Couple shares long-standing love of Miami sports

Will and Mary Lee Keebler have faithfully been going to the athletic games since 1943.

Longtime Oxford residents Will and Mary Lee Keebler enjoy the atmosphere and people at RedHawks' games. Contributed photo

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By Meagan Engle, Staff Writer 9:29 AM Friday, January 15, 2010

OXFORD — When Will and Mary Lee Keebler said their wedding vows, they should have had all the sports teams from Miami University with them on the alter.

The couple has faithfully been going to Miami University athletic games since 1943, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.

Most days of the week, you can find the longtime Oxford residents in the stands – this time of the year their schedule is packed with hockey and basketball.

Even Mary Lee’s broken leg two years ago didn’t stop them from cheering on the RedHawks. They didn’t miss a game.

“Many people around here can’t believe at our age that we go to so many,” Mary Lee said from their home at the Knolls of Oxford. “We just enjoy them. We just like the atmosphere and the people.”

The couple first started taking in basketball games shortly after their first date, Dec. 7, 1942, just before Miami’s winter break. They had met through mutual friends Uptown when Will and his buddies were heading to mail his laundry home and Mary Lee and her girlfriends were on their way to a restaurant.

At the time, Will was covering basketball games — then held at Withrow Court — for the Miami Student.

The couple, who now has three adult children including Mayor Richard Keebler, married in 1944 and left Oxford for a short time while Will served in the Navy. They moved back in 1947 so he could teach accounting at Miami.

And they’ve been going to games ever since.

“We have sat through all kinds of weather,” Mary Lee said.

“We never leave a game until it’s over, no matter the score,” Mary Lee said.

“It’s just our way,” she said. “So many people have left games early and missed the turn around.”

“I paid for the whole game, I’m going to see the whole game,” Will added with a chuckle.

Over the years, they’ve added teams to their own schedule, expanding from football and basketball to volleyball and hockey, and the occasional baseball game. They even take buses to away games when they can.

“Mary would often say if she hadn’t been interested in athletics, she would have had an awful marriage,” Will said.

“We’ve been Miami fans and will be Miami fans til they turn asunder — win, lose or draw.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or mengle@coxohio.com.

Tell us your story

As Oxford celebrates 200 years in 2010, we’re taking a look at the people who make up this city. Tell us your story and you could be featured in an article. Call Meagan Engle at (513) 523-4139, ext. 9 or e-mail mengle@coxohio.com. Please include your name and contact information.

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