Rob Keefe
| Position: | Head coach | ||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | November 5, 1980 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Springfield, Virginia | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Mercyhurst College | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2004 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career Arena statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season: | 57–29 (.663) | ||||||||
| Postseason: | 4–4 (.500) | ||||||||
| Career: | 61–33 (.649) | ||||||||
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||
| Tackles: | 36 |
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| Pass Breakups: | 3 |
| Kickoff Returns: | 18 |
| Kickoff Return Yards: | 339 |
Rob Keefe is a former arena football defensive specialist who is the current head coach of the Orlando Predators in the Arena Football League. Defined by his energy, excitement, and overall passion for the game, Keefe is well known for his hands-on approach to coaching. Keefe has four championship victories to his credit and is the only person in Arena Football history to win ArenaCup (af2) and ArenaBowl (Arena Football League) titles as both a player and a coach.
Keefe attended Mercyhurst College (Erie, PA) from 1999 to 2003. He delivered eight interceptions in his career and ranks 27th in school history with 166 career tackles. Also a standout on special teams, Keefe holds the school's career record with 643 yards on punt returns.
Keefe joined the Spokane Shock (then af2) for the club’s inaugural season in 2006, helping the franchise secure its first ArenaCup Championship. He ended his two-year tenure with the Shock as the team’s career leader in tackles (168) and interceptions (19), twice earning all-af2 accolades as a defensive back.
Keefe entered the AFL in 2008 as a member of the Philadelphia Soul. In his only AFL season as a player, Keefe helped the Soul earn a victory over the San Jose SaberCats in ArenaBowl XXII.
Keefe began his coaching career in 2009, joining the Spokane Shock as the secondary coach. That season, the Shock boasted the af2’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 37.6 points per game. Keefe’s secondary surrendered the fifth-lowest number of passing yards per game (231.6) and registered the second-highest interception total in the league (34). The season culminated in an ArenaCup Championship title.
Keefe was promoted to Head Coach of the Shock when the organization joined the Arena Football League in 2010. Under Keefe’s guidance, Spokane finished with the best record in the AFL (13-3 regular season) while producing the League’s fourth-ranked scoring defense (52.7 ppg). Keefe became the youngest coach in AFL history to win a championship, as the Shock defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XXIII.
Keefe took over as the new Defensive Coordinator of the Utah Blaze midway through the 2012 season and engineered a dramatic turnaround on that side of the ball. After allowing an average of 64 points over the first 10 games of the season, Utah allowed just over 51 points per contest under Keefe. In the opening round of the 2012 postseason, the change in culture was loudly put on display as the Blaze defense surrendered a mere 34 points in a victory over the top-seeded San Antonio Talons.
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