Former Sounders keeper reunites with high school classmate-turned-KIRO host ahead of Seafair honor

Former Sounders keeper Kasey Keller has been named the grand marshal of the Seafair Torchlight Parade on July 26 at the Seattle Waterfront.

Keller, the 2011 Keeper of the Year, made a surprise appearance on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio ahead of his Seafair duties to shock an old high school classmate, KIRO host Manda Factor.

“Ahhhhh, Kasey, I haven’t seen you since we bagged groceries in West Seattle together,” Factor exclaimed. “You have a street named after you, and getting to be the grand marshal of the Seafair Torchlight Parade, that’s a big honor.”

Among his accomplishments is the renaming of a street in his hometown. Adjacent to Keller’s alma mater, North Thurston High School in Olympia, one street was renamed to “Kasey Keller Drive.”

“It was funny when they approached me, and I was kind of like, ‘Really? Yeah, of course. I’d love to,'” Keller said. “It’s one of those things, I mean, growing up down in Olympia, you always remember Seafair with the Hydros and the Blue Angels and the pirates and everything. Now to have that honor, to be able to be right in the middle of it, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“It’s also a lot of responsibility, and clearly I’ve been in an intensive training program to get ready for my grand marshaling skills,” Keller added.

“It’s elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist,” Factor shared. “Got it?”

Seafair moves to Seattle waterfront

Keller will be the grand marshal for Seafair, amid one of the event’s most significant changes in its 76-year history — moving to the Seattle waterfront for the first time. His career as goalkeeper for the U.S. Men’s National Team includes four World Cup appearances alongside three U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year honors.

“Kasey, did you call Manda ‘Mandy’ in high school?” KIRO host Charlie Harger asked.

“Gosh, Charlie,” Manda said.

“There was no Manda in high school,” Casey said to a crowd of laughter.

Keller’s vehicle of choice for the festivities has yet to be revealed, but he considered using his own ’68 Buick convertible. However, he decided against it after becoming nervous that his own car might break down in the middle of the parade.

“I don’t want that responsibility,” Keller said. “I’m not sure yet what they’re going to throw me in.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

Listen to “Seattle’s Morning News” with Charlie Harger and Manda Factor weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio. Subscribe to the podcast here.