Keith Mumphery: Making An Impact On And Off The Field
10/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tyler Galloway, MSU Athletic Communications Staff Assistant
Keith Mumphery is one of five players on the Michigan State football roster from the state of Georgia. The senior wide receiver is a little more than 900 miles north of his hometown of Vienna, but that distance didn't play a factor when it came time for him to make a decision on where he wanted to go to college.
"Once I met Coach D and the coaching staff, they made me feel very comfortable and at home up here," said Mumphery. "Just being around them and a lot of other great people up here helped me realize this was the place to be."
After he arrived in East Lansing in 2010, Mumphery redshirted during his true freshman season like most first-year players. Despite not being on the field in 2010, he was still able to contribute to a successful 11-2 season and MSU's first Big Ten Championship in 20 years as he earned the Jim Adams Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year award.
As a red-shirt freshman in 2011, Mumphery appeared in all 14 games and finished with two tackles on the year as a contributor on the special teams unit. He also added his first two career receptions against Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan to earn his first letter. For his efforts, he received the Harold & Raynor Shnider Office of the Provost Award, which is presented to a freshman or sophomore student-athlete who embodies the characteristics promoted by Student-Athlete Support Services with emphasis on academic performance, community involvement, and leadership ability.
Mumphery's work ethic throughout his first two years earned him a starting position for the Spartan offense heading into the 2012 campaign. Although Michigan State battled through a disappointing 7-6 season, Mumphery emerged as one of the team's top targets in the receiving corps, earning the Tommy Love Award as the team's most improved offensive player. His 42 receptions were tops on the squad as he compiled 515 receiving yards (second on the team), highlighted by his first career touchdown against Ohio State on Sept. 29, a memorable 29-yard catch in which he broke several tackles and carried four Buckeye defenders into the end zone.
"I remember waking up in the middle of the night and being really nervous the night before that 2012 Ohio State game," Mumphery recalled. "I ended up just looking over my notes from Coach (Terrence) Samuel around two in the morning and I just felt like I was going to make some type of big play. Once that play was called in the game, it just hit me and I knew I was going to make something happen."
Mumphery battled a handful of minor injuries during the Spartans' magical 13-1 season and run to the Big Ten and Rose Bowl Championships in 2013. However, he was still able to contribute one of the signature plays in Michigan State's 34-24 victory over No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game when he hauled in a 72-yard touchdown pass from Connor Cook midway through the first half. After helping the Spartans to a 24-20 victory over Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl Game, Mumphery capped off the year by completing his bachelor's degree in Communications in May of 2014.
"I came here with a lot of goals, but my main goal was to get my degree. Getting that meant the world to me and my family," stated Mumphery.
Even with his degree complete and his last season of college football underway, Mumphery is now pursuing his master's degree in communication and focusing on more future goals.
"I tell everybody this, but my main goal is to start a non-profit organization," said Mumphery. "The reason I want to do that has a lot to do with where I'm from. Down there, a lot of kids don't have role models and it's really hard to have dreams. When I tell some people it's hard to have dreams, they don't really know what I mean by that.
 | "One of the main reasons I love to be involved in the community is just being able to put a smile on other people's faces. I really enjoy that from the bottom of my heart." |
"So as one of the first people from my area to go to a major Division I university and have success, I believe I can give back to the community and the kids that might not have role models. I think I can help them out by passing on some of the knowledge that I have gained to help them be successful."
The success that Mumphery has enjoyed at Michigan State extends well beyond his contributions on the football field.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he was also the 2013 recipient of MSU's Football Players Association's Community Service & Outreach Award in addition to being nominated for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. Mumphery's involvement in the community includes extensive work with campaigns such as "Teams for Toys," the Great Dairy Adventure, and local food drives. From a young age, he learned the value of giving back to others and has always enjoyed the satisfaction that comes with helping other people.
"That's just my passion - to be unselfish and do whatever I can to help the next man," explained Mumphery. "My mom always put it in my heart and my mind to give back to others. But one of the main reasons I love to be involved in the community is just being able to put a smile on other people's faces. I really enjoy that from the bottom of my heart."
"He's a great people person," said MSU Director of Student Athlete-Development Angela Montie. "Kids, adults and other athletes are just drawn to him and how he interacts with people. He has always been one to come to me seeking out opportunities to get involved. Not only does he enjoy reaching out and giving back to others, he also believes it helps him grow and mature as a person as well."
The fifth-year senior also discussed his motivation for his final year as a member of the Spartan football squad in 2014.
"I want us to be one of the first teams to go to the (College Football) Playoff," he said. "I want to be able to look back 30-40 years from now and tell my grandkids and other people that Michigan State was one of the first teams to make it to the playoff. So that's the main goal for this season."
Earning a bid to the inaugural College Football Playoff in January would seem to be the perfect ending to a great career for Mumphery at Michigan State, one that has already provided him with numerous proud moments on and off the field.
"Since I got here, I've really grown up by being able to be independent and get prepared for the real world to start a career after football," expressed Mumphery. "The friendships and connections I've made here are another thing. I've got the brotherhood we have created on the football field, but reaching out and building a network with all of the other people on campus has been just as rewarding for me."
This feature was originally published in the Sept. 27 edition of Michigan State Football Gameday Magazine.
