Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Brian Key was graduated from Cumberland College, now University of the Cumberlands in 1995. He played basketball during the Coach Randy Vernon era, competing in 129 games from 1990-1994.
Key is one of only three players in Cumberland men's basketball history to have compiled a minimum 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists.
For his career, Key ranks seventh all-time in points scored with a total of 1690 for an average 13.1 points per game. He grabbed 606 rebounds or 4.7 per game, ranking him among the leaders. He ranks seventh in all-time assists having dished out 378 for an average of 2.9 assists per game.
During the 1993-94 season, Key set a Cumberland triple double record by scoring 19 points, pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists in a game against Lee College. He also recorded his career best 39 points in a single game versus Pikeville College which ranks ninth best scoring effort all-time along with six other former players.
Key ranks fourth among the leaders in career steals with 176 for an average of 1.6 per game. In 1992-93 season he collected 69 steals in a season. He followed up with a total of 55 steals in 1993-94 season over 30 games for an average of 1.9 steals per game for a ranking of tenth all time in season steals. In the all-time assist category, Key ranks seventh for a career with 378 for an average of 3.5 per game.
Brian showed up in the post season of 1993 by scoring 27 points versus Transylvania University, fifth all-time best performance in the post-season. In 1994, he followed up with a 26 point performance versus Campbellsville ranking him 6th in most points scored in a single game for the post-season.
After graduating in 1995, Key returned to Cincinnati and began working with an adolescent drug program called The Talbert House for a two and a half year period. In 1998 he joined the Cincinnati Police Department as a patrolman where he has remained in employment for ten years.
It was in 2005 that Key married his wife, Donna, who is also a police officer in Cincinnati. Key most admires his mother and father, Lillie and Fred Davis. "The two of them were a big influence in my life. This induction is for them. My success is a tribute to them." He also admires Coach Randy Vernon for taking a chance on him. "Coach never saw me play on film or in person. Coach treated all his players with respect and treated us like we were family."
