When ASU senior quarterback Sam Keller dons the maroon and gold on the football field this season, his jersey number will no longer show his own personal preference, but instead represent his support and commitment to an old friend.
Keller recently announced his decision to change numbers from his customary No. 9 to No. 2, the number of wide receiver Angelo Richardson, who was shot in March near a nightclub in San Francisco.
The bullet hit in Richardson's back, causing damage to his lungs and ribs and paralyzing him from the waist down.
Keller, who talks to Richardson on a weekly basis, said he wanted to do something for his friend. So when Richardson asked him to wear his number this season, he knew that was it.
"He just asked me one night, and it was a real heartfelt conversation," Keller said at a press conference last Wednesday in the Student Athletic Center's Hall of Fame. "It kind of shocked me. It made me feel really good and made me feel sad at the same time."
Keller has worn No. 9 for all three years he has played at ASU, and he said it was hard to give it up.
"I love that number (nine). That's my number," Keller said. "I can always go back to it. But this is a little more important than me liking a number."
Keller met Richardson at a Michigan football camp when the two were in high school. Richardson eventually transferred to Keller's San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif. Keller then came to ASU while Richardson went to Santa Rosa Junior College. The two were set to be reunited this season after ASU signed Richardson last winter.
"When [Richardson] touched the ball, anything could happen,'' Keller said. "[He was] just very athletic, very precise in his routes. I'm not making any comparisons to Derek [Hagan], but Angelo was just a game-breaker, and we needed that kind of guy coming in."
Keller's father, Mike Keller, and Doug Mathers, a family friend of Richardson, have set up The Angelo Richardson Fund, which has raised more than $15,000 to aid Richardson in his recovery costs.
While Richardson is not expected to play football again, Keller said he is making progress towards recovery.
"He's doing alright. He can't walk yet but maybe that day will come sooner than later," Keller said. "[It's] slow progress, [but] the good thing about him is he's an athlete. If anybody can get better fast it's him."
"I'm wearing [No. 2] for him just so everyone can see that I'm thinking about him."
But Richardson won't be the only thing on Keller's mind come training camp at Tontozona next month. He will enter his senior year at ASU this season, and he wants to make the most of it.
"I'm absolutely more focused this year, number one because this is my last year" he said.
The quarterback position is expected to be one of the biggest position battles in ASU's camp after backup sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter led the Sun Devils over Rutgers 45-40 in last year's Insight Bowl.
Carpenter, who stepped in after Keller suffered a shoulder injury midway through the season, was named the bowl's MVP after throwing for 467 yards and four touchdowns in a game that set an overall bowl record for total yardage.
But Keller said he can't be concerned with the outside pressure.
"I prepare and I work hard either way (regardless of competition)," he said. "I can only worry about what I'm in control of. I can't worry about the competition or anything like that."
Reach the reporter at steven.bohner@asu.edu.
