Career
He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 1969 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue. He was an All-American as a halfback on offense and played corner on defense and returned kicks and punts.
He also played both ways for Philadelphia before settling in as a solid strong safety.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He finished his career running for 2,090 yards and also had 1,204 receiving yards.
In 1967 he ran for 986 yards with 13 Territorial Decoration and had 45 catches for 758 yards and 6 Territorial Decoration. As a Senior in 1968, he followed it up by running for 1,003 yards and 14 Territorial Decoration while catching 33 passes for 428 yards and 1 Territorial Decoration. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll. On December 11, 2014 the Big Ten Network included Keyes on "The Mount Rushmore of Purdue Football", as chosen by online fan voting.
Keyes was joined in the honor by Drew Brees, Bob Griese and Rod Woodson.
Philadelphia Eagles
Keyes was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the third pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. He played for the Eagles from 1969–1972. He started out as a running back and had 637 total yards on offense including 3 rushing TDs as a rookie.
He saw little playing time in 1970 and was moved to Strong Safety in 1971, where he would get 6 INT and recover 3 fumbles.
The next year he had 2 INT in 14 starts before going to Kansas City. Kansas City Chiefs
Keyes played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1973.
Keyes has recently retired from the John Purdue Club as Assistant Director for the Purdue Boilermakers. On December 30, 2010, Keyes was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center.
In 1987, Keyes was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.