Elon University recently announced its newest additions to be inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame for 2016. The four-person class includes men's golfer Tim Clark '92, men's cross country standout Brian Keller '97, former football player Chad Nkang '07 and women's soccer star Kam Radford '96, who will all be inducted in a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 17.
 
To lead up to the induction ceremony, elonphoenix.com will provide a feature each week over each of the honorees. In today's feature focuses on Keller, the former four-year letterwinner for the Elon men's cross country team. A native of Williston Park, N.Y., Keller was one of the foundations in the restarting of the cross country program in 1993 as he helped Elon to South Atlantic Conference titles in 1993, 1994 and 1996 as well as a North Carolina Collegiate Team Championship in 1996. During his career, Keller collected all-conference honors in each of his four season and was selected as the SAC Runner of the Year after winning the individual championship at the league meet in 1994. He captured a fourth-place finish at both the 1993 and 1996 SAC Championship and placed second in the 1995 event.
 
What was your first reaction when you heard you were being inducted into the Hall of Fame?
"I was searching through an old e-mail address that I haven't used in a while and noticed an e-mail from Clay Hassard (Senior Associate Athletic Director). I thought to myself, 'this is weird, Clay asked me to call him back.' I mentioned this to my wife and I said 'this could be it, the call about the Hall of Fame.' To my excitement, the following day, I called Clay and he informed me I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I couldn't have been happier that my dream finally came true. Being inducted into the Hall was something that I always kept in the back of my mind and was hoping that one day it would happen. I couldn't stop smiling that entire day."   
 
What has been the feedback about the recent news from former teammates, coaches and staff?
"The first reaction I received was from Bill Morningstar, my cross country coach. I remember when I called Bill and said, 'Coach, its Brian Keller', his first words were 'Well Brian, it's about time congratulations.' Then once the official announcement came out on Facebook, tons of former teammates and fraternity brothers from Elon keep congratulating me. It was a great feeling to see how many people said several so many nice things about my achievement." 
 
What made you choose to compete at and attend Elon?
"When I was visiting colleges in Greensboro, N.C., we saw the exit for Elon College. I had never heard of the school and we thought, 'Why not, let's go see if we can get a tour of the school.'  We completely fell in love with the campus and I started investigating the school right away. I wanted to continue my running career, however the school did not have a cross country team at the time. Through the process of applying to Elon, I ran across Bill Morningstar, who was starting up a new team for Elon. I was the first recruit to join the team and couldn't have been happier. My former high school teammate and close friend Scott Breslin was also recruited and joined me at Elon."     
 
You mentioned Coach Morningstar starting the program when you made your visit. What were some of your favorite memories with him as your coach?
"Morningstar was the best coach I ever had. He knew exactly what to say and how to motivate us. Coach treated me as the leader of the team, even when I was a freshman. One of my favorite memories was after we won the 1997 SAC Championship race. I placed second in the race and we won our 3rd championship in four years. I walked up to coach and said "Coach, even though we have one more race next week, I'm done. I just retired".  He replied with 'Brian, you deserve it, thanks for everything.'
   
Out of athletics, what was it that you enjoyed the most about being at Elon?
"I had a wonderful experience at Elon. I joined Elon with one of my closest friends from high school, Scott Breslin, who also ran cross country. He and I also join the Sigma Chi fraternity where we met Chris Barnhart and Andy Hughes, two former runners."   
 
Coach Morningstar also credits you as well as your teammates for helping the Elon men's cross country program be reestablished as a major varsity sport. Given the recent success of a couple of individual runners the last couple of years, how proud are you in general to help paved the way and laid the foundation for today's team?
"I'm very proud to be a part of the success of the team back in college and to see how far they have come in recent years. I have always kept in touch with the team and glad to see their continued success. It's an honor to know that I help started a major sport at Elon."
   
What is one of your favorite memories as a student-athlete competing at Elon, both on and off the course?
"My favorite memory running for Elon was when I won the 1994 SAC Conference race. My dad was lucky to be there and see me come from behind to win the race. With less than a mile left in the race, I was in second place with the leader about a quarter of a mile ahead of me. As I was running up a hill, I started to gain ground on the leader. Once I reach the top of the hill, I dug deep inside to fight off the pain in my legs and kicked it into my final gear. When I reached the bottom of the hill and started to make the final stretch around the field, I could see first place in the distance. As I crossed the finish line, I fell to the ground and immediately looked up to see my father's excitement. It was my greatest performance at Elon.
 
"Off the field, one of my favorite memories was being on the road traveling to the different sites for our races. The team became a family and grew closer each season. During my senior year, I was driving a van for the team. We always had a good time, laughing and smiling prior to the race."
   
How did being a student athlete at Elon help prepare you for life after college?
"I worked very hard during my career and I believe that good things with come to anyone that puts their mind to it. Being on a competitive team, I was taught that you have to strive to deliver the best in yourself. Once I left college, I knew I could do anything. The competitive juices still flow when you achieve something great."
 
What have you been doing since graduating from Elon?
"After college, I spent a year teaching at Southern Alamance Middle School in Burlington, N.C. I was a physical education teacher where I originally wanted to become a coach. Following that year, I moved back to New York and tried to find a teaching job on Long Island. Eventually, my teaching career ended when I found myself in a television media buying position in New York City. I spent 15 years working in the city where I successfully made my way up to senior partner at the company of Mediacom N.Y. While in New York City, I met Suzanne Keller, who I married and had three boys, Jackson, Brody and Hunter. We re-located to Longmeadow, Mass., where I now work as the Local Sales Manager for Comcast Spotlight selling television advertising. I finally did become the coach I originally wanted to be by coaching my oldest son Jackson's travel soccer team."
   
What is the one thing that you miss about being a student-athlete at Elon?
"The one thing I miss about being a student-athlete is the competitive juices you feel right before the start of a race. Throughout my college years, Elon was a force to be reckon with. We had an outstanding running squad and each week we fought hard to win. When you are at the starting line and you are waiting to hear the gun go off, you feel a rush run through your body."
 
How much do keep up with your former teammates and coaches? How much do you follow the current team?
"I have had several friends that ran cross country with me during my career and social media has helped us stay connected. I have also kept up with the current team through their Facebook page and reading results on the Elon athletics web page. 
 
What are your thoughts of the recent success of some of the recent male runners?
"It's great to see the success of the team. After reading about Luis Vargas success, he is posed to be the next (male cross country runner) nominated into the Hall."
 
Finally, if you could describe your time at Elon in one word what would it be?
"Powerful."
 
What Others Are Saying
Bill Morningstar, former Elon multi-sport coach
"We were just starting the cross country program (in 1993) and Brian came and turned out to be an outstanding runner for us. He had a lot of great ability and did a great job for us for four years. In my mind, he's still one of the outstanding runners in Elon cross country because back when we got it started he was one of the best."