Someone once told Jeff Keck he would know when it was time to retire from coaching.

After 37 seasons, the right time is now.

The legendary hall-of-fame coach decided this past season would be his last, as Keck announced his retirement following a career of nearly four decades.

“I just knew,” Keck said. “I’ve thought about it the last few years, but I decided this was going to be my last year. It’s been a good run. There are a lot of good things I’ve been blessed with. I’ve been blessed with a great coach’s wife. I’ve been blessed with good players but also good kids. I’ve had good coaches, good support from the administration. It’s been a good run, and I was blessed with the opportunity to do it for so many years.”

Keck, 65, was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this past January. He won 531 games in his career with stops at Firelands and Vermilion. He had been with the Sailors since 2002.

Under Keck’s watch, Vermilion won seven conference championships and had 10 20-win seasons. He also led the Sailors to their only two district titles in program history in 2019 and 2021. The 2021 team advanced to the state semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Akron Hoban. It was Lorain County’s only state appearance in the past 20 years until Amherst’s run earlier this month.

Keck ends his career with Vermilion at 392 wins.

“At that time (in 2002), the field we played on was new. It was a good situation, my kids were in school. I live less than five minutes from the field,” Keck said. “It’s been special to me. I’ve taken a lot of pride in it. It hasn’t been just a job — it became part of me. There are certainly a lot of reasons that it’s been that way. It’s been fun, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Vermilion had plenty of success in Keck’s time there, but that’s not what kept him around for so many years. Not only does he love baseball, but he brought infectious energy to his teams. Even at 65 years old this past season, Keck was the most enthusiastic person on the field.

“There’s only one way I know how to do it, and that’s to go all out and give everything I got,” Keck said. “That’s the way I’ve always been. A long time ago when I first started coaching, some players told me that was my strength. I was a young kid. I was only about 25 years old. They said, ‘You’re full of energy, you coach us like crazy and you care about us.’ That always stuck with me. It was at a time where things weren’t going very well, and I always remembered that.”

Since then, it was not only Keck’s goal to bring positivity, it was to have a positive impact and be a positive role model for his players.

“It’s been one of my philosophies ever since was have a positive impact on kids and to always have energy and coach the game like it’s supposed to be played,” Keck said.

Keck will remember this time as a coach fondly. Although he coached for many years, there are still distinct memories that stand out. The 2021 run was one of them, along with when eventual MLB pitcher Andy Oliver played for the Sailors in the mid-2000’s and attracted pro scouts to games.

Now with more time on his hands after retiring from coaching and teaching multiple times, Keck plans to travel with wife Tessa and spend time with his grandkids. He’s looking forward to his next chapter of his life, but will always cherish the old one.

“It’s just been different pods of kids through the years that you remember,” Keck said. “The memories all run together but you remember all of these kids and the special times you had. Having a positive impact on kids was real special to me.”