and attended Bell Township High School, where he was part of a football team that won 28 straight games from 1948 to 1951.[1]
College career
editKeller was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels football team for four seasons. In football he played running back, defensive back, placekicker and was a return specialist. Keller led the team in total offense in 1953 and 1955 and in scoring for three straight seasons.[2][3] He finished his collegiate career with over 2,000 all-purpose yards and over 100 total points scored.[4] Keller was also a starting outfielder for the baseball team.[5]
Professional career
editKeller was drafted in the 11th round of the 1956 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.[6] Keller served as the Eagles' starting running back as a rookie and led the team with 433 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He tore ligaments in his knee in the second-to-last game of the season against the Washington Redskins.[7] Keller rushed for 195 yards on 43 carries in a reduced role in 1957.[6]
References
edit- ^ Guido, George (June 5, 2018). "George Guido: 75 years ago, a small A-K Valley school got a big win". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Adam (2006). University of North Carolina Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9780738542881.
- ^ Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (2009). The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia 2009-2010. Skyhorse. p. 1,124. ISBN 9781602396777. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Billy (December 3, 1955). "Four Year Vet, Ken Keller, Meets Duke for Last Time". The Daily Tar Heel. DigitalNC.org. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Barkley, Dick (April 25, 1954). "Baseballers Drop Fourth Conference Game". The Daily Tar Heel. DigitalNC.org. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "Ken Keller Stats". Pro-Football-Stats.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Didinger, Ray; Lyons, Robert S. (2005). "Appendix A:Year-by-Year Highlights". The Eagles Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. p. 266. ISBN 9781592134540.