Legendary Keeling To Coach 500th Game

By Chad Grubbs
HSU Sports Information Director

ABILENE, Texas -- From tiny Hamilton to Hardin-Simmons University, head coach Jimmie Keeling has been on a journey that has crossed the state of Texas and on Saturday the legendary leader will coach his 500^th career game.  

Coaching football is one thing, but developing men of high character is another and Keeling has done both over his lengthy career. That career covers stints as a head coach at eight different Texas high schools and for the last 19 years as the head coach at Hardin-Simmons University. All told, Keeling has posted a mark of 351-137-11 in 50 seasons as a head coach.

"That's a lot of games," said Keeling very understatedly.

The High School Years

After graduating from Howard Payne in 1958, Keeling went to work as an assistant coach at Hamilton.

"Just Saturday night, I went back and we had a 50-year reunion at Hamilton," Keeling said. "I started as an assistant coach there. I stated as a backfield coach and that meant offensive backfield, defensive backfield, washing the clothes and adding other sports in the off season. That was a great time in my life."

From Hamilton, Keeling had a three-year run as the head coach at Dublin High School and he counts that time as some of his fondest memories.

"I got to be a head coach at a very early age at Dublin and they had won three games in five years before I got there and we had great success going undefeated in the second year and going to the playoffs."

After the run at Dublin he went to the panhandle town of Tulia for five years and then was the head coach at Elgin before going to Lubbock Estacado. At Estacado he took over a new school from scratch and he led them to the 4A state championship. He had later stops at Andrews High School and Lamar Consolidated, taking Andrews to the state quarterfinals and Consolidated to the regional title.

His longest tenure before Hardin-Simmons came at San Angelo Central where he coached from 1979 to 1988. Playing in the Little Southwest Conference at the height of Odessa Permian's run had its challenges. Back then only one team made the playoffs. If today's rules were in place where four teams make the playoffs this story could be about him coaching his 600^th game. He closed his high school career with a year at Tyler John Tyler.

"Beating Permian in Odessa with a overflow crowd to go the playoffs when we were in San Angelo stands out to me," said Keeling. "We were both really good teams. Winning the state title is another highlight."  

He was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 1995 after posting a career mark of 196-91-11.

"I enjoyed all of my stops and there are so many good people that I have met along the way," said Keeling.

Another honor came later for Keeling and that was he became part of the first father-son combination to win a Texas High School state championship when son Dale took Everman to the title in 2001.  

The ever-proud father of four daughters and a son points out that Dale has won two state titles.

"Dale has won two and I think we were the first father-son combination in Texas to win state titles," said Keeling. "People have told me that, so I guess it is true."

The Hardin-Simmons Years

When Hardin-Simmons went looking for a coach to revive its program after a 27-year hiatus it didn't take long to find their man. Keeling had experience bringing a program from the ground up. He was able to retire from high school, so he was basically getting two salaries and he desired the challenge.

"It was perfect timing for me because I had been in coaching for 35 years and I could retire. I could afford to come here because I was able to retire from high school. It was an exciting time for me because we started with nothing. I had done that at Estacado and that was something I could lean on," said Keeling.

A supportive administration also made the transition easier.

"Dr. (Merlin) Morrow and HSU president Dr. (Jesse) Fletcher were so supportive and made it a lot easier on me because they were so extremely helpful," said Keeling. "I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. We came here and had to work about 18 hours a day and had four coaches in the tennis office. We could talk loud and long without realizing the other was there. We were hired in January and had to have a team by August."

Keeling pointed out the positives of coming to school like Hardin-Simmons and what it could offer potential students.

"We have an above average faculty, staff and administration that really care about kids. We felt good about bringing kids because we knew they were going to be taken care of by people that truly cared for them. We went to work and worked night and day because we had to."

The fact the Cowboys won any games that first year is miracle, but the Cowboys actually won three games and two years later HSU was in the NAIA national playoffs and in 1993 the Cowboys went all the way to the NAIA Semifinals.

"The fact that we won any games that first year is something that is amazing," said Keeling. "We won three games and that first win stands out to me. Being in the national semifinals in 1993, that was quicker than we probably could have anticipated."

It did not take long for the Cowboys to become a dominant force. His teams won 11 conference titles from 1993 to 2004. In that time HSU went from non-scholarship NAIA to the NCAA Division III level.

