Former Dublin Head Coach Jimmie Keeling was honored last fall with a statue at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene for his work with the football program there.
Keeling directed the Dublin Lions for two season, with a 10-0 season in 1960 after coming to Dublin from Hamilton.
He left Dublin to go to Tulia, then to Elgin and on to Lubbock Estacado and on to other high schools, winning numerous state championships, before being called on to resurrect the football program at HSU.
The plaque honoring Keeling reads:
“During his time at Hardin Simmons University, Jimmie Keeling led the revival of the football program, which in many ways, changed the direction of athletics at the University.
“He was hired in 1989 to bring back a program that had been dormant since 1963. He built the program from the ground up and his record of success is legendary. During his career, he led the Cowboys to the national play-offs - either NAIA or NCAA Division III - 11 times in his 21 seasons as the HSU coach.
“His teams won TIAA titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and American Southwest Conference titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004.
“He coached 64 All-Americans, 28 Academic All-Americans, 282 all-conference and 349 academic allconference players at HSU. His teams had winning records for the last 19 years of his tenure.
“Keeling posted a career record of 172-53 at HSU. He is the school’s all-time leader in wins. He was sixth nationally among Division III active head coaches in wins when he retired in 2010.
“When you add in his 196- 91-11 record as a high school coach, he completed his remarkable career with a record of 368-144-11. He was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and served as president of the Texas High School Coaches Association.”
The plaque goes on to note the many other honors he has received during his career. He and his wife, Susan Zesch of Mason, have five children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.