Allan Wade Key (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

and offensive tackle for 10 seasons with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) from

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1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

. After playing college football for

Southwest Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

, he was selected in the 13th round of the

1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft be ...

by the Eagles. He was named to the Eagles' 75th Anniversary Team in 2007.

Early years

Key attended Edison High School in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He

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in football and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. In the Hub City Relays in

Alice, Texas Alice is a city in, and the county seat of, Jim Wells County, Texas, United States, in the South Texas region of the state. The population was 19,104 at the 2010 census. Alice was established in 1888. First it was called "Bandana", then "Kleberg ...

, in 1963, Key placed fifth in the discus. He played

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

in football, and was selected to an all-star team for the Texas High School Coaches Association clinic in 1964.

College career

After graduating high school, Key played college football for

as a starting tight end. In track and field, he placed first in the shot put during the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in T ...

finals with in May 1967. He finished fourth in the discus in the finals. In the

Texas Relays The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays are an annual track and field competition held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas serves as host for the event, held on either the first or second weekend of April. Events are he ...

in April 1968, Key placed third in the shot put with . He was inducted into the

Texas State Bobcats The Texas State Bobcats are the sports teams that represent Texas State University. Currently, they compete in the Sun Belt Conference in NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision for football). The Bobcat has been the mascot of Texas State Univ ...

Hall of Honor in 1983.

Professional career

Key was selected by the

in the 13th round (314th overall) of the

. He signed a contract with the team on February 16, but he was released before the start of the 1969 season on September 2, 1969. He spent the season on the team's

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

and played for the

Pottstown Firebirds The Pottstown Firebirds were a professional American football minor league team and member of the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1968 to 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds were former NFL football players, former college football players, and for ...

of the

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional american football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid ...

(ACFL) during his tenure. The Firebirds won the ACFL championship in 1969. After starting at left offensive tackle from

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, and missing only one game in that span, Key was moved to left

for the 1973 season. He played in 12 games in 1973, missing two due to injury, and all 14 games in 1974, despite suffering hand and thumb injuries in a game against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. During the 1975 season, he suffered a knee injury during

mini-camp A mini-camp, also spelled minicamp, is a short camp held by National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) teams usually in spring of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending ...

in May that required surgery, a dislocated toe in the first game of the season against the New York Giants that was thought to take at least six weeks to recover from, and a fractured forearm in practice on October 16 that also required surgery. He was placed on injured reserve due to the broken arm on October 17 after playing in only two games during the season. From

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

to 1978, he played in 40 games and started in 39 of them. In

, Key was the Eagles' longest-tenured player with ten seasons played. After missing six games in 1979 due to hamstring and groin injuries, and undergoing surgery to remove calcium deposits in his leg, he was waived by the team on September 1, 1980. Key finished his career with 121 games played, and was selected as a member of a 75th anniversary team in honor of the Eagles' 75th season in 2007.

After football

After his NFL career was over, Key was a track and football coach for more than seventeen years for John Jay High School, Floresville Middle School, and Sam Houston High School in San Antonio. He was the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Wade 1946 births Living people Players of American football from San Antonio American football tight ends American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Texas State Bobcats football players Philadelphia Eagles players