| Date of birth | November 5, 1980 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Springfield, VA |
| Position(s) | Head Coach |
| College | Mercyhurst College |
| Regular season | 22-14 |
| Postseason | 3-1 |
| Career record | 25-15 |
| ArenaBowl wins | 1: ArenaBowl XXIII |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1999-2003 2006-2007 2008 |
Mercyhurst College Spokane Shock Philadelphia Soul |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 2009 2010-2011 |
Spokane Shock (AC) Spokane Shock (HC) |
Robert Keefe was born on November 5, 1980, and is the former head coach for the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League. Keefe attended Mercyhurst College and has won championships as a player and coach in the af2, and the Arena Football League.
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Keefe attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2003. He had a quietly recognized, yet notable college career. He had eight career interceptions and had the 27th rank in school history with 166 career tackles. He was also a stalwart punt returner and holds the school's career record with 643 yards on punt returns, with an average of 9.2 yards per return.[1]
As a player for the Spokane Shock, Keefe had a total of 168 tackles (which is a franchise record), 19 interceptions (2nd all-time) and 30 pass break-ups. Keefe was to quickly become a fan favorite and had acquired the well known nickname "Keefense". He helped lead the Shock to a victory of the ArenaCup in 2006 to make the "Cinderella Story" happen as this was the first year of the Spokane Shock franchise.[2] In 2007, Keefe helped the Spokane Shock reach the playoffs, however losing in the 1st round to the Louisville Fire.[3]
With Keefe's success in the af2, he had made the 2008 AFL roster, playing for the Philadelphia Soul. Keefe had yet again assisted the team to a championship (ArenaBowl XXII) with 36 tackles, and 18 returns for a total of 339 yards.[4]
Rob Keefe has been the only player to win championships in both the af2 and AFL as a player.[5]
With the original AFL and the AFL Players Association folding after the 2008 postseason, he decided to come back to his roots, this time as part of the 2009 coaching staff for the Shock. He was the Assistant Coach behind Adam Shackleford, helping the Shock win the 10th and final ArenaCup against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers with a blowout victory of 74-27.
After the 2009 season, people began to wonder what was going to happen to the af2, as there was no AFL at that present time. With things being worked out behind closed doors (in regards to the new AFL) Keefe was assigned the head coach position with the Shock. In the winter of 2009, it was announced that the AFL would be returning under a new business plan and the Spokane Shock were to be in it, making Keefe the first head coach for the Shock's AFL history. On August 20, 2010, Rob took his team to ArenaBowl XXIII, defeating the Tampa Bay Storm in what would be the Shock's first ever ArenaBowl win.
After going 9-9 in the 2011 season, and losing in a lopsided game in the first round of the playoffs, the Shock decided not to renew his contract for the 2012 AFL season.
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