Tom Keating (American football)

For the famous art forger of the same name, see Tom Keating. For the priest and author of the same name see Thomas Keating.

Thomas Arthur Keating (born September 2, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, died August 31, 2012 in Denver, Colorado) was an American collegiate and Professional Football player. A defensive tackle, he played for the University of Michigan where he was the MVP in 1963 before he was drafted in 1964 in the fifth round of the American Football League draft by the Buffalo Bills. After two seasons with the Bills, he joined the AFL's Oakland Raiders, where he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1966 and 1967. He was the starting right tackle for the Raiders' AFL Championship victory over the Houston Oilers as well as their Super Bowl II loss to the Green Bay Packers. In that 13-1 won-lost regular season, he anchored a defensive line which finished with the fewest yards rushing and the fewest rushing yards per attempt in the AFL, as well as 3rd in fewest passing yards and 2nd in least points allowed. The front four of Keating, Dan Birdwell, Ike Lassiter, and Ben Davidson was an important cause of 67 sacks and 666 yards lost against the opposing offense. He played for the AFL Raiders through 1969 and then with the same team in the National Football League from 1970 to 1972, then for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

As with the more famous Bob Lilly of the Dallas Cowboys, he had a distinct 4-point stance, placing both hands on the ground instead of the usual one, thereby generating greater force when rushing straight ahead, as he could compensate with his speed and agility whenever turning sideways.

Tom is now a private investigator, residing in Walnut Creek, CA. He is separated from his wife Karen Sprecher-Keating who lives in Washington, D.C. His son James Alexander Keating lives in Rockville, MD. His brother Bill Keating, also from the University of Michigan, played in the American Football League as well, for the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins.