Ken Keller (American football)

Kenneth Ray Keller (September 12, 1934 – December 10, 1997) was a professional American football running back who played in the National Football League for two seasons. He played college football at North Carolina.

Ken Keller
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born:(1934-09-12)September 12, 1934
Salina, Pennsylvania
Died:December 10, 1997(1997-12-10) (aged 63)
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College:North Carolina
NFL Draft:1956 / Round: 11 / Pick: 126
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:628
Rushing touchdowns:4
Receptions:11
Receiving yards:67
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early life

Keller 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

Keller 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

Keller 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
  1. 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.
  2. Powell, Adam (2006). University of North Carolina Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9780738542881.
  3. Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (2009). The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia 2009-2010. Skyhorse. p. 1,124. ISBN 9781602396777. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. Barkley, Dick (April 25, 1954). "Baseballers Drop Fourth Conference Game". The Daily Tar Heel. DigitalNC.org. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  6. "Ken Keller Stats". Pro-Football-Stats.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. Didinger, Ray; Lyons, Robert S. (2005). "Appendix A:Year-by-Year Highlights". The Eagles Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. p. 266. ISBN 9781592134540.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.