Vicki King Thren

            Growing up in the Hoppenville section of Marlborough, and with limited

Vicki King Thren

opportunities for organized sports, Vicki King Thren played tackle football, basketball and baseball against boys from neighboring municipalities. The experience toughened her up.

            "I was on my own," she said, declining to participate in youth swimming, the only organized event for girls.

            The early experience served Thren well. She played four years of basketball, field hockey and lacrosse at Upper Perkiomen. After graduating in 1975, she attended East Stroudsburg University, playing lacrosse for four years and field hockey for two.

            "I love sports," said Thren, who currently lives in Barto. "I always gravitated towards team sports. I liked the camaraderie. You had to work together as a team. You couldn't play for yourself. Everyone had the same goal. Everyone has to work hard."

            After college, Thren returned home to take a teaching job at her high school alma mater. She retired in 2017 after teaching health and physical education for 38 years. She also coached field hockey, lacrosse, basketball and swimming in the district.

            Growing up, Thren had to wait until high school to play organized sports. She said any middle school activities were through intramurals and physical eduction class.

Thren described field hockey as her best sport in high school. She was named team MVP for the Indians as a junior and a senior.

            Without a scholarship offer, she made the team at East Stroudsburg after trying out with 100 other girls. Concussions ended her hockey career with the Warriors after two years. She said lacrosse, an aerial game, was more conducive to her style.

            "The field hockey coach didn't like my kamikaze style," Thren said. "I played with the mentality of always diving for a loose ball. I was very competitive."

            During her lacrosse career, the Warriors qualified for the national championship tournament, held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), and hosted by James Madison. According to Thren her team entered the tournament, which included schools of all student population levels, seeded third and finished fifth. She said her team stayed at a campground and slept in tents during the tournament.

            "I'm a huge fan of Title IX," Thren said.

Dave Keeny

            Dave Keeny's original plan called for him becoming a high school social

Dave Keeny

studies teacher and football coach, just like his father. However, his appointment as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Virginia in 1984 – to work for head coach George Welsh – sparked a nomadic career as a college coach.

            "I thought working for him would be a great thing," said Keeny, who grew up in Upper Hanover.

            The 1978 graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School has worked as an assistant coach at 11 schools all over the country and in all three divisions. His coaching career has included one stint as a head coach at his college alma mater, Kutztown University.

            In high school, Keeny played for his father Bill. He was the featured ball carrier for the Tribe during his senior season. The running back described his father as a demanding coach who prepared him and his teammates for the next level.

            "I learned how to practice the right way," Keeny said. "We learned to have high expectations and believe in ourselves. We always thought we could win the game. He provided us with the toughness one needs throughout your life. "

            At Kutztown, Keeny quickly picked up the team's Wing-T offense, a misdirection offense that features a strong fullback. He said he felt prepared for this next level of competition. As a sophomore, he returned kickoffs and punts. In his final two seasons with the Golden Bears, he was named First-Team all-conference as a junior and Second-Team as a senior.

            "I was blessed with quickness," Keeny said. "I had good vision and good feet."

            While he was earning his Master's Degree at Kutztown, he spent the 1984 season coaching at Virginia. He then joined Joe Paterno's coaching staff at Penn State University in 1986, helping the team win a national championship. Two years later, he spent one season at the University of Arizona under head coach Dick Tomey. Keeny said learning from three Hall of Fame coaches provided a solid foundation for his career.

            Keeny – whose coaching stops include Morehead State (1989); Thomas Moore College in Crestview Hills, KY (1990-92;, Millersville (2008-2012); Ferrum College (2015); Lock Haven (2016); Shorter University in Rome, GA (2017); and Limestone College in Gaffney, SC (2018) – coached with his father for 14 seasons at Kutztown University.

            For eight years, Dave served as the Bears head coach, posting a 38-45 overall record. His teams competed for two PSAC East titles and were ranked nationally.

            "We built a nationally ranked program and played for two championships despite being at the bottom of the league in resources," Keeny wrote in a text message.