John Keenoy
| Personal information | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | February 26, 1997 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | East Kentwood (Kentwood, Michigan) | ||||||
| College: | Western Michigan | ||||||
| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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John Keenoy (born February 26, 1997) is an American professional football center who is a free agent. He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos.
High school career
[edit]Keenoy attended East Kentwood High School, where he was a three-star prospect.[1] He did not have many college offers coming out of high school and was recruited to Western Michigan by P. J. Fleck.[2]
College career
[edit]Keenoy was an early enrollee at Western Michigan as a freshman and allowed 25 pressures and four sacks in 2015.[1] Keenoy was named to the Second-team All-MAC as a sophomore in 2016 after helping Western Michigan's rushing game to finish in the top 25.[3] Keenoy anchored an offensive line on a team that finished with a 13–1 record and a No. 15 national ranking and played in the Cotton Bowl.[1] He missed one start in 2017 against Wagner. He was a First-team All-MAC selection in 2017 and helped the Broncos to finished in the top 25 in rushing again.[3] Keenoy had his second consecutive season of not allowing a sack. As a senior in 2018, Keenoy helped the Broncos finish 33rd in rushing (204.6 yards per game) and 27th in sacks allowed (17).[1] Keenoy was named to the Second-team All-Conference. He was also a three-time academic All-MAC selection.[3] Keenoy was a four-year starter at Western Michigan, starting 51 of 52 games. He graduated with a degree in finance and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the "Academic Heisman."[1]
Professional career
[edit]After not being selected in the 2019 NFL draft, Keenoy was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings.[3] He was waived after training camp on August 31 and became a volunteer assistant at Western Michigan.[4] Keenoy subsequently joined the Vikings practice squad.[5]
Keenoy was selected in the ninth round of the 2020 XFL Draft by the Dallas Renegades.[6] By the fourth game of the season, he was named the starting center. However, the season was cancelled after Week 5 due to the coronavirus pandemic.[5] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[7]
On April 16, 2020, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[8] Keenoy joined offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor and linebacker Robert Spillane as former WMU players on the Steelers.[5] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[9]
Personal life
[edit]His father, John Keenoy, played football at Central Michigan University, while his mother, Melissa Keenoy, played basketball at the school.[10] Keenoy is a fan of country music and plays golf. He describes himself as a major foodie.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Buckley, Nick (December 17, 2018). "Unassuming John Keenoy at the center of Western Michigan's success over last four years". Battle Creek Enquirer. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Hartman, Sid (May 17, 2019). "Vikings free-agent rookie lineman John Keenoy credits P.J. Fleck, staff for his development". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Nothaft, Patrick (April 28, 2019). "WMU football's John Keenoy signs undrafted free agent deal with Vikings". MLive.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Saunders, Alan (April 16, 2020). "Steelers Add Former XFL, Western Michigan OL John Keenoy". Steelers Now. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c Nothaft, Patrick (April 16, 2016). "Former XFLer John Keenoy to 'keep living the dream' after signing with Steelers". MLive.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (April 16, 2020). "Steelers sign four to add depth". Steelers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (September 6, 2020). "Steelers make moves to get to 53-man roster". Steelers.com.
- ^ Kaminski, Steve (April 21, 2014). "East Kentwood offensive lineman John Keenoy announces college plans". MLive.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.