Clarence "Earl" Keeley (May 15, 1936 – May 9, 1985) was a Canadian professional

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who played six seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

and

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. He played

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Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) is a public community college in Wenatchee, Washington. The college provides students with adult education classes, certifications, associate degrees, and four bachelor's degrees. The school consists of two campu ...

and the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

Early life

Clarence Keeley was born on May 15, 1936, in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. He attended Kitsilano High School in Vancouver. He played football, rugby, and basketball in high school. He then played junior football for the Vancouver Blue Bombers.

College career

Keeley played

from 1955 to 1956. He earned all-conference honors in 1956. Keeley then lettered for the

Montana Grizzlies The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the nicknames given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana, located in Missoula, Montana, Missoula. The university is a member of the Big Sky Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fieldin ...

of the

during his junior year in 1957. He missed the first two games of the 1957 season due to

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. He completed 63 of 121 passes (52.1%) for 797 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions that season while also rushing 19 times for 81 yards and one touchdown. On November 8, 1957, Keeley broke his collarbone in a game against

Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

. Montana was able to utilize a punt-run option during the 1957 season due to Keeley's unique ability to kick while on the run, a skill he picked up by playing rugby in high school. He majored in physical education while at Montana. He later graduated from Montana in spring 1962.

Professional career

In June 1958, Keeley skipped his final year of college eligibility to sign with the

of the

(CFL). He played in two games for the Lions in 1958 but did not throw any passes. He played in all 16 games for the Lions in 1959, completing 16 of 26 passes (61.5%) for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions. The Lions finished the year with a 9–7 record. Keeley played in 13 games during the 1960 season, totaling four completions on seven passing attempts (57.1%) for 60 yards and one interception while punting 35 times for 1,383 yards. The Lions finished the season with a 5–9–2 record. Keeley played in eight games in 1961, recording 11 completions on 21 attempts (52.4%) for 118 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, and nine punts for 334 yards. He played in 14 games in 1962, completing two of four passes for 13 yards while also punting four times for 148 yards. He was released on August 7, 1963, before the start of the

1963 CFL season The 1963 CFL season is considered to be the tenth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the sixth Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 1963 Charter Membership into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame started ...

after being beat out by Canadian quarterback Pete Ohler. In August 1963, Keeley joined the

for a two-week trial. He played in one game for the Alouettes but did not record any statistics. He voluntarily left the team after the trial to return to his job at the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre as he was not able to find an appropriate job in Montreal.

Personal life

Keeley was a

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based out of the North Cascades Smokejumper Base in

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in 1956. He was also the first-ever athletic director for the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre in 1957. Keeley was later the founding head coach of the Sherwood Park Rams football club in 1962. He died on May 9, 1985, at the age of 48.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keeley, Earl 1936 births 1985 deaths Players of Canadian football from British Columbia Players of American football from British Columbia Canadian football quarterbacks Canadian football punters American football quarterbacks American football punters Montana Grizzlies football players BC Lions players Montreal Alouettes players Canadian football people from Vancouver Canadian firefighters Wenatchee Valley Knights football players