He was considered the "consolation prize" by the Eagles, who had just lost out to the Buffalo Bills to draft O. J. Simpson with the first overall pick.
He started out as a running back[2] and had 637 total yards on offense including 3 rushing touchdowns as a rookie.
Keyes was a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C., as well as the National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
On December 30, 2010, Keyes was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center.
On December 11, 2014, the Big Ten Network included Keyes on "The Mount Rushmore of Purdue Football", as chosen by online fan voting.
Keyes died on April 15, 2021, in West Lafayette, after several months of suffering from a recurrence of cancer and congestive heart failure.