A catcher from Granite City, Illinois, he began his baseball career playing for the Granite City Park District Leagues. Keith continued to play at Granite City South High School and American Legion Post #113, playing for his father, newly inducted Conrad “Babe” Champion. He later attended Southwest Missouri State/Missouri State University and played for 4 years becoming All-Conference and All-Region. During the summers, Keith played for C&H (Terry Kasper) in the newly formed Metro Collegiate League, along with the Edwardsville Civics (Greg Patton). In 1982, Keith signed with the St. Cardinals and played for 3 years in their minor league system. His coaching/managing career spanned 1985-1991 with St. Louis and 1992-1994 with the San Diego Padres. In 1995, he began his scouting career and was hired as the Advance Scout with the Chicago Cubs and later a Special Assistant to the GM. Through the years, Keith has scouted for the Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and currently is Advance Scouting for the San Francisco Giants. He has been part of two National League Championships & three World Series Championships along the way. In addition, Keith is part of the Team USA Baseball Scouting Committee and United States Olympic Committee.