ALBANY, N.Y. -- Mercyhurst graduates Rob Keefe '04 and Trevor Kennedy '13 were recently signed by the Albany Empire of the Arena Football League -- Keefe as a head coach and Kennedy as a player -- as announced recently by the Empire.
Keefe joins the Empire, having racked up a 61-30 record as a head coach in arena football. He has won two AFL Arena Bowl championships and two AF2 Arena Cup championships. In total, he has won two titles as a player and two as a coach.
Keefe was a player for the 2006 Spokane Shock team that won the Arena Cup and then a player for the Philadephia Soul team that won the 2008 Arena Bowl. As an assistant coach, he won an Arena Cup championship in 2009 and then claimed an Arena Bowl title in 2010; both of those titles came with the Shock.
Keefe was head coach of the Shock in 2010-11 and, most recently, head coach of the Orlando Predators in 2014-16.
While attending Mercyhurst, Keefe excelled as both a defensive back and return specialist. The Springfield, Va., native had 166 tackles and eight interceptions on defense. He returned one of those picks for a TD. Keefe also rates second all-time to Kennedy in career punt-return yards; he had 643 while Kennedy racked up 676.
During his time as a Laker, Kennedy established himself as one of the program's most prolific wide receivers. He ranks second all time in receptions (194) and receiving yards (2,758) while tying for the program recorded for receiving TDs (28). Kennedy rates third all-time in team history in all-purpose yards with 4,249.
"Trevor is a great football player with all the intangibles to be successful at the highest level of football," Keefe said of Kennedy. "We are pleased to have him on board with the Albany Empire -- not only for his athletic ability but also because he is a great person. And being a fellow Mercyhurst alum is an awesome bonus."
Kennedy has the most punt-return yards in program history. He returned three kicks for touchdowns -- one on kickoffs and two on punt returns.
"I'm excited about the opportunity that I have with the Albany Empire and am eager to get to work," Kennedy said.
Kennedy was a two-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division honoree, a two-time PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-Region performer. In 2010, he was named PSAC Championship Game Most Valuable Player and, then, in 2011, he was an All-American.
After leaving Mercyhurst, Kennedy tried out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League before signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Eventually, Kennedy found his way into a two-year stint with the Indoor Football League's Spokane Empire. He excelled as a running back and was named 2016 IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
