Keyes played college football at Purdue University, where he was an All-American in 1967 and 1968, and finished third in the 1967 Heisman Trophy voting, he finished second in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting. In his very first collegiate game, played on national television against eventual national championNotre Dame, Keyes made his presence known by returning a fumble 94 yards for a touchdown. He played in the January 1967 Rose Bowl game, which Purdue won 14–13 over USC.
He was a dynamic player running and catching the ball. He finished his career running for 2,090 yards and also had 1,204 receiving yards.[1]
In 1967, he led the nation in scoring as he rushed for 986 yards with 13 touchdowns and had 45 catches for 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. As a senior in 1968, he followed it up by running for 1,003 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 33 passes for 428 yards and 1 touchdown.
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Keyes was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the third pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He played for the Eagles from 1969–1972. He was considered the "consolation prize" by the Eagles, who had just lost out to the Buffalo Bills to draft O. J. Simpson with the first overall pick. Conversely, Keyes was drafted one pick ahead of Joe Greene; both Simpson and Greene would go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame while Keyes is generally considered a bust.
He started out as a running back[2] and had 637 total yards on offense including 3 rushing touchdowns as a rookie. He saw little playing time in 1970 and was moved to strong safety in 1971, where he made 6 interceptions and recovered 3 fumbles. The next year (1972), he had 2 interceptions in 14 starts before going to Kansas City.
Keyes died on April 15, 2021, in West Lafayette, after several months of suffering from a recurrence of cancer and congestive heart failure. Keyes was survived by his wife Monica and children Colin, Raymond, Jacqueline and Courtland.[3]