Hard Work Paying Off for Keiser On and Off Field

By Nate Rohr
Nebraska tight end Dusty Keiser seems to make winning look easy. For most of his life, the 6-3, 245-pound senior from Norfolk, Neb., has been associated with winning programs.

During his prep career at Norfolk Catholic High School, Keiser starred on back-to-back Class C1 state championship football teams.

After walking on to continue his career at Nebraska, Keiser has made trips to four postseason bowl games with the Huskers, including the national championship game in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

Off the field, Keiser has also produced winning results by earning first-team academic All-Big 12 accolades and a pair of spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll as a business administration major.

Although Keiser’s story appears glamorous on the surface, his winning results come from a blue-collar work ethic and a gritty determination to succeed.

Tight ends coach Scott Downing said Keiser’s consistency in preparation and intelligence add to the ingredients of a winner.

"He’s a smart guy who is always dependable and thinks well out there on the field," Downing said. "He’s a guy who shows up to work every day."

Keiser’s hard work on the gridiron and in the classroom during his first three seasons at Nebraska paid off during the spring of 2004, when he earned a scholarship for his senior year.

"It’s what every walk-on works for," Keiser said. "I was really pleased, and my parents were really excited about it."

As a junior in 2003, Keiser climbed the depth to earn significant playing time both at tight end and on special teams. He played in all 13 games and pulled down the first two receptions of his career.

According to Downing, Keiser’s performance on and off the field helped him earn the scholarship.

"He started at No. 4 on the depth chart and ended at No. 3 behind Phil Peetz and Matt Herian," Downing said. "He was involved in a lot of special teams and did a really solid job for us. You always like to reward people like that."

Although Keiser was striving to be a more prominent target in the Huskers’ run-based offense in 2003, he focused on helping the team in any way possible. Keiser’s desire to contribute led to an increased role on special teams.

"I just wanted to get out on the field, so I took every shot I could get," Keiser said. "I’ll take any role I can find, as long as I can help the team."

Keiser said the transition from tight end to special teams was surprisingly easy.

"There isn’t a whole lot of different between playing tight end and playing special teams," Keiser said. "There’s a lot of contact at tight end, and there’s a lot of contact when you’re playing on special teams."

After consistently finding his way onto the field last year, Keiser hopes to become a more consistent receiving threat in the Huskers’ West Coast Offense this season.

"I’m confident in my receiving abilities," Keiser said. "I think we have a great bunch of receivers, and I think we’ll surprise some people."

Downing said Keiser has the tools to play a more prominent role in 2004.

"Dusty is a good blocker, a good route-runner and a guy with a good set of hands," Downing said. "It’s nice to have two guys (Herian and Keiser) who we can count on."

After finding success on and off the field, the Huskers may be counting more on Keiser as his career continues.