 Like all the wrestling coaches in his era, he was unable to offer any of his "boys" a scholarship until the mid-1960s; he was unable to recruit, and the only financial assistance he could offer was to get them a job on campus to support their tuition and room&board.The lack of financial support prevented Keen from taking at least 75 of his wrestlers to the NCAA Championships although they qualified; he was unable to field a full squad at every weight until 1963.His length of service as Michigan's wrestling coach was “the longest tenure of any coach in any sport in NCAA history.”

He obtained a law degree from Michigan in 1933.