Eastern Michigan Athletics
Aaron Keen Named EMU Football Assistant Coach
5/8/2014 3:58:00 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Keen will be the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Aaron Keen, the associate head coach for the Minnesota State University football team, has been named an assistant football coach at Eastern Michigan University, Head Coach Chris Creighton announced today, May 8. He will serve as the team's special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
"Coach Keen is a fantastic fit on our coaching staff and for our football program," said Creighton. "He is a proven winner and leader. He has experience coordinating special teams and is an excellent offensive mind. He will make us better both on and off the field."
Keen brings significant experience both as a player and coach at many different levels of football, including 20 years as a collegiate coach. He joined the Minnesota State football staff prior to the start of the 2011 season as offensive coordinator before serving as acting head coach for the Mavericks in 2012 and 2013.
In 2013, Minnesota State finished with an 11-1 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after putting together an undefeated Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season (11-0). Keen was named AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to their second consecutive NSIC regular season championship.
Minnesota State finished 13-1 in 2012, earning a berth in the NCAA Division II national semifinals. The Mavericks hosted three NCAA playoff games at Blakeslee Stadium after going undefeated in NSIC action, capturing the 2012 league title with an 11-0 mark. The 2012 squad saw three players earn Capital One Academic All-American honors as kicker Sam Brockshus and defensive end Chris Schaudt were named to the first team while offensive lineman Josh Meeker was a second-team selection. Additionally, Brockshus was honored as an American Football Coaches Association All-American.
Keen, who was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, saw 12 student-athletes earn First, Second or Honorable Mention All-NSIC honors in 2012.
Offensively, the Mavericks finished the year with 5,670 yards of total offense, 3,300 of which were on the ground and 2,370 of which came via the air. The rushing offense total was the second-best single-season effort in school history, while the passing mark was the 10th-best. On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota State finished with a school record 103 tackles for a loss to complement 22 interceptions, which were tied for the fifth-best single-season effort in school history.
In his first season at MSU, Keen oversaw an offensive unit that averaged 31.8 points per game and 357.8 yards of total offense.
Prior to coming to Minnesota State, Keen spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and receivers coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
While at UNO, Keen helped oversee Maverick squads that went a combined 19-15 in three seasons, scoring 30 or more points in 19 games. During his time, he helped lead the Mavericks to an NCAA appearance in 2008 and saw the team participate in the Kanza Bowl in 2009. In 2008, UNO ranked third in the NCAA in rushing offense and, in 2009, the team was ranked 14th in the nation in total offense and set team records in passing and total offense. He also coached Zach Miller, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Prior to his stint in Omaha, Keen spent five seasons as the head coach at Division III Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. During his time with IC, Keen was 23-27 and his 20 wins in Midwest Conference competition were the most since the Blueboys joined the league in 1983.
In total, he led the team to a pair of six-win seasons. He also produced 51 all-conference players while overseeing its growth from just 60 players to over 100. The Blueboys ranked number one in passing offense among Midwest Conference teams in 2007, thanks to an average of 287.5 yards per game. The team also ranked third in total offense during the 2007 campaign at 382.9 yards per game.
Keen was also an assistant coach at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., from 1994-2002. At Washington, he coached tight ends and tackles in 1994, linebackers and coordinated special teams from 1995-98 and was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 1999-2002.
A Cheyenne, Wyo. native, Keen received his bachelor's degree from Washington University in 1994 and his master's degree from the University of Missouri in 1997.
While at Washington as an undergraduate, Keen was a four-year letterwinner in football and a three-year starter as quarterback. In 1991 and 1993, he was an all-conference pick and an honorable mention All-American selection.
Keen and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Brandon and Cody, and a daughter, Addison.
The Aaron Keen File
Name: Aaron Keen
High School: Cheyenne East H.S. - Cheyenne., Wyo.
