Roy S. "Spec" Keene was the father of Willamette athletics. Beginning in 1926-the initial year of the Northwest Conference-Keene coached football for 17 seasons, baseball for 16 years and basketball for 11 seasons. During one remarkable year-1929-1930- Keene's football (4-0), basketball (8-0), and baseball (9-0) teams each won Conference championships with undefeated records. In his 17 years and 45 coaching seasons at Willamette, Keene's squads won or shared 19 Conference titles. His Bearcat gridders won 27 straight conference games in the 1930s, his 1931 baseball team won 13 in a row and his final basketball squad (1936-37) won 22 games. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 for his coaching. In 1947, Keene returned to his alma mater, Oregon State, to serve as athletic director. His tenure at OSU spanned 26 years and included overseeing the construction of Parker Stadium and Gill Coliseum. He died August 24, 1977.