"Every team has its own special identities," said Keeling. "For me, the years that we have gone to the playoffs those stick out because I like playing in the playoffs and I love to win games.  That is the bottom line."

His teams have not only had great success on the field, they have become better people off of it. The Cowboys are 155-46 in his time at Hardin-Simmons.

"We have guys that have become doctors, lawyers, ministers, veterinarians, Navy Seals, Army Rangers, dentists, police officers and all walks of life," said Keeling. "We also have over 120 guys that are in coaching at the collegiate and high school levels. Darren Allman, who was one of our first recruits, is the head coach at Odessa Permian and we have several other head coaches and Will Wagner is the assistant head coach at Northwest Missouri State. It is hard for me to name names because I love them all.

"That is what we have built this program around every player is important to us. That is something we go over, if not daily, at least two or three times a week. From the best player on the team to the guy that will probably never play on Saturday they are important. Our number one concern here is to take of our players. It is a thrill to me to have kids come here from all different backgrounds and for them to do well in life. That is probably the highlight for me."

Career Influences and Advice

The biggest key to his success is to have good players. The next biggest thing is being able to adjust to the game.

"The game was in a lot of ways much simpler when I first started," said Keeling. "Bud Wilkinson and the Split T was popular then and you basically had 11 guys right in a wad. You could blow up the whole bunch with a tiny stick of dynamite. Now formations are spread from sideline to sideline. That is the biggest difference. People throw so much more, not just down the field but underneath.

"I think you have to change," said Keeling. "The fundamental things don't change; the blocking and tackling don't change. The way you do it scheme-wise and the way you teach it has changed. If you don't change you are going to get left out."

Keeling also says loving the game and being able to make a whole out of so many parts is key to a successful run.

"I think it is just because I love it so much. Football is a special, special game and a lot of people have to be involved. You have to put a lot of components together and make it all work with coaches and players. It is a fascinating game. The biggest reason is the people - the coaches, the players and all of the other support people. It is a joy to come to work every day and put the pieces to the puzzle together. "

Some of the reason for Keeling's success has been the influence of some of the biggest coaching names in Texas history.

"Gordon Wood helped me a lot," said Keeling. "He was very successful and he was very willing to help. Gene Mayfield was another very successful coach that helped me. He coached at Permian and later West Texas. Coach Darryl Royal was a great teacher.  I spent many days watching his teams work out and trying to pick up things from him. Coach Royal was always kind and gracious to coaches. He was so open. Basically, anyone that was doing something good that we liked we tried to borrow it and when we took it home we kept it and didn't give it back and called it our own."

If Keeling was giving advice to young coaches they would be in this order.

Marry well.

"You have to have a family that is very supportive and I have the absolute best at that. A coach's wife has to be there to be supportive of what you are doing and they have to basically raise a family alone for a lot of the time. I am so grateful to have Susan and that she was so involved in what I have done over the years.

Be ready to work.

"Be ready to work really hard and love it or don't do it. It is very time consuming and if you are going to do it you better be ready to work. One of our big things is "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". If you are going to coach you better really care about the kids, because if you don't they figure it out in a hurry. Be ready to discipline 100 percent and love them. You have to help them grow up, mature and become something special."

The question Keeling gets a lot at age 73 is how much longer and the answer is pretty much the same every time.

"I don't have any intention on doing anything else," said Keeling. "As long as I still love waking up in the morning and coming here and doing what I do, I don't ever feel like I am going to work. I get to do something I love and enjoy.

"My prayer daily is "God if I am to do this, let me help the players I am working with and let me help  the coaches I am working with and let me be an influence on them." When I can't live up to that then I guess it will be time.

For Keeling it simply boils down to one bottom line thing and all of the things that lead up to that.

"I love to win games. I don't know how guys do it a long time and don't win. I think winning is important thing for the kids to learn. If you work hard and pay the price and you have success that is going to directly relate how you do in your jobs and families and marriages and the rest of your life. That is what I hope that I do the best job of teaching - not only football, but something for the rest of their life."

Evidence that he has succeeded in his mission came in 2004 when he was giving the Grant Teaff Lifetime Achievement Award by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. There are plenty more deserving honors and awards that Keeling has earned over his career.

Let's hope Saturday is just a start on the next 500 games.

--- HSU ---