100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 97 Days - Remembering Keefer McGee

Jeff Lebby’s era of Mississippi State football has arrived.

The Bulldogs are on their third coach in as many years as Mike Leach’s tragic passing opened the door for defensive coordinator Zach Arnett’s debut as head coach last year. That experiment failed before the year even ended for State and now it’s Lebby’s turn to take the wheel.

While there is always a risk in hiring first time head coaches, Lebby brings to Starkville an exciting offensive scheme that has been productive everywhere he’s been. The coach has also brought with him some swagger that has the fanbase ready to see what’s next.

Over the course of the next 100 days, we will take a look at Lebby’s roster and even some fun historical rewinds that will bring back memories for Dawg fans of all ages.

Today, we take a look back at the tragic end to a promising career and life of a State great.  

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 97 Days – Remembering former Bulldog RB Keffer McGee

There’s no way to properly and completely give McGee the full respect he deserves. McGee was a big-time high school athlete who was primed for a big career at MSU and could be given a part of the credit for starting a tradition of great running backs to come through Starkville. His life was cut much too short.

McGee arrived in Starkville under the learning tree. He had the opportunity to spend an entire year under the tutelage of two of the great runners in MSU history as Michael Davis and Kevin Bouie carried the reins for the Bulldog offense in 1993 and 1994. In ’94, McGee took his reps and paid his dues carrying 15 times for 94 yards in limited duty. Still, he showed flashes of great things.

With Davis now gone, it was Keffer’s time to shine. The sophomore running back hit the gridiron with fire starting all 11 games. He would put together what would be the greatest season in MSU history at the time as he rushed 235 times for 1,072 yards and 13 touchdowns. Before that season, only one back (Wayne Jones-1973) had rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single season. It was an unheard of feat for an MSU back at that time. 

McGee’s name began to be brought up in conversations nationally despite a suffering Bulldog team that was in a slump. He came into his junior year with even more confidence and momentum was building for a solid year for the Bulldogs. McGee and State started the season 2-1 and he emerged as one of the top backs in the country. Adversity struck, however, as he went down with a blown out knee in the middle of game three. To that point, McGee was going for records. He put together two 200-plus yard games but would have to wait until the next year to get his redemption.

Tragically, redemption wouldn’t come for young Keffer. After a strong rehab over the next year McGee was readying for fall camp. A swim at a local apartment complex ended in tragedy as Keffer drowned at the age of 22 just days before the start of camp for his senior year.

The loss hit the Bulldog football team extremely hard in 1997 but sparked one of the more magical eras in Bulldog history. After Keefer helped build a strong squad that had just one winning season before he passed, State reeled four-straight seven-plus win years including a trip to the SEC Championship in 1998 for the first time in school history.

MSU great J.J. Johnson was quoted as saying the reason he became a Bulldog was because he wanted to be like McGee. The two were primed to have one of the best backfields in the nation as Johnson came in from junior college. He would put together the greatest two years in school history from a running back to that point and would, indeed, be like McGee.

McGee has never been forgotten by Bulldog fans over the years and is still revered as one of the best that ever played at Scott Field. For many years, no one wore that No. 21 but that has since changed in recent seasons as the number is seen on Scott Field from time to time. His legacy has been cemented in Starkville and, perhaps, the best way to remember it is to continue to see that number in maroon and white.