Coach Keedy remembered at memorial event

From left are coaches Herbert Lewis, Bill Keedy, Richie Mathis and Kenny Black in 1991, the last time the entire coaching staff was together at Newport High School.
From left are coaches Herbert Lewis, Bill Keedy, Richie Mathis and Kenny Black in 1991, the last time the entire coaching staff was together at Newport High School.

Greyhound Field has hosted a lot of big games, but on Wednesday, the stadium was packed for a different reason. Former coaches, players, cheerleaders and anyone associated with the Newport High School football program returned home to celebrate the life of legendary coach Bill Keedy, who died Sept. 26 at age 70.

But amid the orange and black, one could also see a lot of Arkansas State University dignitaries with Red Wolves logos, because Keedy’s reach extended to the ASU program, where he served the past 20 years as a color analyst.

It was Keedy’s unique ability to make people feel comfortable around him that made him the coach he was, said Paul Miller, the starting quarterback on Newport’s 1991 state championship team.

“He knew how to get the best out of his players, and what made him so special was, he did it in a positive way rather than a negative one,” Miller said. “He was always encouraging us rather than talking down to us. He believed in us, and when someone like that believes in you, it makes you believe in yourself. He would get sick before games because of his nerves, and that showed his love for the game and how serious and passionate he was for it, as well as his players.”

Keedy first coached football at Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, then Paragould High School, before returning to his hometown of Newport in 1977. He headed the Greyhounds for 19 seasons, stepping down after the 1995 season. He compiled a record of 175-48-3 while Newport’s football coach. He was named conference Coach of the Year 17 times. He won 17 conference championships over that time period and reached the playoffs 19 times.

Newport won two state championships during Keedy’s tenure, his first in 1981 on the road against Alma, who was the defending state champion, and another in 1991 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Lake Hamilton. Both of the championship teams featured a ground-oriented attack that became his trademark, along with a swarming defense.

Newport also finished as state runner-up in 1988 and 1989, which many of the Greyhound faithful still talk about today. Newport reached the semifinals eight times as well. Keedy was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Herbert Lewis, Newport’s defensive coordinator, also arrived in 1977 as a new coach straight out of college. He is assistant principal at Newport and still follows the football program. Lewis said the community’s attraction to Keedy was due to the fact that he was a hometown boy and to his ability to produce winners. In the ’90s, Keedy and his staff put together one of the most dominating high school football programs in the state, winning 98 games.

“Everybody loves a winner; that’s the bottom line,” Lewis said. “And I also need to knock on wood because a lot of times, a school will have a two- or three-year run and then fall back into being mediocre. All of a sudden at Newport, we had a run that lasted quite a few years. It just went on and on and on.

“I was just blessed to be able to start my career because we had a long run of success. All good things come to an end; some just last longer than others. The run we had lasted quite awhile and impacted a lot of people in this community.”

Buddy Black, the voice of the Hounds, said it wasn’t the success or gratitude for himself that motivated Keedy. It was his love and desire for his community that made him great and got others to buy into what he was selling, and that was Greyhound pride. Black said it caught on like wildfire and was something everyone wanted to be a part of, from underprivileged children to bank presidents.

“He was our best ambassador. Wherever he went, he always spoke of the Greyhounds. He was very proud to be from here, and he elected to come back here. He wanted to win, not for him but for us,” Black said.

“He wanted to make us all proud to be from Newport. And what made him unique is he did it by being fair to everyone and never overlooking anyone because of the color of their skin or where they were from or how big or small they were,” Black said.

“He judged you on your ability. He was the guy that walked in the room, and 30 minutes later, he was your best friend,” Black said. “He never met a stranger and was one of the most intelligent coaches I’ve been around, and he was better as a man because he was a father figure to so many.

“He lifted up the unloved and unwanted and made them feel special and a part of the program. Everyone wanted to be a part of the Greyhound family. He treated everyone the same. This community is wounded, but we will recover. We have lost our all-time favorite son.”

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