Ron Keller Scholarship
Awarded in honor of beloved coach, Ron Keller

 

The Ron Keller Scholarship was launched in 2025 in honor of Coach Ron Keller, a beloved, active legend in the Durango School District. This scholarship was created to support high school track and field and cross country athletes who excel in competition and reflect the core values that Keller has exemplified throughout his decades-long career.  

 

More than just a celebration of any individual student’s athletic achievement, the scholarship is a tribute to the lasting impact Keller has had on generations of students. Through his leadership, Durango High School’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs flourished, earning eight state championships, seven runner-up finishes, and more than 48 state team qualifications in cross country. But Keller’s greatest legacy lies in the lives he’s touched—athletes who became leaders, teammates who became family, and students who achieved their goals both on and off the field.

 

The scholarship honors this enduring influence by supporting student-athletes who not only perform at the highest level, but lead with integrity and kindness, just as Keller has done. It is a living legacy, continuing his mission of helping students pursue their athletic and academic dreams. More than a coach, Ron Keller is a transformative figure who built lifelong relationships and a sense of family—values represented through this scholarship.

AWARD AMOUNT

The scholarship amount, either $500 or $1,000 per individual award, will be determined each year by donations received. Each scholarship is awarded for one year, non-renewable, to the student’s choice of a 2-year or 4-year college for which they will be competing in track and field and/or cross country.  

 

A maximum of two scholarships will be awarded each year, one to a boy and one to a girl.  If no student meets the award criteria during any given year, the scholarship may remain unawarded for that year with the accumulated funds becoming available for scholarship distribution the following year.  

 

ELIGIBILITY AND EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for nomination, the student must:

• Be a participating athlete on the Durango High School (DHS) Track and Field and/or Cross Country teams.

• Must intend to compete in track and field and/or cross country at a college or university (club or intramural participation does not meet requirements) and must have either: (1) signed an official commitment to compete or (2) received a formal invitation to participate as a walk-on athlete. *Documentation from the college/university athletic program may be required. 

• Be nominated by any paid DHS Track and Field and/or Cross Country coach or another student athlete on the DHS Track and Field or Cross Country teams. (Athletes are not allowed to self-nominate.)

• Demonstrate the following qualities:

• Excellence in cross country and/or track and field

• Loyalty

• Honesty

• Leadership

• Respect for others

• Integrity

• Courage

• Resilience

• Compassion

• Sportsmanship in victory and defeat

 

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process will take place as follows:

• Candidates must be nominated by a paid DHS Track and Field and/or Cross Country coach OR by a student athlete on the DHS Track and Field and/or Cross Country teams through the Google Form linked on this Durango Education Foundation website: durangoeductionfoundation.org. Candidates are not eligible for consideration unless a nomination has been submitted through the Durango Education Foundation Google form. Eligible athletes must be in good academic standing with no violations of the Durango School District Athletic/Activity Code of Conduct.

• Nominations will be reviewed by the Durango Education Foundation staff for alignment with scholarship eligibility requirements based solely on responses provided in the Google form nomination, with the nomination forms of eligible candidates being returned to the coaching staff for an anonymous vote.

• Any coaching staff member who is related to an eligible nominee during the year when the student becomes eligible for consideration must recuse themselves from nominating their own student (but may nominate another student) or voting during that year’s selection process.

• DHS Cross Country and Track and Field coaches will then be provided with the scholarship requirements by the DHS Athletic Director and vote by anonymous ballot for their candidates of choice (from the Google form nominations) that they believe best fit the scholarship criteria. 

• If a coach serves both the DHS Cross Country and Track and Field teams, s/he may vote twice.

• The DHS Athletic Director will gather and tally the anonymous votes and provide the results to the Durango Education Foundation.

• Athletes who qualify as state finalists and/or medalists in an individual event (not solely in a relay) are to be given preference in the selection process.  The exception: Student-athletes who are eliminated from competition due to late-season injury will still be considered.

• Scholarship candidates will be announced at the DHS Athletic Awards

• Scholarships will be voted on following the completion of the DHS Track and Field State Championships.  The scholarship recipients will be announced at the Track and Field Banquet in the week following the state championships.