Clifford Keen
June 13, 1901 - November 04, 1991
He started his coaching career in football. Cliff Keen's 1925 high school team at Frederick, Oklahoma, scored 355 points and yielded but three. Then he decided to see what he could do with wrestlers.
After 45 years at the University of Michigan, the longest coaching career in wrestling history, the answer was clear. He could develop champions.
Cliff Keen was an undefeated wrestler under Edward C. Gallagher at Oklahoma State University and won the Missouri Valley national invitational championship. In 1924, he won the Olympic trials but was sidelined by a broken rib. His substitute ultimately lost in the Olympic finals at Paris. He also was a football and track star.
His Michigan teams twice were NCAA runners-up and they won 13 Big Ten Conference championships, placing in the top three in the conference 40 times. They won 276 dual meets against 88 losses and 11 ties. His wrestlers captured 11 National Collegiate titles and 81 conference crowns.
But Cliff Keen's impact on the world of wrestling had no state or national boundaries. He served on the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1928 to 1952 and was manager of the 1948 Olympic team in London.
He was an original member and later president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and also presided over the national rules committee. For many years he pioneered the development of safe, effective, wrestling equipment such as the headgear which bears his name. There is no role of service to wrestling which has not borne the stamp of Cliff Keen.
He obtained a law degree from Michigan in 1933 and served three years as a Navy commander during World War II.
In recognition of his great coaching career and contributions to wrestling spanning more than 60 years, Clifford Patrick Keen is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Awards:
Year
1976
|
Award
Distinguished Member
|
Chapter/Region
National
|
All Coaching Dual Records:
Season
1970
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
13
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
53.85
|
Season
1969
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
15
|
Wins
13
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
86.67
|
Season
1968
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
12
|
Wins
10
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
83.33
|
Season
1967
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
10
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
Season
1966
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1965
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
10
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
Season
1964
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
12
|
Wins
12
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
Season
1963
|
School
Michigan
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1962
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
70
|
Season
1961
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1960
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
11
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
81.82
|
Season
1959
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
11
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
54.55
|
Season
1958
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
3
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
30
|
Season
1957
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
3
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
33.33
|
Season
1956
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1955
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
75
|
Season
1954
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1953
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
8
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
88.89
|
Season
1952
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1951
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1950
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
8
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
80
|
Season
1949
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
2
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
28.57
|
Season
1948
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
55.56
|
Season
1947
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
62.5
|
Season
1946
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
57.14
|
Season
1942
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
71.43
|
Season
1941
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
57.14
|
Season
1940
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
57.14
|
Season
1939
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
6
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
Season
1938
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
87.5
|
Season
1937
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
85.71
|
Season
1936
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
1935
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
3
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
37.5
|
Season
1934
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
6
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1933
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
57.14
|
Season
1932
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
6
|
Wins
3
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
1931
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
5
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
80
|
Season
1930
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
7
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
85.71
|
Season
1929
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
75
|
Season
1928
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
87.5
|
Season
1927
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
75
|
Season
1926
|
School
Michigan
|
Division |
Duals
6
|
Wins
3
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
Career
|
Duals
368
|
Wins
267
|
Losses
91
|
Ties
10
|
Win PCT.
72.55
|
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