Willis Marcus Keyes (born October 20, 1973) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who played eight seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL) with the

Florida Bobcats The Florida Bobcats were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Sunrise, Florida. They were previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters, and played in the AFL for a total of ten seasons, the last seven in West Palm Beach ...

Carolina Cobras The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was formed prior to the 2000 season, which endured a player strike. The team was originally based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but moved to Charlotte followin ...

and

Georgia Force The Georgia Force was an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States (part of suburban Atlanta) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Je ...

. He was drafted by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the seventh round of the

1996 NFL Draft The 1996 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996, at the Paramount ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes ...

and attendede Taylorsville High School in

Taylorsville, Mississippi Taylorsville is a town located in southeastern Smith County, Mississippi, United States. With a population of 1,353 in the 2010 census, the town is the second most populous city in Smith County, Mississippi. History Taylorsville was establishe ...

College career

Keyes played college football for the

North Alabama Lions The North Alabama Lions are the athletic teams of the University of North Alabama, located in Florence, Alabama. The Lions are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and compete within the ASUN Conference. ...

. He won three

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

during his college career. He also participated in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

and the Blue/Grey game.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Keyes was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 233rd pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Bears from 1996 to 1997, appearing in two games during the 1996 season.

Florida Bobcats

Keyes signed with the Florida Bobcats on March 9, 2001.

Georgia Force

Keyes was a member of the Georgia Force during the 2002 off-season. He was released by the Force on April 15, 2002.

Carolina Cobras

Keyes was signed by the Carolina Cobras on April 16, 2002.

Georgia Force

Keyes was traded to the Georgia Force on October 22, 2002, for the fourth pick in the 2003 Dispersal Draft. He played for the team from 2003 to 2007, earning Second-team All-Arena honors in 2007.

Grand Rapids Rampage

Keyes signed with the Grand Rapids Rampage on October 31, 2007, and played for them during the 2008 season. He was released by the Rampage on December 2, 2008.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Marcus Living people 1973 births Players of American football from Mississippi American football offensive linemen North Alabama Lions football players Chicago Bears players Florida Bobcats players Carolina Cobras players Georgia Force players Grand Rapids Rampage players People from Taylorsville, Mississippi