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| Keith Poole | |
|---|---|
| Name | Keith Poole |
| Birth date | 30 June 1974 |
| Birth place | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 209 lb |
| College | University of Arizona |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Nfl draft | 1998 / Round: 5 / Pick: 129 |
Keith Poole (born June 30, 1974) is a former American professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He is best known for his collegiate career with the Arizona Wildcats football program and his time with the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos. Poole's career intersected with notable figures and events across Pac-10 Conference competition and the NFL era characterized by players such as Terrell Davis, Brett Favre, and Randy Moss.
Poole was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in the Houston metropolitan area, where he attended Klein High School in Klein, Texas. At Klein he competed in high school football programs that produced players linked to the Texas high school football tradition alongside alumni who later appeared in the NFL Draft. His performances at Klein drew attention from programs in the Pacific-10 Conference and from staff associated with the University of Arizona and the Southeastern Conference recruiting networks. After graduating, he matriculated at the University of Arizona, joining a student-athlete community that has included figures associated with the College Football Playoff era and historic coaches from the Pac-12 Conference lineage.
At the University of Arizona, Poole played under head coaches connected to the school’s modern period and competed in the Pac-10 Conference against programs such as University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Oregon, and Arizona State University. He emerged as a leading receiver for the Arizona Wildcats football offense, producing statistics that placed him among contemporaries from schools like University of Washington and Stanford University. During his tenure he shared the field with teammates who later engaged with the NFL Scouting Combine and entered the NFL Draft, while facing defensive backs from programs such as University of Utah and University of Colorado Boulder. Poole’s college production garnered attention from scouts representing franchises including the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and San Francisco 49ers.
Poole was selected in the 1998 NFL Draft in the fifth round by the New Orleans Saints. He joined an organizational context that included management and coaching figures linked to the broader NFL landscape of the late 1990s, competing on rosters alongside veterans and rookies who participated in matchups against teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his tenure with the Saints, Poole signed with the Denver Broncos, contributing to offensive schemes that featured personnel associated with championship-winning eras like those led by John Elway and Mike Shanahan. His professional career involved regular-season and postseason contests under the governance of the National Football League Players Association and in stadiums shared with franchises like the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders.
Poole was primarily utilized as an outside wide receiver and slot target, operating within passing attacks comparable to those run by teams coached in the late-1990s and early-2000s NFL such as the St. Louis Rams "Greatest Show on Turf" era and offenses highlighted by Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. His skill set emphasized route running, contested-catch ability, and special-teams value, attributes often compared by analysts to receivers emerging from conferences such as the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference. Statistical highlights included receptions and receiving yardage that contributed to team passing totals and third-down conversion efforts in games against opponents like the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers. Poole’s professional moments occurred alongside contemporaries including Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, and Jerry Rice in the broader receiver cohort of his era.
Following his NFL career, Poole returned to the New Orleans region and maintained ties to the University of Arizona alumni community and former teammates who entered coaching staffs, broadcasting, and athletic administration roles across institutions such as LSU and Texas A&M University. He has been associated with charitable outreach and community programs similar to initiatives run by NFL alumni foundations and civic partnerships with organizations in metropolitan areas like Phoenix, Arizona and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Poole’s network includes former colleagues who pursued careers in sports media at outlets akin to ESPN, FOX Sports, and local radio affiliates.
Poole is remembered within the Arizona Wildcats football history for his receiving contributions during a period that featured competition with programs from the Pac-10 Conference and produced numerous NFL players. While not inducted into national halls such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his career is recognized in team record books and alumni registries alongside Wildcats who advanced to the NFL Draft and Super Bowl rosters. Commemorations of his playing days appear in retrospective coverage by college football historians and in databases maintained by organizations such as the NFL, College Football Hall of Fame, and university athletic departments.
Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American football wide receivers Category:Arizona Wildcats football players Category:New Orleans Saints players Category:Denver Broncos players