Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Keady*, J. Thomas
J. Thomas Keady*
- Induction:
- 1998
One of the toughest things to do is coach. An even more difficult task is to coach two sports. Tom Keady’s versatility took coaching to another level as he not only coached three sports, but was also extremely successful on the fields and the basketball court.
He holds the record for best winning percentage (.566) of any baseball coach who coached for more than five years and totaled the second-best winning percentage for any Lehigh football coach (.706) winning percentage on the football field. He was Lehigh's first ever paid basketball coach and he guided the team to a 12-2 mark in his only season at the helm.
Keady’s football squads accumulated a 55-22-3 mark during a nine-year span, and those teams never had a losing season. The worst year came in 1918 when the Brown and White registered a 3-3 season. The best year on the football field came in 1914 when Lehigh was 8-1 with the only loss coming to a powerhouse Yale team. Keady helped develop and coached Pat Pazzetti ‘15, a fellow Hall of Famer and Lehigh’s initial First-Team All-American football player.
On the diamond, Keady passed the 100-win mark over an 11-year period. The team was 105-80-3 with eight seasons above the .500 mark. At one point, the baseball team was 41-16, topped by a 15-5 mark in 1916. In 1917, his club beat out Holy Cross for the mythical national collegiate championship.
Keady’s record against Lafayette stood at 6-3 on the gridiron, and 15-18 in baseball. He was the head coach of the 1917 Lehigh football team that ran up the most lopsided victory in the nation's most played rivalry. That team pounded the Leopards by 78-0 count.
Keady was a 1905 graduate of Dartmouth College where he starred in football and baseball, and began his coaching career. He coached at all levels from high school and college to the professional ranks of baseball.
A minor league baseball player and collegiate umpire, Keady is also known for authoring Dartmouth's famed football fight song, “As the Backs Go Tearing By.”
A native of Wakefield, Massachusetts, Keady passed away in February of 1964. He was survived by six grandchildren: J. Thomas Keady, Michele Keady, Deirdre Keady, Sally Blakey, Sheila Keady, and Kathleen O'Leary.
He holds the record for best winning percentage (.566) of any baseball coach who coached for more than five years and totaled the second-best winning percentage for any Lehigh football coach (.706) winning percentage on the football field. He was Lehigh's first ever paid basketball coach and he guided the team to a 12-2 mark in his only season at the helm.
Keady’s football squads accumulated a 55-22-3 mark during a nine-year span, and those teams never had a losing season. The worst year came in 1918 when the Brown and White registered a 3-3 season. The best year on the football field came in 1914 when Lehigh was 8-1 with the only loss coming to a powerhouse Yale team. Keady helped develop and coached Pat Pazzetti ‘15, a fellow Hall of Famer and Lehigh’s initial First-Team All-American football player.
On the diamond, Keady passed the 100-win mark over an 11-year period. The team was 105-80-3 with eight seasons above the .500 mark. At one point, the baseball team was 41-16, topped by a 15-5 mark in 1916. In 1917, his club beat out Holy Cross for the mythical national collegiate championship.
Keady’s record against Lafayette stood at 6-3 on the gridiron, and 15-18 in baseball. He was the head coach of the 1917 Lehigh football team that ran up the most lopsided victory in the nation's most played rivalry. That team pounded the Leopards by 78-0 count.
Keady was a 1905 graduate of Dartmouth College where he starred in football and baseball, and began his coaching career. He coached at all levels from high school and college to the professional ranks of baseball.
A minor league baseball player and collegiate umpire, Keady is also known for authoring Dartmouth's famed football fight song, “As the Backs Go Tearing By.”
A native of Wakefield, Massachusetts, Keady passed away in February of 1964. He was survived by six grandchildren: J. Thomas Keady, Michele Keady, Deirdre Keady, Sally Blakey, Sheila Keady, and Kathleen O'Leary.
Mountain Hawk Talk - S2 EP2 - Volleyball
Friday, September 26
Lehigh Sports Central: Field Hockey
Wednesday, September 24
2025 Brown & Flight - Episode 1
Thursday, September 18
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Soccer
Wednesday, September 17
