Kevin Damien Keelan MBE (born 5 January 1941) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent the majority of his career with Norwich City, though he also played for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

, Stockport County, Wrexham, New England Tea Men and Tampa Bay Rowdies. Keelan was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the

1980 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1980 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

"for services to Norwich City Football Club."

Playing career

Keelan was born in British India where his father was serving in the Army. After beginning his career with

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...

, he had spells with

, Stockport County, Kidderminster Harriers again and Wrexham before signing for Norwich City in the summer of 1963. Between then and 1980 he would make 673 first-team appearances for City, a club record. He was twice City Player of the Year and played for the City side which lost the 1973 League Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur. In both 1978 and 1979, Norwich City sent Keelan on loan to the New England Tea Men of the North American Soccer League for the summer season. He was named in the 1978 NASL All-Star Team.

Coaching career

While playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 1981, Keelan also served as an assistant manager, a position he retained in 1982. In July 1982, he also served as the interim manager when Gordon Jago resigned. In June 1991, the University of Tampa hired Keelan as the goalkeeper coach for the men's soccer team. In February 1997, he replaced Peter Mellor as the goalkeeper coach for the Tampa Bay Mutiny of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. In an interview for the Norwich City matchday programme on 30 April 2006, Keelan confirmed that he runs goalkeeping schools in Cape Coral and Tampa Florida and coaches "pretty much every night". He also stated that for 20 years he has worked for a company that manufactures contact lenses and distributes them all over the world, but plans to retire at the end of 2006 to concentrate on his coaching. He is also a staff coach with the Florida Soccer Club.Florida Soccer Club

References

External links

Football League stats

Sources

*''Canary Citizens'' by Mark Davage, John Eastwood, Kevin Platt, published by Jarrold Publishing, (2001), {{DEFAULTSORT:Keelan, Kevin Living people 1941 births Footballers from Kolkata Association football goalkeepers Aston Villa F.C. players English footballers English expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New England Tea Men players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) coaches Norwich City F.C. players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players Stockport County F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Tampa Bay Rowdies coaches Player-coaches English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English football managers Members of the Order of the British Empire