College: Washington University - Bachelor's degree in History and Secondary Education - 1994
University of Missouri - Master's degree in Secondary Education - 1997
Family: Wife-Michelle; Children-Addison, Brandon and Cody
Coaching Experience
Year School Position
2013 Minnesota State University Interim Head Coach
2012 Minnesota State University Acting Head Coach
2011 Minnesota State University Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2008-10 University of Nebraska-Omaha Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2003-07 Illinois College Head Coach
1994-02 Washington University Assistant Coach
"Coach Keen is a fantastic fit on our coaching staff and for our football program," said Creighton. "He is a proven winner and leader. He has experience coordinating special teams and is an excellent offensive mind. He will make us better both on and off the field."
Keen brings significant experience both as a player and coach at many different levels of football, including 20 years as a collegiate coach. He joined the Minnesota State football staff prior to the start of the 2011 season as offensive coordinator before serving as acting head coach for the Mavericks in 2012 and 2013.
In 2013, Minnesota State finished with an 11-1 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after putting together an undefeated Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season (11-0). Keen was named AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to their second consecutive NSIC regular season championship.
Minnesota State finished 13-1 in 2012, earning a berth in the NCAA Division II national semifinals. The Mavericks hosted three NCAA playoff games at Blakeslee Stadium after going undefeated in NSIC action, capturing the 2012 league title with an 11-0 mark. The 2012 squad saw three players earn Capital One Academic All-American honors as kicker Sam Brockshus and defensive end Chris Schaudt were named to the first team while offensive lineman Josh Meeker was a second-team selection. Additionally, Brockshus was honored as an American Football Coaches Association All-American.
Keen, who was named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, saw 12 student-athletes earn First, Second or Honorable Mention All-NSIC honors in 2012.
Offensively, the Mavericks finished the year with 5,670 yards of total offense, 3,300 of which were on the ground and 2,370 of which came via the air. The rushing offense total was the second-best single-season effort in school history, while the passing mark was the 10th-best. On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota State finished with a school record 103 tackles for a loss to complement 22 interceptions, which were tied for the fifth-best single-season effort in school history.
In his first season at MSU, Keen oversaw an offensive unit that averaged 31.8 points per game and 357.8 yards of total offense.
Prior to coming to Minnesota State, Keen spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and receivers coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
While at UNO, Keen helped oversee Maverick squads that went a combined 19-15 in three seasons, scoring 30 or more points in 19 games. During his time, he helped lead the Mavericks to an NCAA appearance in 2008 and saw the team participate in the Kanza Bowl in 2009. In 2008, UNO ranked third in the NCAA in rushing offense and, in 2009, the team was ranked 14th in the nation in total offense and set team records in passing and total offense. He also coached Zach Miller, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Prior to his stint in Omaha, Keen spent five seasons as the head coach at Division III Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. During his time with IC, Keen was 23-27 and his 20 wins in Midwest Conference competition were the most since the Blueboys joined the league in 1983.
In total, he led the team to a pair of six-win seasons. He also produced 51 all-conference players while overseeing its growth from just 60 players to over 100. The Blueboys ranked number one in passing offense among Midwest Conference teams in 2007, thanks to an average of 287.5 yards per game. The team also ranked third in total offense during the 2007 campaign at 382.9 yards per game.
Keen was also an assistant coach at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., from 1994-2002. At Washington, he coached tight ends and tackles in 1994, linebackers and coordinated special teams from 1995-98 and was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 1999-2002.
A Cheyenne, Wyo. native, Keen received his bachelor's degree from Washington University in 1994 and his master's degree from the University of Missouri in 1997.
While at Washington as an undergraduate, Keen was a four-year letterwinner in football and a three-year starter as quarterback. In 1991 and 1993, he was an all-conference pick and an honorable mention All-American selection.
Keen and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Brandon and Cody, and a daughter, Addison.
The Aaron Keen File
Name: Aaron Keen
High School: Cheyenne East H.S. - Cheyenne., Wyo.
College: Washington University - Bachelor's degree in History and Secondary Education - 1994
University of Missouri - Master's degree in Secondary Education - 1997
Family: Wife-Michelle; Children-Addison, Brandon and Cody
Coaching Experience
Year School Position
2013 Minnesota State University Interim Head Coach
2012 Minnesota State University Acting Head Coach
2011 Minnesota State University Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2008-10 University of Nebraska-Omaha Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2003-07 Illinois College Head Coach
1994-02 Washington University Assistant Coach
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