John Keenoy

Last updated

John Keenoy
Personal information
Born: (1997-02-26) February 26, 1997 (age 27)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school: East Kentwood
(Kentwood, Michigan)
College: Western Michigan
Position: Center
Undrafted: 2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-MAC (2017)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:0
Games started:0

John Keenoy (born February 26, 1997) is an American professional football center who is a free agent. He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos.

Contents

High school career

Keenoy attended East Kentwood High School, where he was a three-star prospect. [1] He did not have many college offers coming out of high school and was recruited to Western Michigan by P. J. Fleck. [2]

College career

Keenoy was an early enrollee at Western Michigan as a freshman and allowed 25 pressures and four sacks in 2015. [1] Keenoy was named to the Second-team All-MAC as a sophomore in 2016 after helping Western Michigan's rushing game to finish in the top 25. [3] Keenoy anchored an offensive line on a team that finished with a 13–1 record and a No. 15 national ranking and played in the Cotton Bowl. [1] He missed one start in 2017 against Wagner. He was a First-team All-MAC selection in 2017 and helped the Broncos to finished in the top 25 in rushing again. [3] Keenoy had his second consecutive season of not allowing a sack. As a senior in 2018, Keenoy helped the Broncos finish 33rd in rushing (204.6 yards per game) and 27th in sacks allowed (17). [1] Keenoy was named to the Second-team All-Conference. He was also a three-time academic All-MAC selection. [3] Keenoy was a four-year starter at Western Michigan, starting 51 of 52 games. He graduated with a degree in finance and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the "Academic Heisman." [1]

Professional career

After not being selected in the 2019 NFL draft, Keenoy was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings. [3] He was waived after training camp on August 31 and became a volunteer assistant at Western Michigan. [4] Keenoy subsequently joined the Vikings practice squad. [5]

Keenoy was selected in the ninth round of the 2020 XFL Draft by the Dallas Renegades. [6] By the fourth game of the season, he was named the starting center. However, the season was cancelled after Week 5 due to the coronavirus pandemic. [5] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020. [7]

On April 16, 2020, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. [8] Keenoy joined offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor and linebacker Robert Spillane as former WMU players on the Steelers. [5] He was waived on September 5, 2020. [9]

Personal life

His father, John Keenoy, played football at Central Michigan University, while his mother, Melissa Keenoy, played basketball at the school. [10] Keenoy is a fan of country music and plays golf. He describes himself as a major foodie. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Buckley, Nick (December 17, 2018). "Unassuming John Keenoy at the center of Western Michigan's success over last four years". Battle Creek Enquirer . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. ↑ Hartman, Sid (May 17, 2019). "Vikings free-agent rookie lineman John Keenoy credits P.J. Fleck, staff for his development". Star Tribune . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Nothaft, Patrick (April 28, 2019). "WMU football's John Keenoy signs undrafted free agent deal with Vikings". MLive.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ Saunders, Alan (April 16, 2020). "Steelers Add Former XFL, Western Michigan OL John Keenoy". Steelers Now. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Nothaft, Patrick (April 16, 2016). "Former XFLer John Keenoy to 'keep living the dream' after signing with Steelers". MLive.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  7. ↑ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  8. ↑ Varley, Teresa (April 16, 2020). "Steelers sign four to add depth". Steelers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  9. ↑ Varley, Teresa (September 6, 2020). "Steelers make moves to get to 53-man roster". Steelers.com.
  10. ↑ Kaminski, Steve (April 21, 2014). "East Kentwood offensive lineman John Keenoy announces college plans". MLive.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
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