Gary Keithley

Last updated

Gary Keithley
No. 12
Position: Quarterback
Punter
Personal information
Born: (1951-01-11) January 11, 1951 (age 73)
Alvin, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school: Alvin (TX)
College: UTEP
Texas
NFL draft: 1973  / round: 2 / pick: 45
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
TD – INT:1–5
Passing yards:369
Passer rating:35.7
Punts:66
Punting yards:2478
Average punt:37.5
Player stats at PFR

Gary Keithley (born January 11, 1951) is a former professional American football quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL).

At Alvin High School, he was the starting quarterback for 3 years, an All-State Quarterback and he finished in the top 5 for passing yards each of his 3 seasons. [1] He led the Yellowjackets to the Texas Class 3A Semifinals in 1968.

Keithley played college football at Texas in 1970 and then transferred to UTEP for his last two seasons. In 1969 he played with the freshman team at Texas. The next year he won the Southwest Conference Championship, Cotton Bowl and National Championship with Texas, but as the 3rd string QB who only threw 5 passes all season and scored a single rushing touchdown against California in the first game of the season. After some time at Alvin Junior College, he transferred to UTEP where he was the starting QB for the two seasons and set records for single-season rushing TD for quarterbacks, career completion percentage. [2] He had 5 games with over 200 yards of passing (2 with 300+ yards) and also shared punting duties while he was at UTEP. [3] Keithley made the All-WAC Academic team in his senior year. [4]

Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals primarily as a backup to Jim Hart, he had a 0.0 passer rating in each of his first two career starts in 1973, the only quarterback in NFL history to do this in back-to-back games. Despite the dubious statistic, Keithley won in his first start against the Atlanta Falcons, a 32–10 victory in which he completed just two of ten passes for nine yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. [5] [6] The following year, Keithley lost his backup role to Dennis Shaw, who played for Cardinals head coach Don Coryell in college, while his punting duties were reassigned to rookie punter Hal Roberts. [7] Still with the Cardinal in 1974 and 1975, he never played those two seasons. He was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1976 expansion draft but did not make the roster. [4]

He was the backup quarterback of the BC Lions in 1977 and 1978.

Keithley became a high school football coach. He was the Offensive Coordinator at Cleburne High Schools starting in 1996 and then became the head coach for 4 years starting in 1997. He coached the team to the playoffs in 2002 and served as the Cleburne ISD's Athletic Director before retiring in 2010. [8] [9]

In 2009 he was in the inaugural class for the Alvin ISD Athletic Hall of Honor. [10]

His son was drafted by the Yankees in the 33rd round of the 2003 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Leftwich</span> American football coach and former player (born 1980)

Byron Antron Leftwich is an American former professional football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd, twice receiving MAC Most Valuable Player honors, and was selected seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL draft. Leftwich held a starting role with the Jaguars during his first four seasons and spent the remainder of his career as a backup for the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Steelers, he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Redman</span> American football player (born 1977)

Chris James Redman is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft. Redman spent four seasons with the Ravens, primarily serving as a backup, and was part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV. After four years away from the NFL, he returned in 2007 with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played his last five seasons.

Thomas Joseph Tupa Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a punter and quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was selected in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft to the Phoenix Cardinals. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kliff Kingsbury</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, finishing in the top three in several school passing records before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He was a member of several other NFL and CFL teams before entering coaching in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Joe Tolliver</span> American football player (born 1966)

Billy Joe Tolliver is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) for twelve seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Oilers, Shreveport Pirates, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints. Over the course of his NFL career, he played in 79 games, completed 891 of 1,707 passes for 10,760 yards, threw 59 touchdowns and 64 interceptions, and retired with a passer rating of 67.7. 7 A graduate of Boyd High School and Texas Tech University, Tolliver was selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. He started 19 games in two seasons at San Diego before being traded to Atlanta, where he saw playing time as a backup for three seasons. In 1994, he became one of three starting quarterbacks for Houston and then served as quarterback of the Shreveport Pirates in the CFL during their final season of activity in 1995. After not competing in 1996, Tolliver played for both Atlanta and Kansas City in 1997. He then started 11 games for New Orleans in two seasons but did not take the field in 2000. A stint with the Green Bay Packers in the 2001 offseason concluded his professional career.

