Howard Newton "Sonny" Keys (January 24, 1935 – October 21, 1971) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) from 1960 to 1965 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Early life and education
Keys was born January 24, 1935, in Orlando, Oklahoma. He was a star athlete for the Pioneers at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and track and field.
He attended Oklahoma State University, where he played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was named to the Oklahoma All-State football team and played in the All Stars game and the Oil Bowl. His high school named Sonny "Mr. Pioneer." He played all positions on the line, including center. He went to college at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. At OSU, he was part of the Cowboys championship Blue Grass Bowl game which was broadcast by Howard Cosell. Sonny is described as a "mauling defender" in OSU's Heritage Hall Museum in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.
National Football League
In the 1959 Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Keys in the 12th round.
Keys was part of Buck Shaw's 1960 NFL Championship season. He played five seasons with the Eagles and was known for knowing and playing every position on the offensive line. His family was featured in many local advertisements including Food Fair and a dairy distributorship. Keys' teammate, Tommy McDonald, cited a tough Sonny Keys in the book They Pay Me to Catch Footballs.
In 1965, Keys joined Jerry Williams as an assistant coach of the Calgary Stampeders. After the Stampeders went to the Canadian Grey Cup, he chose to return to the NFL as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns under head coach Nick Skorich.
Death and legacy
Keys died in Cleveland on October 21, 1971, from complications of cancer. The Philadelphia Eagles dedicated their 1971 Christmas card to his memory.
As part of the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles championship team, Keys was inducted into the city of Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.