HARRISBURG – Since the age of 13, Keith Stokes can remember walking around with a football in his hands.  His fast track to becoming a college wide receiver started right then and there and his experience has been building ever since.  After his first collegiate touchdown catch at East Carolina University, Keith knew he always had a nose for the ball and the desire to have the ball in his hands when the game was on the line.  Needless to say, that first touchdown catch of his college career was a game winner that propelled ECU over the Hurricanes of Miami. 

From this rise in the ranks throughout East Carolina’s depth chart, Keith always pushed himself to go for more, play for a better team, a bigger league.  In 2001, he began getting the chance to prove what he could do as a member of an NFL practice squad.  As time passed, he moved from an NFL practice squad to the Canadian Football League, a few trips in between the two, and even a stint overseas with the European Football League.

Coach Ramon Robinson of the Stampede professed his need for this experience by saying, “Keith has been there before.  He has played in the big game, made the big catch, and knows what it takes to be a winner.”  Owner of the team, John Morris followed this up by stating, “His experience is a big plus for Harrisburg.  His hands are some of the best I’ve seen and he brings another dominate trait to a deep receiving unit.” 

Even with a Grey Cup under his belt from the CFL, his hands and prowess is a defining part of his knack for going to the ball.  After all of this however, soft-spoken Keith Stokes said that what he likes best about the opportunity to play in Harrisburg is, “just getting to play football again”.

The Harrisburg Stampede are members of the American Indoor Football Association in the East Conference.  Founded in 2008, the Stampede play their home games at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Area.  Currently the AIFA is comprised of 13 teams spanning across the nation.  The mission of the American Indoor Football Association is to provide fast paced, fan-friendly professional football at affordable prices.