Harold Keith was born in 1903 in Lambert, Oklahoma Territory. He attended Northwestern State Teachers College and the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Masters Degree in history, and was also sports editor for the student newspaper. During the work for his master's thesis he interviewed 22 veterans of the Civil War who lived in the area. From 1922-1923, he was a teacher in the Aorita Consolidated School System. Keith served as the University of Oklahoma Sports Publicity Director from 1930-1969. He had a continuing interest in long-distance running.He died in Norman, Oklahoma of congestive heart failure on the 24 February 1998.He won the 1958 Newbery Medal for his historical novel Rifles for Watie, which is based on the interviews he did for his Master's thesis. Rifles for Watie also won the 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

Published works

• 1937: Will Rogers, a Boy's Life, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell
• 1941: Sports and Games, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell
• 1951: A Pair of Captains, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell
• 1957: Rifles for Watie, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell (1958 Newbery Award)
• 1964: Baptism of Fire, Pub by Science Research Associates
• 1965: Komantcia, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell (Western Heritage Award)
• 1972: The Bluejay Boarders, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell (ISBN 0-690-14922-0)
• 1971: Brief Garland: Ponytails. Basketball, and Nothing But Net, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell (ISBN 0-690-15969-2 (Oklahoma Book Awards), adapted into the 2006 film Believe in Me
• 1971: The Runt of Rogers School, Pub by Lippincott (ISBN 0-397-31366-7)
• 1972: Go, Red, go!, Pub by T. Nelson (ISBN 0-8407-6217-8)
• 1976: Sports and Games, Pub by HarperCollins Children's Books; Sixth/Rev edition (ISBN 0-06-192471-7)
• 1976: Susy's Scoundrel, Pub by New American Library (1974 Spur Award)
• 1977: The Obstinate Land: Cherokee Strip Run of 1893, Pub by Thomas Y. Crowell (ISBN 0-690-01319-1) (1978 * 1978: Oklahoma Kickoff: An Informal History of the First 25 Years of Football at the University of Oklahoma, and of the Amusing Hardships That Attended It, Pub by Univ of Oklahoma Pr (ISBN 0-8061-1485-1)
• 1984: Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma, Pub by Univ of Oklahoma Pr (ISBN 0-8061-1898-9)
• 1992: The Sound of Strings: Sequel to Komantcia, Pub by Levite of Apache Pub (ISBN 0-927562-10-3)
• 1998: Chico and Dan, Pub by Eakin Press (ISBN 1-57168-216-3)

Cassette Recordings

• 1999: Rifles for Watie, narrator: Tom Stechschulte, Pub by Recorded Books LLC (ISBN 0-7887-3732-5)
• 1999: Rifles for Watie unabridged, narrator: Tom Stechschulte ( Pub by Recorded Books LLC (ISBN 0-7887-3209-9)