Keegan Downey -
 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship Grant Recipient

San Diego, CA (October 20, 2009) - Keegan Downey was introduced to rugby by his friends while a freshman at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. He immediately fell in love with the sport and as Keegan says, “Rugby was the best thing that could have happened to me.” While his play on the pitch continued to improve, things weren’t going so smoothly in the classroom. He studied more, going to school early and staying late to receive extra help, but the poor test results kept showing up. It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with dyslexia later in his freshman year that he began to make strides in the classroom. The hard work finally started to show as Keegan’s grades steadily improved with each passing year.

While he saw improvement in the classroom, Keegan’s play on the rugby field blossomed. He was selected for the Potomac Rugby Union Select Side all four years while at Gonzaga and played in the PRU championship match his sophomore, junior and senior years. Keegan lettered in rugby at Gonzaga his sophomore, junior and senior years. He cracked the starting lineup his junior year, no easy task considering there are 120 players in the program. Keegan also played in the Mid-Atlantic championship match in 2008 and 2009.

Gonzaga is a perennial East Coast power and Keegan traveled with the team to Nationals his sophomore, junior and senior years. In his senior season, when his team finished 4^th in the country, Keegan was awarded the Coach’s Award for ethics, leadership and dedication to the team. Part of his dedication to the team consisted of helping out his coaches at Gonzaga’s Annual Purple Eagle Rugby Camp his last two years in school.

Ken Fraine, Keegan’s head coach at Gonzaga, fondly remembers the effort put forth by his blind side flanker. “What was remarkable about Keegan was his work ethic on and off the field and his passion for the game. He listened intently and gave you his all on the field in addition to studying our game plan and watching match videos on his own time. I can remember him missing only one training session while on the varsity squad. Something tells me he’ll be a coach someday when he hangs up his boots.”

Beside sports, Keegan was active in many areas of school life as well as in the community. He started the Young Republicans Club at Gonzaga. He was also a member of the Career Club and Politics, Inc. He volunteered at the McKenna Center Soup Kitchen all four years he attended Gonzaga. He also volunteered to tutor underprivileged children in the reading program set up at Gonzaga.

While coaching might be in his future, so too might be politics. Keegan is on course for a Political Science degree at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He plans on getting involved with a Young Republicans Club at St. Joe’s and might also throw his hat in the ring for a spot in student government, laying the groundwork for going into politics upon graduation.

Congratulations Keegan on being named a 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship recipient.

Read about Jack White, 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship recipient.