Gene Keady Biography, Coaching Career, Married, Wife, Salary, Net Worth

Gene Keady is a respected basketball coach, considered to be among the best college basket coaches in the history of the game. With over three decades of experience on his professional resume, holding the reins at Purdue University and Western Kentucky collegiate programs, he has been able to pull off more than 550 wins in NCAA Division 1 and over 800 career games won at all levels.

Gene Keady Biography

Gene has done enough to earn his place in the Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2013 and has been given several awards and recognition for his excellent coaching work such as the AP Coach of the Year, Henry Iba Award, NABC Coach of the Year, Big Ten Coach of the Year, UPI Coach of the Year, John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching award, and NABC Golden Anniversary Award.

The coaching legend was born as Lloyd Eugene Keady on May 21, 1936, in Larned, Kansas. He rounded up his early education at Larned High School. He was very close to his father, and the older man inspired his love for sports, encouraging him to chase a career as an athlete. By the time Gene got into college, he was proficient and competed as an athlete in four sports: baseball, track, football, and basketball. During his junior college years, he received the All-American honors serving as a football quarterback. When he moved from Garden City Junior College to attend Kansas State University, he became a letter-winner in baseball, football, and track.

Gene Keady graduated with a degree in biological sciences and physical education. He enjoyed a successful college football career and was picked in the 1958 NFL Draft in the 19th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 223rd overall pick, but he ended up not playing.

Coaching Career

After his football career ended, Gene moved back to Kansas sometime in 1959 to serve as a teacher and coach at Beloit Junior-Senior High School. He coached the school’s basketball team from 1959-1965, garnering a record 142 wins against 47 losses. He also furthered his education, earning a master’s degree in education from his alma mater.

In 1965, Gene Keady accepted a coaching job offer at Hutchinson Junior College, which kicked off his college coaching career. He worked as an assistant coach for a single year before being promoted to head coach. With his guidance, the Blue Dragons claimed six league titles, which led to Gene being recognized as junior college coach of the year three successive times. He ended his tenure at Hutchinson in 1974 with an overall 187-48 record, (.796).

The following season, Gene set out to dominate the NCAA Division 1 with his team Arkansas even though he was only the assistant coach. He helped take the squad to the NCAA tournament as well as the final four. He also built a reputation and earned commendation for his recruiting abilities. He left Arkansas in 1978 with an overall tally of 94 wins against 24 losses, (.797).

Gene Keady would next accept an offer as head coach from Western Kentucky University in 1978. He led the team to a second-place finish at the conference with a 17-11 tally in his debut year. The following season, his squad claimed 21-8 wins and were the co-champions in that season’s Ohio Valley Conference before going on to win the tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. He ended his reign in 1980 with an accumulated 38-19 record, (.667).

Sometime in April 1980, the man was appointed the head coach for the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team, where he became the highest winning coach as far as the school’s history is concerned, as well as the second highest winning coach active in the Big Ten Conference with 493 victories. He coached the team to six Big Ten titles, 18 NCAA Tournament participation, two Elite Eight appearances, 5 NIT competitions, and 5 Sweet Sixteen participations. He retired from his position at Purdue in 2005.

Gene Keady returned to the game in 2010 as the assistant coach to Steve Lavin at St. John’s. He has also worked as head and assistant coach for several United States Basketball teams, including the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. In addition to that, he took his coaching talent to professional basketball. He worked as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors from 2005-2006, before leaving to take care of his sick wife.

Salary and Net Worth

Over the last few decades, Gene Keady became one of the best college basketball coaches in history. He is respected, admired, and beloved by fans, colleagues, and players alike. He also earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for his efforts coupled with signing bonuses and sponsorship deals. However, he is yet to reveal the extent of his fortune and the details of his earnings.

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Wife, Who Is Gene Keady Married To?

​On the personal front, Gene Keady married his first wife Patricia in 1981, and they enjoyed a blissful union for decades. The couple welcomed three children into their family: Lisa Keady, Dan Keady, and Beverly Keady. After battling illness for several years, Patricia succumbed to the pull of death in 2009.

Gene went through a protracted period of grieving, but he eventually remarried. He tied the knot with Kathleen Petrie in a private ceremony in Hawaii on June 5, 2012, and they are still happily married.​

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