General 7/17/2014 3:09:00 PM

This Is Tiger Nation: Eric Keddo

Editor's Note: This story is part of an on-going series that examines the life of Savannah State student-athletes, past and present, and their contributions on and off the field of play. This is a product of the Savannah State Athletics Media Relations Department .**Photo's courtesy of Eric Keddo, and the SSU Athletics Media Relations Department.

By Joshua R. Peacock (peacockj@savannahstate.edu)

6483 — Eric Keddo running for Savannah State at the Penn Relays

Good college coaches typically approach their job with two goals in mind: propel their student-athletes to success on the field of play, as well as in the classroom, and cultivate their skills to resound in their post-college lives.

For over 16 years, Savannah State track & field head coach Ted Whitaker has seen success on the track and after college from athletes coming through his program.

One of Savannah State's most highly decorated track athletes, Eric Keddo, has benefited from that simple mantra.

While at Savannah State, Keddo was nationally ranked for two years in the 110 meter hurdles, and still holds the school records in outdoor track for the 400 meter hurdles (51.74); in indoor track for the 55 hurdles (7.28), the 60 meter hurdles (7.83), and the 500 meter dash (1:07.71).

His success as a Tiger garnered him the opportunity to compete with the Jamaican Olympic team. He won gold in the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 2011, and missed the cut for the 2008 Olympic team by one place.

Keddo was born in Texas and raised in Atlanta. Keddo's father holds citizenship from Jamaica, allowing Keddo to also gain citizenship under the Caribbean island's rules, and compete with what is considered one of the greatest Track & Field Olympic teams in the world.

Keddo, who turned 30 this year, left Savannah State with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and went into the teaching field. As a mathematics teacher and the head girl's track and field coach at Miller Grove High School in Lithonia, Ga., Keddo applied all the lessons he learned at Savannah State to create a successful program in his current job.

"Every day I tried not to just do be good at athletics, but also academics," Keddo said of his time at SSU. "Coach Whitaker helped me become one of the best hurdlers, not just in HBCU's, but in Division I. I just wanted to be number one. I wanted to be one the few athletes to make history at Savannah State. I learned everything from the program at Savannah State."

In 2010, Keddo faced an uphill battle with the track team he was coaching. After a losing season, what he called "…probably the worst season," Keddo regrouped and refocused. He spent his time researching, filming and talking with several other coaches. He developed a new battle plan.

In the 2011 season, he had a group of around 20 freshmen come in from middle school. He laid out a new strategy, telling them that "within three or four years you are going to be contending for a State Championship."

This past spring, Keddo's track and field team won the Georgia High School Class 5A State Championship.

Eric Keddo poses with the Miller Grove girl's track and field
team after they won the Class 5A State Championship

"Every year there are trials and tribulations," Keddo said. "When I first became a coach in 2006, I was an assistant coach, and you go off everything you learn. Each year you start to realize that you have to have a method and a strategy to get done whatever you need to get done.

Working with girls is good and bad," Keddo continued. "The attitudes and all that is one thing, but they're loyal. If they have a plan or path and want to do it, they fall in love with it. They're committed. I told them right now you have to learn to love track to consider yourself track kids for life."

His success did not come without sacrifice. The long days, typically 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., of training and coaching the team to a championship took time away from his training.

"This year I did more coaching than training," Keddo said. "Usually I balance the two. I had a feeling this year that the girls team was going to do something big, so I made a sacrifice in my own training to make it happen."

Keddo also suffered an injury this past January that has slowed his own progress. However, the minor setback has not abated his desire to compete on the world stage. He is continuing to train, and will attempt a run at the 2016 Jamaican Olympic team.

Reaching beyond his days at Savannah State, Keddo has found not only a mentor in Whitaker, but a continual arm of support.

Keddo still competes at several of the top collegiate track events during the year, and occasionally runs into the SSU track team at competitions. His conversations with his old coach often reach beyond the track.

"There are some people that just use you for your talent," Keddo said. "He's (Whitaker) not that. You can take the word 'track & field' out of the conversation, and have an hour conversation about anything, life, lessons or anything. He's always been there for his athletes, whether or not they graduate. Whether or not they were successful in track or not, he's been there."

6482 — Eric Keddo poses with the trophey from the
2014 Class 5A State Championship.

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