What to Know
- Temple hired Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler as its new football coach in the Owls’ latest attempt to turn back into a winning program.
- Keeler replaced Stan Drayton, who was fired on Nov. 18 following three straight losing seasons, and interim coach Everett Withers.
- The Owls haven’t had a winning record since 2019 but had six straight seasons at .500 or better from 2014-19. Keeler went 97-39 over his 11 years at Sam Houston State.
Temple hired Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler as its new football coach on Sunday in the Owls' latest attempt to turn back into a winning program.
Keeler replaced Stan Drayton, who was fired on Nov. 18 following three straight losing seasons, and interim coach Everett Withers. The Owls haven’t had a winning record since 2019 but had six straight seasons at .500 or better from 2014-19.
"Coach Keeler is a proven winner, but just as important as that, he is a proven program builder," Temple University President John Fry said in a statement. "That is exactly what he did at both the University of Delaware and Sam Houston State University. He also led the Bearkats through a seamless transition from the FCS to the FBS, where his teams continually rose to the challenge."
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Keeler went 97-39 over his 11 years at Sam Houston State. The Bearkats advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs six times and went 10-0 during the 2020 season to capture an FCS national title.
Keeler also led the Bearkats through their transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision as part of Conference USA, where they earned bowl eligibility this year with a 9-3 record and narrowly missed out on an appearance in the C-USA title game.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
Keeler had his most successful stint as Delaware's head coach (2002-12), where he led the Blue Hens to three FCS national championship game appearances and the 2003 title. Keeler won the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS Coach of the Year in 2016.
His teams have appeared in 17 NCAA postseason playoff appearances, 11 conference championships, and have played in nine national championship games across all levels.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
