Joe Keys Earns Marquette's 75th McCahill Award
1/13/2022 1:30:00 PM | General, Track & Field
MU track and field athlete honored for his success in athletics, scholarship and service
MILWAUKEE – Graduate student Joe Keys of the Marquette track and field team is the recipient of the 75th Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Marquette student-athlete.
He will be honored at the Marquette men's basketball game against Villanova (9 p.m. CT) at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, February 2.
Keys is the 12th track and field athlete to be honored and joins Jessica Parker as the second in three years to receive the award.
"Our list of McCahill award winners is filled with incredible young men and women who excelled in so many ways during their time at Marquette," said Marquette Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl. "Without question, Joe upholds that long-standing tradition. Whether it's on the track, in the classroom, or the community Joe has been a leader since he stepped on our campus. In every way, Joe personifies the best of intercollegiate athletics. It's been a privilege to watch his development at Marquette and it will be equally exciting to watch his post-Marquette future unfold."
One of the most decorated track and field athletes in Marquette history, Keys is in Marquette's all-time top-10 in five different individual events and holds the school records in the decathlon and heptathlon. The Downers Grove, Illinois native is a four-time All-BIG EAST selection in indoor and outdoor competitions and the 2019 BIG EAST Conference decathlon champion.
"Joe has been a huge part of our success in all aspects of the program over the past four-plus years," said Marquette Director of Track & Field Bert Rogers. "Not only is he an All-American athlete, BIG EAST champion, and exceptional student, he is a strong leader and terrific person."
"He is always a team-first guy in a sport that can be very individual. He does what he can to make sure others succeed as well as himself. I see it daily in how he pushes his teammates in practice. He is a fantastic representative of what Marquette Athletics is all about and deserving of the McCahill Award."
Keys qualified for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships and has been named a two-time USTFCCCA All-American in indoor and outdoor competition.
His academic success has led him to be a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic selection and a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree. He was also the 2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award winner.
Keys was the recipient of the Ralph H. Metcalfe Senior Award for athletic excellence and the President's Award, honoring his academic and athletic success.
About the Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award:
The McCahill Award was named after Captain Robert L. McCahill, a former Marquette student-athlete who gave his life for his country at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II in 1945. Established by his brother, Colonel William P. McCahill, also an MU student-athlete, the award was first presented in 1946 and has been awarded annually as the highest honor bestowed upon a Marquette student-athlete.
After Colonel McCahill's death in 1999, Marquette University officially renamed the award to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of both Captain Robert and Colonel William McCahill.
The award is given annually to a student-athlete who has achieved in athletics, scholarship, and service to the university.
Past recipients of the award include Olympic silver medalist John Bennett (1954), two-time NBA All-Star Don Kojis (1961), Naismith Award-winner Butch Lee (1978), and NCAA 10,000-meter run champion Keith Hanson (1986).
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He will be honored at the Marquette men's basketball game against Villanova (9 p.m. CT) at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, February 2.
Keys is the 12th track and field athlete to be honored and joins Jessica Parker as the second in three years to receive the award.
"Our list of McCahill award winners is filled with incredible young men and women who excelled in so many ways during their time at Marquette," said Marquette Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl. "Without question, Joe upholds that long-standing tradition. Whether it's on the track, in the classroom, or the community Joe has been a leader since he stepped on our campus. In every way, Joe personifies the best of intercollegiate athletics. It's been a privilege to watch his development at Marquette and it will be equally exciting to watch his post-Marquette future unfold."
One of the most decorated track and field athletes in Marquette history, Keys is in Marquette's all-time top-10 in five different individual events and holds the school records in the decathlon and heptathlon. The Downers Grove, Illinois native is a four-time All-BIG EAST selection in indoor and outdoor competitions and the 2019 BIG EAST Conference decathlon champion.
"Joe has been a huge part of our success in all aspects of the program over the past four-plus years," said Marquette Director of Track & Field Bert Rogers. "Not only is he an All-American athlete, BIG EAST champion, and exceptional student, he is a strong leader and terrific person."
"He is always a team-first guy in a sport that can be very individual. He does what he can to make sure others succeed as well as himself. I see it daily in how he pushes his teammates in practice. He is a fantastic representative of what Marquette Athletics is all about and deserving of the McCahill Award."
Keys qualified for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships and has been named a two-time USTFCCCA All-American in indoor and outdoor competition.
His academic success has led him to be a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic selection and a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree. He was also the 2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award winner.
Keys was the recipient of the Ralph H. Metcalfe Senior Award for athletic excellence and the President's Award, honoring his academic and athletic success.
About the Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award:
The McCahill Award was named after Captain Robert L. McCahill, a former Marquette student-athlete who gave his life for his country at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II in 1945. Established by his brother, Colonel William P. McCahill, also an MU student-athlete, the award was first presented in 1946 and has been awarded annually as the highest honor bestowed upon a Marquette student-athlete.
After Colonel McCahill's death in 1999, Marquette University officially renamed the award to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of both Captain Robert and Colonel William McCahill.
The award is given annually to a student-athlete who has achieved in athletics, scholarship, and service to the university.
Past recipients of the award include Olympic silver medalist John Bennett (1954), two-time NBA All-Star Don Kojis (1961), Naismith Award-winner Butch Lee (1978), and NCAA 10,000-meter run champion Keith Hanson (1986).
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