Case Keenum Parents: How His Father’s Coaching and Mother’s Support Shaped His Long NFL Journey

Case Keenum has spent well over a decade in the NFL, playing for several teams and building one of the more unusual quarterback careers of his generation. In 2026, he is with the Chicago Bears, where he continues to bring veteran experience at age 38. But long before the NFL, two people played the biggest role in shaping his football life: his parents, Steve and Susan Keenum.

Both Steve and Susan were athletes in their younger years, and both helped create the strong family environment that Case often credits for his career. His father became a longtime football coach, while his mother built a career in education. Together, they raised Case in Texas with a strong focus on faith, family, discipline and sports.

Case has frequently spoken about how much his parents mean to him. In his book Playing for More, he described them as the people who helped create the foundation for the person and player he became.

Who Are Case Keenum’s Parents?

Case Keenum’s parents are Steve Keenum and Susan Keenum.

The couple met while attending McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and eventually built their life together around education, athletics and faith.

Case was born on February 17, 1988, and grew up in Texas.

He was not the only child in the family. Case also grew up with siblings, and the Keenum household remained close even as his football career took him across the country.

Case has repeatedly described Abilene as home, even after playing for multiple NFL franchises.

That connection is closely tied to his parents.

Steve and Susan Were College Sweethearts

Steve and Susan met while attending McMurry University.

Steve studied education and was also a football player.

Susan had her own athletic background and attended the same school.

Their relationship eventually developed into marriage, and they built a family life in West Texas.

Case has often pointed to his parents’ marriage as an example for his own relationship with wife Kimberly.

In his own writing, he has spoken about the stability and faith-based values he saw at home.

That example became especially important as his NFL career forced him and Kimberly to move several times.

Steve Keenum Played College Football

Athletic ability runs strongly through the Keenum family.

Steve Keenum played offensive line at McMurry University during the 1970s.

After his playing days ended, he stayed closely connected to football.

Steve eventually became a coach and spent years working at the college level.

His coaching career included time at several Texas programs.

He served as head coach at Sul Ross State, worked as offensive coordinator at Tarleton State and coached the offensive line at Hardin-Simmons.

His most important coaching role, however, came at McMurry.

Steve Became McMurry’s Head Coach

Steve eventually returned to McMurry University as head football coach and athletic director.

He held that position for roughly a decade.

For Case, that meant football was almost always nearby.

He spent time around practices, players and coaches from a very young age.

That environment gave him an unusually early education in the game.

He was not simply watching football on television.

He was seeing preparation, coaching and team culture from the inside.

Case has said those experiences helped him fall in love with the sport.

Case Wanted to Be a Ball Boy

One of the best-known stories about Case and his father involves his early desire to become a ball boy for McMurry.

Case wanted to be around the team, but Steve did not simply give him the job because he was the coach’s son.

Instead, he gave Case a challenge.

Steve told him he needed to be able to throw an NCAA football from the sideline to a referee standing near the hash marks.

For a young child, that was not easy.

Case practiced until he could do it.

Eventually, he earned the chance to work around the team.

The story reflects the way Steve approached parenting.

Case had access to football because of his father, but he still had to work for opportunities.

Steve Was More Mentor Than Personal Coach

Although Steve had decades of coaching experience, Case has said his father was not always directly coaching every part of his game.

Instead, he acted more like a mentor.

Steve taught him about work ethic, character and decision-making.

Those lessons stayed with Case long after he left home.

Case has described his father as one of the biggest influences on his football career.

He has also said that simply watching Steve work helped him understand what leadership looked like.

That influence followed him into the NFL.

Susan Keenum Was Also an Athlete

Case’s mother, Susan Keenum, also had an athletic background.

She participated in track and field during high school and reportedly qualified for the state level.

Later, she played volleyball at McMurry University.

That means Case grew up with athletic examples on both sides of the family.

Susan may not have built a coaching career like Steve, but sports were already part of her life before she became a mother.

Her influence on Case went beyond athletics, though.

He has often described her as one of the hardest-working people he knows.

Susan Built a Career in Education

Susan Keenum spent decades working as a teacher in Texas.

She became especially associated with elementary physical education in the Abilene area.

Her teaching career lasted more than 30 years.

