Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Chris Farley and David Spade.
Classic comedic tandems feed off each other, crafting characters and jokes that leave generations rolling on the floor laughing. There are no shortage of these dynamic duos over time, including the meteoric rise of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
"Key & Peele" debuted on Comedy Central in 2012. The sketch series won multiple awards during its five-season run, including two Primetime Emmy Awards in 18 nominations. Characters like Luther, who was President Barack Obama's "angry translator," and Wendell Sanders, a lonely super nerd with a penchant of having sexual encounters with pizza, developed cult followings for the show.
Perhaps no sketch, however, is more famous than the East/West College Bowl and the player introductions that came before the college football all-star game.
Key & Peele: East/West Bowl Introductions
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Play-by-play announcers Dave Stas and Jeff Werthing gear up for the showdown between the nation's best college football players. The ridiculous name choices go from not-so-bad to absurd in a hurry, and the sketch never gets old.
The very first East/West Collegiate Bowl sketch has 57 million views and counting on YouTube.
Key and Peele Football Names List
East Team
D'Marcus Williums, University of Georgia
T.J. Juckson, Wayne State University
T'Variuness King, Merrimack College
Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace, University of Miami
D'Squarius Green, Jr., University of Notre Dame
Ibrahim Moizoos, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Jackmerius Tacktheritrix, Michigan State University
D'Isiah T. Billings-Clyde, Coastal Carolina University
D'Jasper Probincrux III, South Carolina State University
Leoz Maxwell Jilliumz, East Carolina University
Javaris Jamar Javarison-Lamar, University of Middle Tennessee
Davoin Shower-Handel, University of Southern Mississippi
Hingle McCringleberry, Penn State University
L'Carpetron Dookmarriot, Florida Atlantic University
J'Dinkalage Morgoone, University of South Florida
Xmus Jaxon Flaxon-Waxon, California University of Pennsylvania
West Team
Saggitariutt Jefferspin, Texas A&M
D'Glester Hardunkichud, University of Wisconsin
Swirvithan L'Goodling-Splatt, Saskatchewan University
Quatro Quatro, San Jose State University
Ozamataz Buckshank, Stanford University
Beezer Twelve Washingbeard, Jones College
Shakiraquan T.G.I.F. Carter, University of Northern Arizona
X-Wing @Aliciousness, Missouri Western State University
Sequester Grundelplith M.D., Adams State
Scoish Velociraptor Maloish, South Dakota State University
T.J. A.J. R.J. Backslashinfourth V, Albion College
EEEEE EEEEEEEEE, San Diego State University
Donkey Teeth, Boise State University
Torque [Construction Drilling Noise] Lewith, Nevada State Penitentiary
[The Player Formerly Known As Mousecop], University of Missouri-Columbia
Dan Smith, BYU
The sketch was so successful that Key and Peele produced two more game introductions that are just as good as the first.
Key & Peele: East/West College Bowl 2
Key & Peele: Pro Edition
They revived the sketch in 2020 for a pro edition with help from actual NFL players like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Prince Amukamara, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Frostee Rucker and Aaron Rodgers.
Keegan-Michael Key earned his MFA from Penn State University and was a cast member on "Mad TV." Since Key & Peele, he's appeared in movies like "Pitch Perfect 2" and "Toy Story 4" and even debuted on Broadway in Steve Martin's "Meteor Shower." Today, he hosts the quiz show "Brain Games" on National Geographic.
Jordan Peele appeared in numerous TV shows as well, but he's found his calling as a film director and producer. Peele's earned Academy Award nominations for his work on the horror films "Get Out" and "Us," plus another for helping produce Spike Lee's critically acclaimed "BlacKkKlansman."
It all started on "Key & Peele," and no player is more iconic than Dan Smith out of BYU.
This post was originally published on April 8, 2020.
