Kevin Damien Keelan MBE was born 5th January, 1941 in Calcutta, India. Kevin signed for Norwich City from Wrexham in July 1963 and would later be described by his manager at the time Ron Ashman as "The bargain of the century." In total, he played 673 competitive matches for Norwich. It remains the club record to this day and is a record that is unlikely to ever be beaten. His first match for the club was on 24th August, 1963 in a 3-1 defeat at Cardiff City. His final appearance for the club was on 9th February, 1980 in one of the most extraordinary matches that Carrow Road has ever seen, which ended in a 5-3 win for Liverpool.
Because he was with Norwich City from 1963 through to 1980, he was part of some of the major events in the history of the club - the 1971-72 season that saw Norwich promoted to English football's top division for the first time, the League Cup final of 1973 against Tottenham Hotspur which was the club's first appearance at Wembley Stadium, another League Cup final against Aston Villa in 1975, as well as relegation from division one in 1974 and promotion again in 1975. In the 1975 League Cup Final he became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty at Wembley when he saved Ray Graydon's spot kick. Unfortunately, Graydon followed up the save to score the only goal of the game. He was twice voted Norwich City player of the year by the supporters, in 1973 and 1974. His performances earned him favourable reviews from many quarters, and he later said that one of his managers at Norwich - John Bond - rejected an approach from Manchester United for Keelan's services.
After leaving Norwich City, Kevin emigrated to the United States. He signed for the New England Tea Men in 1978 and remained with them until 1980. In 1981, he spent one season with the Rowdies.
He also stated that for 20 years he has worked for a company that manufactures contact lenses and distributes them all over the world, but planned to retire at the end of 2006 to concentrate on his coaching. In 2002, Keelan was made an inaugural member of the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.
In an interview for the Norwich City matchday programme on 30th April, 2006, Kevin confirmed that he runs goalkeeping schools in Cape Coral and Tampa Florida and coaches "pretty much every night".
He also stated that for 20 years he has worked for a company that manufactures contact lenses and distributes them all over the world, but planned to retire at the end of 2006 to concentrate on his coaching. In 2002, Keelan was made an inaugural member of the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.
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