That commitment made education another major part of the Keenum household.

Case grew up around two parents who spent much of their professional lives helping young people.

Steve did it through coaching.

Susan did it through teaching.

Those careers helped shape the family culture.

Susan Had an Unexpected Link to Case’s Wife

One of the more interesting family details involves Case’s wife, Kimberly.

Susan reportedly taught Kimberly in physical education years before Case and Kimberly became a couple.

At the time, no one could have known the connection would eventually become part of the family story.

Case and Kimberly later became high school sweethearts and eventually married.

That meant Susan had known her future daughter-in-law long before their relationship became serious.

It is one of those small details that shows just how deeply rooted Case’s life has remained in the same Texas community.

Case Has Called Himself a Momma’s Boy

Case has never hidden how close he is to his mother.

In Playing for More, he described himself as a “momma’s boy at heart.”

He praised Susan for constantly encouraging him and supporting him through every stage of his career.

Even when she could not attend games, she remained in contact.

Case has said she would often FaceTime him or be one of the first people to send a message afterward.

When injuries made everyday routines more difficult, Susan also helped with practical support.

Those moments mattered just as much as the big games.

Steve Continued Working With Young Athletes

After stepping away from full-time college coaching, Steve remained involved with athletes and young people.

He became connected with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The organization has also been important in Case’s life.

Steve’s role allowed him to combine several parts of his identity: football, faith and mentoring.

He has spent years working with athletes in West Texas through that organization.

He has also been involved with local school leadership.

That continued service helped keep him connected to the same type of work that shaped his earlier coaching career.

Faith Was Central in the Keenum Household

Case Keenum has often spoken publicly about his Christian faith.

That foundation began at home.

Steve and Susan raised their children in a strongly faith-centered environment.

Case has said his parents taught him what faith should look like in everyday life, not just on Sundays.

That included how to treat people, how to handle success and how to respond when things went badly.

Those lessons became especially important during Case’s professional career.

His NFL journey has included moments of huge success but also injuries, roster cuts, backup roles and frequent moves.

Faith became one of the ways he handled that uncertainty.

His Parents Followed Him Through His NFL Journey

Case entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans in 2012.

Since then, his career has taken him to several teams.

He has played for the Texans, Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Washington, Browns, Bills and Bears.

Through many of those stops, his parents remained closely involved.

Case has said his father attended every football game he started in high school, college and the NFL for long stretches of his career.

Susan was also present whenever possible.

That level of support meant a lot during a career that was rarely predictable.

Case’s 2017 Vikings Run Became a Family Highlight

One of the biggest moments of Keenum’s career came during the 2017 season with the Minnesota Vikings.

He took over as starting quarterback and helped lead the team to the NFC Championship Game.

The season included the famous “Minneapolis Miracle,” when Keenum completed a last-second touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs in the playoffs.

It instantly became one of the most memorable plays in NFL postseason history.

For Steve and Susan, it was another remarkable moment in a journey they had watched from the beginning.

The child who once worked to earn a ball boy job had become the quarterback at the center of one of the league’s most famous plays.

Case Is Still Playing in 2026

Keenum’s career has lasted far longer than many expected.

In 2026, he is with the Chicago Bears after re-signing on a two-year contract.

He remains a veteran presence in the quarterback room and has continued appearing in regular-season games.

His longevity is remarkable considering he entered the league undrafted.

It also reflects many of the qualities his parents emphasized early in life: preparation, patience and persistence.

Steve taught him the football side.

Susan reinforced the family support.

Together, they gave him a foundation that lasted much longer than any single team or season.

Steve and Susan Remain Central to Case Keenum’s Story

Case Keenum’s parents are not simply background figures in his football biography.

Steve introduced him to the game and showed him what coaching and leadership looked like.

Susan gave him constant encouragement and modeled discipline through her long teaching career.

Both were athletes.

Both were educators in different ways.

Both remained closely involved as their son moved from Texas high school football to the NFL.

For people searching for information about Case Keenum’s parents, Steve and Susan Keenum are the two people most closely tied to the values that have defined his career.

Case has played for many teams, but his connection to his family and West Texas roots has remained remarkably consistent.

That may be one of the biggest reasons his football journey has lasted as long as it has.