Iron Cat Keenan

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Keenan blocks two purdue players to secure Bazmanien TD  photo by Birdseye

It all started at the age of 7, i.e., when Ryan first played football.  It was flag football and much more interesting than the soccer he played prior to age 7.   He first put on pads in the 5th grade and has been dominating ever since. A humble kid who never let any of his success in sports get to his head, Ryan has stayed down to earth. He excelled in Track, Baseball, Football, & Basketball so eventually he had to decide what sports he was going to drop and what sport would be his ultimate passion. Although he was a very good baseball player and certainly had the talent, baseball was the first to go since Ryan thought that game was a little boring.  Baseball got the ax before the 9th grade. He then was strongly considering dropping football to concentrate on basketball but there was a football coaching change at his school, the Ohio big school powerhouse Lakewood St. Edward. Enter John Gibbons and he was not about to let Ryan drop out of football.  Although it was almost unheard of, Ryan was one of the few sophs to letter at this Ohio football factory. Not to be undune, the St. Edward basketball coach encouraged Ryan that he could keep playing basketball as well.  Ryan was a huge strong athletic kid that enabled his basketball team to get to Ohio’s Big School Final Four his senior year. In the spring he was in track. His strength enabled him to break the school record in the shot put and allowed him to get First Team All-State with a throw of around 58 ft. As a side, the Ohio State High School track meet was the first time he met former Cat Barry Cofield.  Of course, getting first team All-State in an athletic heavy state like Ohio is quite an honor but amazingly Ryan got First Team All-State in another sport…….Football!   As his father Bob said, “dominating in 3 sports and making 1st team all state in 2 of them at a major high school in a state like Ohio is truly amazing.” In football, Ryan’s strength was evident as he actually broke off a blocking sled.  Have you ever seen that happen?  That incident was scary as the vertical piece of metal ended up puncturing Ryan’s arm.  An ambulance was called and a fire department paramedic had to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. But Ryan was a tough kid and thought of the team so he played the next day to help his team beat arch rival Cleveland St. Ignatius and go to the State playoffs. In fact, in Ryan’s senior year of football, St. Eds was undefeated until its only loss in the post season. Ryan was named first team All-State at Defensive End. He continued his high school play by being invited to Ohio’s North-South All-Star High School Classic in which his 4th quarter safety & also a sack on the South’s last possession helped net his team to a 27-26 victory.  While at NU, he has shown that he puts his team and teammates first. As a redshirt freshman he played in 12 games at DT and picked up 26 tackles.

Photo to the right Ryan with last block to spring Sutton for 56 yard TD. Photo by Birdseye

However, as a sophomore, he played 3 positions. Started out at DT, then moved over to DE where he registered 2 TFL, then after the 6th week he was asked to switch a 3rd time, to Offensive tackle.  As a junior, he became quite a force, didn’t give up a sack, and was a staple in the ‘dart’ play that allowed Sutton to pick up a lot of his yards.

Even though Ryan has all the tools, it is obvious that his work ethic separates Ryan from just being another big athletic football guy. His dogged determination has led to off the field achievements where he set new NU football records in the 40 for big men at 4.84 [tied with Cofield], and the 20 yard pro-shuttle at 4.16.  He also took 1st in the Iron Cat this past year in the over all weight classes, as all 3 of his lifts were in the elite category. This year he will anchor a solid offensive line and IMO there doesn’t appear to be anything standing in his way to big10 honors, and being a defensive or offensive player at the next level. Son to Bob and Marie Keenan, the youngest of 3 siblings to Kerrilynne and Candice, Uncle to nieces Mallory and Rachel,  Northwestern Football player and fan favorite to Cat fans!              56 is more than a number….it’s Ryan Keenan. I was lucky enough to catch up with Ryan when I did this story and I asked him the following questions in the interview below. Hope you enjoy. Turk: When I say Randy Walker, what comes to your mind? Ryan: Right away I think of passion.  Coach Walker has shown an unparalleled passion for the game of football, getting the best from his players, and seeing his players succeed in all they do even off the football field. Turk: Last year we started with an inexperienced line but it jelled very nicely and ended up being a big team strength.  Where do you see the OL headed next year? Ryan: Well, we lose a great player and leader in Zach Strief, but I believe we have a chance to be better than last year and a top Oline in the Big Ten.  We have 4 returning starters back and with the experience gained from last year and a hard-nosed work ethic I am sure we will be successful. Turk: Can you share your NU experience with the fans? Ryan: The biggest thing that I will remember here is my teammates.  I can not say enough about them all and the bonds formed over these past years is something I’ll never forget.                                                         Go Cats!