Associate Vice President, Continuous Systems Improvement, Rod Baker, knew that Winona Health board member Bob Williams was a Purdue graduate and about the same age as Colin’s dad, also a Purdue alum. Rod mentioned Colin’s name to Bob and asked if the name Keyes rang any bells. Bob thought a moment and remembered ball player, Leroy Keyes, from when he was at Purdue. Colin is his son. Bob remembers… Leroy Keyes was at Purdue the fall of 1965 when I was there working on another degree. Word on campus was that a really talented freshman football player from Virginia was tearing up the practices, and that was Leroy. So, expectations were high, and he exceeded those expectations. Most memorable was Leroy’s first game in big-time college football — against rival Notre Dame — where he returned a recovered fumble over 90 yards for a touchdown, and that was on national TV. He became known as a football player who could do anything. In my humble, unbiased opinion, Leroy Keyes was hands down the greatest football player to suit up at Purdue. I remember Colin’s dad not only as a great athlete, but also as someone who had a reputation for being a good, honorable man. Doesn’t get much better than that! Colin’s dad, Leroy, passed away in 2021 at the age of 74.
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