Eastern Kentucky Colonels football
| Eastern Kentucky Colonels | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1909 | ||
| Athletic director | Steve Lochmueller | ||
| Head coach |
Mark Elder 1st year, 3–8 (.273) | ||
| Stadium | Roy Kidd Stadium | ||
| Field | Hanger Field | ||
| Year built | 1969 | ||
| Seating capacity | 20,000 | ||
| Field surface | SF II Synthetic Turf | ||
| Location | Richmond, Kentucky | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | OVC | ||
| All-time record | 552–344–38 (.611) | ||
| Bowl record | 3–3 (.500) | ||
| Playoff appearances | 20 | ||
| Claimed nat'l titles | 2 | ||
| Conference titles | 21 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 46 | ||
| Colors |
Maroon and White[1] | ||
| Mascot | The Colonel | ||
| Marching band | Eastern Kentucky University Marching Colonels | ||
| Outfitter | Adidias | ||
| Rivals |
Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois WKU (Former) | ||
| Website | EKUSports | ||
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels football program represents Eastern Kentucky University in college football as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The school has traditionally had much success on the football field, having won twenty OVC conference titles and two Division I FCS National Championships (then called Division I-AA) in 1979 and 1982, and reaching the finals in 1980 and 1981. Much of the success came during the long tenure of head coach Roy Kidd from 1964 to 2002. In 1990, Eastern honored Kidd by naming the school's football stadium Roy Kidd Stadium. Eastern Kentucky's football team was able to secure 31 consecutive winning seasons before finally posting a losing season record in 2009.
In September 2013, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the daily newspaper of nearby Lexington, reported that EKU was considering moving its program to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision. However, under NCAA rules, such a move would require that EKU receive an invitation from an existing FBS conference.[2]
Team information
Nickname: Colonels
Uniforms:
- Home: Maroon
- Road: White
National Championships: 2 – 1979 & 1982
Conference Championships: Twenty One – (Ohio Valley Conference)
1954, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2007, 2008, and 2011
Conference history:
- 1948–present Ohio Valley Conference
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position | eMail Address |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Elder | Head Coach | |
| Kurt Mattix | Defensive Coordinator | kurt.mattix@eku.edu |
| Angelo Mirando | Offensive Coordinator | angelo.mirando@eku.edu |
| Shannon Morrison | Co-Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs Coach | Gregory.Morrison@eku.edu |
| Chase Gibson | Linebackers Coach | darrell.gibson@eku.edu |
| Terry Heffernan | Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Line Coach | terry.heffernan@eku.edu |
| Kevin Koger | Wide Receivers Coach | kevin.koger@eku.edu |
| Greg Meyer | Special Team / Running Back Coach | gregory.meyer@eku.edu |
| Walter Stewart | Defensive Line Coach | walter.stewart@eku.edu |
| Tommy Zagorski | Tight Ends / Offensive Tackle Coach | thomas.zagorski@eku.edu |
| Brandon Lawson | Director of Recruiting | brandon.lawson@eku.edu |
| Kevin Cristello | Director of Football Operations | kevin.cristello@eku.edu |
| Jon-Michael Davis | Director of Strength and Conditioning | jon-michael.davis@eku.edu |
Head coaching history
| Years | Coach | Record | Conference Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | James Park | 0–0–4 | 0 |
| 1910–1911 | Clyde Wilson | 2–7–1 | 0 |
| 1912 | Charles Keith | 3–4–1 | 0 |
| 1913–1916 | Ben Bernard | 8–13–2 | 0 |
| 1919–1921 | Clyde McCoy | 3–6–1 | 0 |
| 1922–1928 | George Hembree | 21–29–4 | 0 |
| 1929–1934 | Charles "Turkey" Hughes | 8–29–6 | 0 |
| 1935–1946 | Rome Rankin | 56–24–6 | 0 |
| 1947–1953 | Tom Samuels | 41–24–2 | 0 |
| 1954–1963 | Glenn Presnell | 42–49–3 | 2 |
| 1964–2002 | Roy Kidd | 315–123–8 | 16 |
| 2003–2007 | Danny Hope | 35–22 | 1 |
| 2008–2015 | Dean Hood | 55–38 | 2 |
| 2015–present | Mark Elder | 0-0 | 0 |
Championships
NCAA Division I FCS National Championships
Eastern Kentucky went to four consecutive national championship games, winning twice in 1979 and 1982.
