Keefe Courts - Facilities - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Keefe Courts

No discussion of tennis at Bowling Green would be complete without mentioning the name Robert J. Keefe. During his 23-year tenure at Bowling Green, Keefe became the first full-time coach of the Falcon men’s tennis squad and was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. Keefe, a Navy veteran of World War II, embarked upon what he thought would be a long-term professorial career at the University of Saskatchewan when he learned of an opening at Bowling Green in 1955. Not only would it put the family close to in-laws in Oberlin, Ohio, but more importantly, it included the opportunity to coach tennis and teach future teachers, his daughter said. He never had any misgivings about his choice to be a teacher, Mr. Keefe added, noting that many of his students and team players stayed in touch with him over the years. Keefe, as mentioned, was the first full-time tennis coach at BG, serving in that capacity from 1955 until 1968. His teams compiled an 83-76 record, including the 1964 Mid-American Conference championship (BGSU tied Miami for the league crown). That team also posted an undefeated record in 15 dual matches. Between 1962-64, Keefe’s Falcon teams compiled a 34-5 dual-match record. In 1980, the tennis facility at BGSU was named in his honor. While coaching at BG, Keefe was also a full-time professor in the health, physical education and recreation department. Keefe served as the Dean of the College of Education for six years upon his retirement from coaching.