Charles Wade Wilson was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Oakland Raiders in a seventeen-year NFL career from 1981 to 1998. He was quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 2000 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2017, and also for the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2006. He played college football for East Texas State Lions, where he was an NAIA All-American quarterback and led the Lions to the NAIA national semifinals during the 1980 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Tannehill</span> American football player (born 1988)

Ryan Timothy Tannehill III is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, playing wide receiver until his junior year, and was selected eighth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaine Gabbert</span> American football player (born 1989)

Blaine Williamson Gabbert is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri before leaving early for the 2011 NFL draft after his junior year. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round with the 10th overall pick. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kansas City Chiefs. He won Super Bowl LV as a backup with the Buccaneers and Super Bowl LVIII as a backup with the Chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. J. Yates</span> American football player and coach (born 1987)

Taylor Jonathan Yates is an American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback in the NFL. After playing college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Yates was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taysom Hill</span> American football player (born 1990)

Taysom Shawn Hill is an American professional football utility player for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He is officially designated as a tight end. He played college football at BYU and joined the Saints in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. Hill was listed as a quarterback on the Saints depth chart during his first five seasons, though he took snaps at seven different positions. Hill was designated as a tight end beginning in 2022 before once again being listed as a quarterback in 2023. He has maintained similar roles on offense and special teams throughout his career, including as the Saints primary gunner. Hill's array of utilization has earned him a reputation as a unique player in the NFL. Due to his versatility, he is known as "The Human Swiss Army Knife" by Saints' media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Heinicke</span> American football player (born 1993)

Taylor Heinicke is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Heinicke has also been a member of the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Football Team / Commanders, and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. He also played for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Knight</span> American football player (born 1993)

Trevor A. Knight is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Oklahoma and Texas A&M. After leading Oklahoma to an 8–5 record in the 2014 season, he lost the starting job in an open quarterback competition to Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield prior to the 2015 season. On January 4, 2016, it was announced that Knight would transfer to Texas A&M University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Hill (quarterback)</span> American football player (born 1994)

Kenneth Wade Hill Jr. is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the associate head coach and running backs coach at Incarnate Word. He previously played for the Texas A&M Aggies and TCU Horned Frogs. In his first start with the Aggies, he broke Johnny Manziel's school single-game passing yards record with 511 yards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyler Murray</span> American football player (born 1997)

Kyler Cole Murray is an American professional football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Texas A&M Aggies, Murray played for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior. Murray was selected first overall by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL draft. He was also selected ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 2018 draft, making him the first player to be drafted in the first round of both sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Rosen</span> American football player (born 1997)

Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Rosen played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. During his junior year, Rosen set the school's record for single-season passing yards.

Jameill Lamonte Showers is a former American football quarterback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Texas at El Paso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellen Mond</span> American football player (born 1999)

Kellen Louis Mond is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, where he was a four-year starter and became one of three SEC quarterbacks to record over 9,000 career passing yards with 1,500 rushing yards. Mond was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmond Ridder</span> American football player (born 1999)

Desmond Kelly Ridder is an American professional football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He played college football at Cincinnati, where he was twice-named AAC Offensive Player of the Year before being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Wesley Wade Phillips is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He is the son of former Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and the grandson of former Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints head coach Bum Phillips.

Mack Hays Leftwich is an American football coach and former player. He is the offensive coordinator for Texas State Bobcats football team.

References

  1. ↑ "Texas High School Football Records" . Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ Bloomquist, Bert (November 9, 2018). "7 things to know about the UTEP, MTSU football game on Saturday at Sun Bowl Stadium" . Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "UTEP Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Thiel, Doug. "Gary Keithley was there!" . Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ Cunningham, George (December 10, 1973). "Falcons Die Again in December, 32-10". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution . Retrieved December 16, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Falcons' Wild-Card Hopes Jolted in Upset to Cards". Tallahassee Democrat . AP. December 10, 1973. Retrieved December 16, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Ingram, Bob (September 24, 1974). "Lonely Sidelines". El Paso Herald-Post . Retrieved December 16, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Brandon, Geroge. "Pigskin spy story rocks Cleburne". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Magers, Lisa. "Former athletic director named to Alvin hall of fame". Cleburne Times-Review. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Collins, Stephen (October 29, 2019). "AISD releases inaugural class for Athletic Hall of Honor" . Retrieved August 8, 2024.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.