A gifted athlete at Frederick High School, leading the basketball team to the 1957 state championship, Charles Keller III accepted a scholarship to the University of Maryland, but left college his sophomore year to sign with the New York Yankees. He played AAA baseball and was voted runner-up Minor League Player of the Year in 1961, leading the league with a .350 batting average, most doubles and triples, the second most home runs and RBIs while a member of the All-Star team with AA Binghamton, N.Y. Keller retired from baseball in 1961, following back surgery. Keller was gifted, productive, and a gentleman.