[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.