Albany National Arena League Franchise Names Rob Keefe as Head Coach
September 8, 2020 - National Arena League (NAL)
Albany Empire News Release
ALBANY - Albany NAL announces that three-time Arena Football League Champion and Albany Empire head coach, Rob Keefe, has been named as the team's head coach effective immediately. Per League and team rules, terms not disclosed.
Keefe was part of the AFL Philadelphia Soul 2008 championship team as a defensive back. At the age of 29 he became the youngest head coach in AFL history to win an Arena Football League Championship, when he led the Spokane Shock to an ArenaBowl victory in their first season in the AFL. In 2019 he led the Albany Empire to their first ArenaBowl title. He is the only person in Arena Football history to win an Arena Cup (AF2) and ArenaBowl (AFL) title as both a player and coach.
Posting a career 83-40 record as head coach in the AFL, Keefe most recently led the Albany Empire as head coach from 2018-2019. In his stint in Albany, Rob won ArenaBowl 32. He is in the Top 6 for win percentage of all time as a Head Coach in the AFL at .674, and is tied for 4th for ArenaBowl Championships in the AFL as a Head Coach with 2.
"The Time Union Center is excited to welcome Rob back,"said General Manager Bob Belber. "Coach Keefe is a stand-up guy both on and off the field, and we can't wait to see his energy back on the field."
"I am very excited to return to Albany," said Head Coach Rob Keefe. "I am looking forward to renewing our great team and continuing the wonderful relationships with our fans and sponsors in the community. There is a lot of work to do and I am most certainly up for the challenge. My passion and heart will be on full display as we strive to win both on and off the field for the Capital Region."
"Rob Keefe is a first-rate coach who has proven himself time and time again, including when he led the Albany Empire during an unmatched regular season and their AFL ArenaBowl Championship last year. He clearly has also won the hearts of the Capital Region fans, which was demonstrated by the crowd of more than 12,000 people that showed up in the Times Union Center that night," said County Executive Daniel McCoy. "I'm confident that bringing back Coach Keefe, we will be able to replicate that kind of enthusiasm in downtown Albany next year and maybe even bring us another championship."
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