Houston Sports - Case Keenum

Case Keenum

Born: February 17, 1988

Sport: Football (All-American, All-time NCAA FBS Records - completions, passing yards, passing TDs)

The college football season is nearing its conclusion while teams in the NFL begin to realize whether they have a shot at making the playoffs.  The sports talk shows often focus on individual accomplishments at this time of year - who has a chance at winning an award or who might reach a particular milestone.  One player in Houston set records that still remain unequaled in the college game, but has been considered an overachiever by making a mark on the professional game.  Case Keenum has continued to prove his doubters wrong as he's forged an impressive 13-year career in the NFL with eight different franchises, including three separate stints with the Houston Texans.  Whether he'll continue his career once this season is done or begin a new chapter in life, he's certainly earned a spot in our list.  So let's learn a bit about a native Texan that's always easy to root for.

When Keenum joined the Texans in 2012, it was only a few miles from the UH stadium

With a dad who was a college football coach, Case Keenum was always near the gridiron.  Steve Keenum moved his young family around Texas, starting from Case's birthplace of Brownwood, then to Stephenville, Alpine, and eventually Abilene, and always kept his son nearby.  At just 5 years old, little Case got his first taste of football success when his dad told the team they could skip the conditioning portion of practice if the young man could catch a pass.  Despite the football being as big as his head, he caught the ball and instinctively ran towards the end zone.  The college players cheered, ran to catch him, and lifted Keenum up on their shoulders as they left the field.  He was hooked on the game.  Some years later, Case asked his dad if he could be the ball boy for the team but was told he couldn't participate until he could throw a ball from the sideline to the referee who would be standing on the hash mark.  He practiced and learned how to throw the football, and he threw it well.  The quarterback position seemed to come naturally to Keenum, and by the time his family lived in Abilene he was the star player for Wylie High School, which ironically played on a field named for Case's maternal grandfather.  Wylie won the 3A state championship in 2004 behind Keenum's team-leading passing and rushing, but only a few colleges approached him in spite of his individual and team successes.  Eventually he chose the University of Houston, but the presence of senior starter Kevin Kolb led the coaching staff to redshirt Keenum, meaning he was on the team but did not play for the entire year.

Although the Cougars ran a pass-heavy offense, the numbers that Case Keenum began to put up in the stat sheet reflected his ability at the position more than just being a product of the system.  During his first season on the field as quarterback in 2007, during which he was competing for time with sophomore Blake Joseph, Keenum started seven games and led his conference in completion percentage...and he repeated that accomplishment during each of his four full seasons.  Briles left the school and was replaced by Kevin Sumlin in 2008, during which Keenum secured his spot as the starter and became just the second Cougar to reach 5,000 passing yards in a season.  UH won their first bowl game in 28 years, and their QB was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.  In 2009 his numbers continued to improve and he won the conference's MVP award while also being honored with the Sammy Baugh Trophy for the nation's top passer, but the Cougars lost their bowl game in a rematch of the previous year's victory over Air Force.  With high hopes for the 2010 season Keenum started strong but tore an ACL in week 3 and was lost for the season.  He completed his bachelor's degree in business administration and was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA.  As a senior in 2011, Keenum began etching his name in the record books while also tying the knot with wife Kimberly, with whom he would have a son named Kyler.  With a 9-touchdown performance against crosstown Rice University, Keenum broke the NCAA D-1 record for career passing TDs, and nine days later he broke the all-time record for passing yards.  Finally, Keenum set the record for passing completions with one game left in the regular season, and although UH lost the conference title game they ended the season with a bowl game victory over Penn State.  Once again, the Cougars field general earned conference MVP honors and despite only placing seventh in the annual Heisman Trophy vote Keenum still won his second Sammy Baugh Trophy.

Despite all of his success at the college level, however, the NFL was cautious about Case Keenum - especially if his style and relatively short stature would translate to the pro game - and his name was not called during the 2012 NFL Draft.  Having seen his exploits up close, however, the Houston Texans decided to give him a spot on their practice squad and just like in college he spent his first year as a pro without playing a single game.  Head coach Gary Kubiak elevated him to the 53-man roster as the #3 QB the following year, but when starting QB Matt Schaub sustained an injury it was Keenum that leap-frogged the second-string TJ Yates into the starting role.  He started the final eight games of the season, losing each one (six of which were by a single score) for a team that ended up spiraling to a 2-14 record.  Keenum was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Rams after the season ended, but once again found himself on a practice squad.  What seemed like another "lost" season was suddenly redeemed when the Texans scooped him up onto their roster after starter Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with an injury, and this time Keenum managed to get his first professional win in a week 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens.  He also won the final game of the year to help Houston to a 9-7 record, but they missed the playoffs despite their significant improvement.  The Rams saw the value in bringing Keenum back, so they traded a 7th round pick to Houston and named him the backup QB, but when starter Nick Foles did not perform up to expectations he was benched.  Keenum finished the year by starting the final seven games, including a victory in the final home game in St. Louis history.  The next year the Rams moved to Los Angeles and Keenum began the season as a starter for the first time in his career, and opened their new home the same way he'd closed their old one - with a victory.  By season's end, however, he had been replaced as the starter by the previous year's first overall pick, Jared Goff.  After the season was done, he signed with Minnesota to be the backup for Sam Bradford but was pressed into service by the second week of the season.  It turned out to be his best year of all, as he went 11-3 as the starter and led the Vikings to a miraculous win in the first round of the playoffs over the New Orleans Saints before eventually falling to the future Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.  Keenum was second that season in the Comeback Player of the Year vote.  He continued to be a journeyman starter, playing one year each for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins before signing a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns to back up former Heisman Trophy QB Baker Mayfield.  Although Keenum's W-L record didn't reflect much success over that time, he continued to not only bring his skill and readiness, but also veteran presence and wisdom to the quarterback rooms for each team.  The Buffalo Bills traded for him in advance of the 2022 season, where he saw limited action as the backup for Josh Allen, and the following year he signed a deal to return once again to Houston.  Joining the team alongside rookie C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, it meant that Houston's QB roster boasted three starters, with Keenum providing steady leadership to help develop the younger men.  He made two starts during the season, which currently represent his latest on-field action, and then lost the 2024 season to a foot injury.  This year he has spent time with the Chicago Bears, his eighth team, as he's helping mentor another young QB, Caleb Williams.  The University of Houston chose to retire the number 7, which both Case Keenum and former QB David Klingler wore, in 2016.  Off the field, Keenum has written a book emphasizing his Christian faith while playing football, he is part owner of a local winery, and he supports charities such as Compassion International and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  His effort, character, and dedication have gained him many fans and continue to allow him to have an outsized impact on his community, which is exactly what he's done on the field for years.

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