Eagle Keys (December 4, 1923 – December 20, 2012) was an American born professional Canadian football player who played and coached in the Canadian Football League (CFL).[1] He is currently fifth all-time in regular season wins with 131 as a head coach in the CFL. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Eagle Keys
No. 40
Date of birth(1923-12-04)December 4, 1923
Place of birthTompkinsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Date of deathDecember 20, 2012(2012-12-20) (aged 89)
Place of deathBurnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Career information
CFL statusInternational
Position(s)C
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight215 lb (98 kg)
US collegeWestern Kentucky
Career history
As coach
19551958Edmonton Eskimos (A. coach)
19591963Edmonton Eskimos (HC)
1964Saskatchewan Roughriders (OC)
19651970Saskatchewan Roughriders (HC)
19711975BC Lions (HC)
As player
19491951Montreal Alouettes
19521954Edmonton Eskimos
Career highlights and awards
CFL East All-Star1949, 1950, 1951
CFL West All-Star1951, 1953, 1954
Career stats

Early life

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Keys was an outstanding center and linebacker for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team in 1942 and, after a stint in the military (Marine Corps) in World War II, 1946 and '47. He also lettered in baseball (pitcher-outfielder) three straight years (1946–48) after the War. He was an All-KIAC (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) selection in football as a senior. His 1946 baseball team went a perfect 9–0, outscoring the opponents by an average of five runs a game.

Eagle "Buddy" Keys was inducted into the Western Kentucky University Athletic Hall of Fame (Football-Baseball '42, '46–48) in 1994.

Professional career

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Following his career on the Hill, Keys moved north to play professional football in the Canadian Football League. He was All-Eastern Conference for three straight years (1949–51) with the Montreal Alouettes and then he earned a berth on the All-Western Conference team throughout the next three seasons while playing for the Edmonton Eskimos. He is best remembered as a player for his final game when he played on a broken leg in the Eskimos' 1954 Grey Cup triumph.

Coaching career

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After his six years as a player, he put in six more years as an assistant coach in the CFL before being named head coach of the Eskimos in 1959. He coached Edmonton from 1959 until 1963, became an assistant coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1964 and was promoted to head coach in 1965. He was awarded the CFL Coach of the Year award in 1968. In 1970, the Roughriders finished with a mark of 14 wins and 2 losses, a CFL record that stood until 1989 when Edmonton went 16–2 (by that time, the CFL had expanded its regular season schedule to 18 games). Keys resigned at the end of that season and coached the British Columbia Lions from 1971 until partway through the 1975 season. In 1966, he won his only championship as a head coach, with his Roughriders team winning the 54th Grey Cup (which was also the team's first CFL championship in team history). As such, he was voted the All-Time All-Star Coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. In total, he spent 16 seasons as a head coach in the Canadian Football League.

CFL Coaching record

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Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Result
EDM 1959 10 6 0 .625 2nd in WIFU 2 2 Lost in WIFU Finals
EDM 1960 10 6 0 .625 2nd in WIFU 4 2 Lost in Grey Cup
EDM 1961 10 5 1 .656 2nd in Western Conference 1 1 Lost in Conference Semi-Finals
EDM 1962 6 9 1 .406 5th in Western Conference Missed Playoffs
EDM 1963 2 14 0 .125 5th in Western Conference Missed Playoffs
EDM Total 38 40 2 .488 0 Western
Championships
7 5 0 Grey Cups
SSK 1965 8 7 1 .531 3rd in West Conference 0 1 Lost in Conference Semi-Finals
SSK 1966 9 6 1 .594 1st in West Conference 3 0 Won Grey Cup
SSK 1967 12 4 0 .750 2nd in West Conference 3 2 Lost in Grey Cup
SSK 1968 12 3 1 .781 1st in West Conference 0 2 Lost in Conference Finals
SSK 1969 13 3 0 .813 1st in West Conference 2 1 Lost in Grey Cup
SSK 1970 14 2 0 .875 1st in West Conference 1 2 Lost in Conference Finals
SSK Total 68 25 3 .724 4 Western Conference
Championships
9 8 1 Grey Cup
BC 1971 6 9 1 .406 4th in Western Conference Missed Playoffs
BC 1972 5 11 0 .313 5th in Western Conference Missed Playoffs
BC 1973 5 9 2 .375 3rd in Western Conference 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
BC 1974 8 8 0 .500 3rd in Western Conference 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
BC 1975 1 5 0 .167 5th in Western Conference (Fired)
BC Total 25 42 3 .379 0 Western Conference
Championships
0 2 0 Grey Cups
Total 131 107 8 .549 4 Western Conference
Championships
12 12 1 Grey Cup

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

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He retired from coaching after the 1975 season and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1990. His 131 wins as a coach in the CFL still stands as the fifth highest victory total for a head coach in the league. He was elected as a builder on April 28, 1990.

Personal life

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Keys had retired and was living in Burnaby, British Columbia, until his death on December 20, 2012. He and his wife Joyce (née White), also deceased, had five children.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vanstone, Rob. "Former Roughriders coach Eagle Keys dead at 89". Leaderpost.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2012.