Frank William "Menty" Keaney (June 5, 1886 – October 10, 1967) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. As a college men's basketball coach, he was known as the architect of modern "run-and-shoot" basketball and the inventor of the fast break.[1]

Frank Keaney
Keaney from the 1943 Grist
Biographical details
Born(1886-06-05)June 5, 1886
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 1967(1967-10-10) (aged 81)
Wakefield, Rhode Island, U.S.
Playing career
Football
c. 1910Bates
Baseball
c. 1910Bates
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1920–1948Rhode Island State
Football
1917–1919Everett HS (MA)
1920–1940Rhode Island State
Baseball
1921–1948Rhode Island State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1920–1956Rhode Island State / Rhode Island
Head coaching record
Overall401–124 (college basketball)
70–86–12 (college football)
222–113–1 (college baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
3 New England (1931, 1933, 1938)
Basketball
16 New England (1924, 1929–1931, 1933–1935, 1937–1943, 1945, 1946)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1960 (profile)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Keaney was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended Cambridge Latin School, graduating in 1906. He graduated from Bates College, where he played several sports, in 1911.[2] He was the head football coach at Everett High School in Massachusetts from 1917 to 1919. He coached at Rhode Island State College (now the University of Rhode Island) from 1920 to 1948 and taught a style of basketball using a fast-breaking offense and a full-court defense. In his 28 years at Rhode Island, Keaney's basketball Rams won eight conference championships and had only one losing season.[3] In 1939, Keaney's Rams became the first college team to score more than 50 points per game, and in 1943 the team had an average of more than two points per minute (80.7 points per game), which led to the Rams being dubbed "The Firehouse Gang". During his tenure the URI team had four National Invitation Tournament appearances. Keaney's career record with the men's basketball team was 401–124 (.764).[3]

After retiring from coaching collegiate basketball, Keaney was offered the position of head coach of the Boston Celtics.[4] Keaney's doctor, however, refused to let him take the job.[2] He remained at URI as athletic director until 1959. The university named the Frank W. Keaney Gymnasium-Armory in his honor in 1953. Keaney was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.[4]

Head coaching record

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College football

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Rhode Island State Rams (Independent) (1920–1922)
1920 Rhode Island State 0–4–4
1921 Rhode Island State 3–5
1922 Rhode Island State 4–4
Rhode Island State Rams (New England Conference) (1923–1940)
1923 Rhode Island State 1–5–1 0–3 4th
1924 Rhode Island State 0–7 0–3 5th
1925 Rhode Island State 2–5–1 0–1–1 4th
1926 Rhode Island State 1–6 0–3 5th
1927 Rhode Island State 5–3 2–1 2nd
1928 Rhode Island State 2–7 0–3 4th
1929 Rhode Island State 5–2–1 1–1 2nd
1930 Rhode Island State 5–2–1 0–1–1 3rd
1931 Rhode Island State 4–4 2–0 T–1st
1932 Rhode Island State 2–5–1 0–1–1 3rd
1933 Rhode Island State 6–2 2–0 1st
1934 Rhode Island State 6–3 2–1 2nd
1935 Rhode Island State 4–4–1 1–1 2nd
1936 Rhode Island State 5–4 1–2 3rd
1937 Rhode Island State 3–4–1 0–2–1 4th
1938 Rhode Island State 4–4 2–0 1st
1939 Rhode Island State 3–4–1 1–2 4th
1940 Rhode Island State 5–3 2–1 2nd
Rhode Island State: 70–86–12 16–26–4
Total: 70–86–12
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

College basketball

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Rhode Island State Rams (Independent) (1920–1923)
1920–21 Rhode Island State 9–8
1921–22 Rhode Island State 7–8
1922–23 Rhode Island State 9–4
Rhode Island State Rams (New England Conference) (1923–1946)
1923–24 Rhode Island State 9–6 2–1 T-1st
1924–25 Rhode Island State 11–5
1925–26 Rhode Island State 8–8
1926–27 Rhode Island State 13–3
1927–28 Rhode Island State 15–5
1928–29 Rhode Island State 15–1 4–1 1st
1929–30 Rhode Island State 10–5 3–1 1st
1930–31 Rhode Island State 13–4 3–1 1st
1931–32 Rhode Island State 13–3
1932–33 Rhode Island State 14–4 4–0 1st
1933–34 Rhode Island State 13–3 4–0 1st
1934–35 Rhode Island State 12–6 4–1 1st
1935–36 Rhode Island State 13–5
1936–37 Rhode Island State 18–3 8–0 1st


1937–38 Rhode Island State 19–2 8–0 1st
1938–39 Rhode Island State 17–4 7–1 1st
1939–40 Rhode Island State 19–3 8–0 1st
1940–41 Rhode Island State 21–4 7–1 T-1st NIT Quarterfinals
1941–42 Rhode Island State 18–4 8–0 1st NIT Quarterfinals
1942–43 Rhode Island State 16–3 7–1 1st
1943–44 Rhode Island State 14–6
1944–45 Rhode Island State 20–5 5–1 1st NIT Semifinals
1945–46 Rhode Island State 21–3 4–0 1st NIT runner-up
Rhode Island State Rams (Yankee Conference) (1946–1948)
1946–47 Rhode Island State 17–3
1947–48 Rhode Island State 17–6
Rhode Island State: 401–124 (.764) 86–9 (.905)
Total: 401–124 (.764)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ Klein, Maury (November 27, 1978). "Yesterday Frank Keaney invented the fast break and Rhode Island made the big time". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Karsten, James (October 8, 2014). "Top 10 Bates Athletes: #7 Frank Keaney '11". The Bates Student. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Frank Keaney Coaching Record". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Hall of Famers - Frank Keaney". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
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