Larry Keating, in charge of Kansas Jayhawks men’s hoops slate for 16 years, dies at 76
Larry Keating, former senior associate athletic director and special assistant to the AD at the University of Kansas for 16 years, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 76.
Keating retired in April 2019 after five decades in intercollegiate athletics. He worked in various roles in the athletic department at KU from 2003 until his retirement.
He was in charge of the men’s basketball schedule during his entire stay at Kansas.
“We are all deeply saddened with the passing of Larry,” KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self said. “Larry was an integral part of the Kansas athletics department and our program.
“He played a pivotal role in success that we had during his 16-year tenure (at KU). He was solely responsible for putting together schedules that gave us the best opportunity for NCAA Tournament success. More than a colleague, he was a mentor and a friend to everyone that knew him. We’re all hurting for his wife Jamie, their son Kerry, and their daughters Jamie and Katie, and their two grandsons. He will be missed.”
Keating died in Southport, North Carolina, where he and Jamie relocated after Larry’s retirement from KU.
A 1966 graduate of Stonehill College in Massachusetts, Keating served two terms on the NCAA men’s basketball rules committee, which he chaired for four years. He also served on the NCAA Council and the men’s basketball issues committee.
The Long Island, New York native was athletic director at Seton Hall from 1985-97. In 1989, the Pirates reached the NCAA men’s basketball championship game. The Pirates also reached the Elite Eight in 1991. Seton Hall’s women’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 1994 and the men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 1988.
In April of 2019 he was inducted in the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame.
Keating came to KU from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where he was assistant commissioner for basketball/football. At the MAAC, Keating was responsible for conference scheduling, the MAAC basketball tournaments, officiating and television coordination.
“Larry was something special. He was a remarkable man,” said former KU associate AD Jim Marchiony. “Everyone he dealt with in college athletics knew how passionate he was about college athletics and how good he was at what he did. In addition to all that, all the coaches and administrators appreciated how he stood by his friends and colleagues. That is what puts him on another plateau in terms of college athletics administration.”
Keating resigned from his position at Seton Hall in 1997 after refusing to fire men’s hoops coach George Blaney. In 1994, Keating hired Blaney from Holy Cross to succeed P.J. Carlesimo. In 1997, after Blaney went 38-48 over three seasons, Keating resigned rather than fire him.
Keating was well known as an athletic director who supported coaches.
“Had I done that (the firing), I think to this day I’d be the AD at Seton Hall,” Keating told the Asbury (New Jersey) Park Press in 2019. “I loved the place, I loved the job and I loved the Big East. But I don’t have any regrets about what I did.”
After military service, including a tour in Vietnam, Keating worked as an assistant basketball coach for 10 years — first at his alma mater, Stonehill College, then at Hofstra. He also was athletic director at Adelphi University for six years.
