Inside The Huskies

McKeefery Takes His Football Magic to Oregon State

As UW strength coach, he transformed a team into tip tip shape.
Dan Raley|
Ron McKeefery leads a UW conditioning drill in 2022.
Ron McKeefery leads a UW conditioning drill in 2022. | UW

Almost exactly two years ago, the University of Washington football program imploded rather emphatically following the national championship game when Husky coach Kalen DeBoer boarded a private jet and flew to Alabama to take the Crimson Tide job.

All of a sudden, everything was in turmoil in Montlake. DeBoer took a selected number of coaches, players and staffers with him, leaving others to fend for themselves.

One of those was Ron McKeefery, who two weeks ago was named as Oregon State football chief of staff by new coach JaMarcus Shephard, who was part of the DeBoer entourage at both the UW and Alabama.

McKeefery remains one of the more endearing figures from that two-year UW stretch of undeniable success capped by a national championship game run.

For 24 months, he was the Husky strength and conditioning coach, heading up a major push to get the UW players in much better physical condition. Seventy percent of the roster proceeded to lose weight and body fat.

McKeefery was the guy, who during stretching was a highly noticeable figure because he would walk through the Huskies sprawled out on the ground and call out a military-style cadence for them to follow as the got limber.

Every practice, it went like this, with McKeefery a centerpiece and 100-plus players responding to him and his direction.

He was that staff sergeant in the movies, a little gruff but well respected. Think of the Lou Gossett Jr. character in the film "Officer and a Gentleman."

"The big thing about Ronnie is he can motivate a kid from the middle of nowhere Iowa and downtown Seattle the exact same way," said Ryan Grubb, the former UW offensive coordinator now holding the same job at Alabama.

Ron McKeefery is shown arriving for the 2024 national championship game between Michigan and the UW.
Ron McKeefery is shown arriving for the 2024 national championship game between Michigan and the UW. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Once the Husky staff was blown up 24 months ago, McKeefery was one of those guys who had to scramble to find a new role somewhere.

In a delayed fashion, he joined DeBoer's staff in a lesser job at Alabama, serving as a so-called "special assistant." For his work at the UW, he deserved much better.

Oregon State, no matter what job title it bestows on him, will benefit from having McKeefery in Corvallis.

He probably didn't receive enough credit for his role in turning the Huskies into a different football team in his two years in town.

While the Beavers have significant challenges ahead in rebuilding from a forgettable 2-10 season as they move into a newly configured Pac-12 Conference, Shephard with all of his energy and enthusiasm appears to be a good hire.

He previously reconnected with DeBoer Husky staff members by hiring Lee Marks as his running backs coach and by adding Mitch Dahlen as his quarterbacks coach.

And by bringing McKeefery back out West and giving him far greater responsibilities in overseeing operations, Oregon State has made another very smart move.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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