[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF MR. BRADY KEYS, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 2, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I pay tribute to a respected athlete, an 
ambitious franchiser, and a friend of longstanding, Mr. Brady Keys, Jr. 
Mr. Keys passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. A memorial service 
will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. at Rejoice in 
the Lord Ministries in Apopka, FL and will be followed by a funeral 
service and burial on Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at 
Inglewood Park Cemetery Chapel in Inglewood, CA.
  Brady Keys, Jr. was born on May 19, 1937 in Austin, Texas. He 
attended Kealing High School in Austin, before moving to California, to 
attend Polytechnic High School.
  After graduating high school, he enrolled at East Los Angeles Junior 
College, where he played semi-pro football and gained the attention of 
Fido Murphy, a scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Murphy offered Keys a 
position on the Steelers taxi squad, which he declined. Murphy then 
offered Keys an education at Colorado State University with the hope 
that he could be legally drafted as a free agent. During his junior 
year, he was ultimately drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played 
with them for six years. He played as a defensive back for a total of 
eight seasons with the National Football League, also playing for the 
Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Cardinals.
  Brady Keys, Jr. was not only a natural athlete, but he was also a 
very successful entrepreneur, owning numerous enterprises and 
franchises. After leaving the NFL, Brady was determined to start his 
own restaurant franchise but was denied business loans as bankers were 
reluctant to lend to businesses with African-American management. 
However, he did not let that stop him. In 1967, with the financial help 
of Art Rooney, then Coach of the Steelers, he opened his first All-Pro 
Chicken restaurant in Detroit, Michigan. As All-Pro Chicken expanded, 
Mr. Keys became the first African-American to establish a national 
franchise.
  After the opening of his first All-Pro Chicken restaurant, Mr. Keys' 
business empire expanded beyond his All-Pro restaurants. His businesses 
included several Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Albany, Georgia; 
the Urban Talent Development Corporation; The Keys Group; Pennky Mining 
and Oil Company; Brady Keys, Jr. Athletic Foundation, Inc.; Keys 
Communications Group, Inc., (formed upon purchase of WJIZ 96.3 FM and 
WJYZ 960 AM radio stations in Albany, Georgia); Alpha-Keys Orlando 
Retail Associates; Keys Technology Group, Inc.; Keys News and Gift 
Shop; Keys-Watt Productions, Inc.; and Keys and Sons Jewelers. Brady 
was truly an asset to the Albany, Georgia, Orlando, Georgia, and 
Detroit, Michigan communities, and his companies contributed over $40 
million to the economies of those states.
  A prominent sports figure and successful business owner, Brady Keys, 
Jr. received several awards and appointments including an appointment 
to the Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise by President 
Nixon; an award for Outstanding African-American Albanian of the Year; 
and several rankings on Black Entertainment Magazine's list of 100 
largest minority owned businesses between the years of 1972 to 1979.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Life's most urgent question 
is: What are you doing for others?'' Brady Keys, Jr. committed a 
prodigious amount of time and love to the service of others, and he 
shared his own enthusiasm and wisdom in order to better those around 
him. In life and in death, Brady has left a lasting impact on all those 
whose lives he has touched.
  Brady Keys, Jr. leaves behind his wife of many years, Anna, and a 
large loving family and a host friends who will miss him dearly.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 730,000 
residents of the Second Congressional District of Georgia, salute Brady 
Keys, Jr. for his outstanding entrepreneurism, untiring commitment to 
minority business ownership, and community development in the urban 
communities where he lived. I ask my colleagues to join all of us in 
extending our deepest condolences to the Keys family during this 
difficult time. We pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an 
abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.