GENE KEADY
1936 –
Inducted 2007
One of the greatest college basketball coaches of his time, Lloyd Eugene Keady was a fiery competititor, yet a sportsman in the truest sense of the word. In a 25-year head-coaching career at Purdue University (1980-2005), he won 512 games, six Big Ten Conference titles and led the team to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. Keady was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times and the National Coach of the Year six times. Keady was a four-sport athlete at Larned High School and Garden City Junior College. At Kansas State University, Keady was a letter-winner in football, baseball, and track. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL in 1958, but his pro career was ended early by a knee injury. Keady returned to Kansas and coached basketball at Beloit High School for six seasons. He was named the head coach at Hutchinson Junior College in 1966 and led the team to six league titles and a second-place finish in the 1973 NJCAA Tournament. After serving as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, Keady spent two years at Western Kentucky University before moving to Purdue. In 2004, Keady was awarded the 36th Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award for his tremendous sportsmanship in basketball and a lifelong dedication to the sport. In 2006, he was named the recipient of the 2007 John R. Wooden "Legends of Coaching" award. Keady is a member of the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame and NJCAA Hall of Fame. Born May 21, 1936 – Larned, Kansas. Graduated Larned H.S., 1954; Garden City Community College, 1956; Kansas State University, 1958; MD – Kansas State University, 1964.