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 1979 | FCS National Champions |
| 1980 | FCS National Runners-Up |
| 1981 | FCS National Runners-Up |
| 1982 | FCS National Champions |
Bowl games
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Tangerine Bowl | Nebraska-Omaha | 7 | EKU | 6 | Lost |
| 1967 | Grantland Rice Bowl | EKU | 27 | Ball State | 13 | Won |
| 1979 | Camellia Bowl | EKU | 30 | Lehigh | 7 | Won |
| 1980 | Camellia Bowl | Boise State | 31 | EKU | 29 | Lost |
| 1981 | Pioneer Bowl | Idaho State | 34 | EKU | 23 | Lost |
| 1982 | Pioneer Bowl | EKU | 17 | Delaware | 14 | Won |
NCAA Division I FCS Playoff appearances
Eastern Kentucky has made 21 appearances in the I-AA/FCS playoffs since 1978.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Semifinals Championship | Nevada Lehigh | W 33–302OT W 30–7 | |
| 1980 | Semifinals Championship | Lehigh Boise State | W 23–20 L 29–31 | |
| 1981 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Delaware Boise State Idaho State | W 35–28 W 23–17 L 23–34 | |
| 1982 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Idaho Tennessee State Delaware | W 38–30 W 13–7 W 17–14 | |
| 1983 | First Round | Boston University | L 20–24 | |
| 1984 | First Round | Middle Tennessee | L 10–27 | |
| 1986 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Furman Eastern Illinois Arkansas State | W 23–10 W 24–22 L 10–24 | |
| 1987 | First Round Quarterfinals | Western Kentucky Northeast Louisiana | W 40–17 L 32–33 | |
| 1988 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UMass Western Kentucky Georgia Southern | W 28–17 W 41–24 L 17–21 | |
| 1989 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 24–28 | |
| 1990 | First Round | Furman | L 17–45 | |
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Appalachian State Middle Tennessee Marshall | W 14–3 W 23–13 L 7–14 | |
| 1992 | First Round | Marshall | L 0–44 | |
| 1993 | First Round | Georgia Southern | L 12–14 | |
| 1994 | First Round Quarterfinals | Boston University Youngstown State | W 30–23 L 15–18 | |
| 1995 | First Round | Montana | L 0–48 | |
| 1997 | First Round | Western Kentucky | L 14–42 | |
| 2007 | First Round | Richmond | L 14–31 | |
| 2008 | First Round | Richmond | L 10–38 | |
| 2011 | First Round | James Madison | L 17–20 | |
| 2014 | First Round | Indiana State | L 16–36 | |
| Playoff Record | 16–19 | |||
Conference championships
| Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conf. Record | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Ohio Valley | 8–1–1 | 5–0 | Glenn Presnell |
| 1962 | Ohio Valley | 6-3 | 4–2 | Glenn Presnell |
| 1967 | Ohio Valley | 8–1–2 | 5–0–2 | Roy Kidd |
| 1968 | Ohio Valley | 8–2 | 7–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1974 | Ohio Valley | 8-2 | 6–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1976 | Ohio Valley | 8–3 | 6–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1981 | Ohio Valley | 12–2 | 8–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1982 | Ohio Valley | 13–0 | 7–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1983 | Ohio Valley | 7–3-1 | 6–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1984 | Ohio Valley | 8–4 | 6–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1986 | Ohio Valley | 10–3–1 | 6–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1987 | Ohio Valley | 9–3 | 5–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1988 | Ohio Valley | 11–3 | 6–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1990 | Ohio Valley | 10–2 | 5–1 | Roy Kidd |
| 1991 | Ohio Valley | 12–2 | 7–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1993 | Ohio Valley | 8–4 | 8–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1994 | Ohio Valley | 10–3 | 8–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 1997 | Ohio Valley | 8–4 | 7–0 | Roy Kidd |
| 2007 | Ohio Valley | 9–3 | 8–0 | Danny Hope |
| 2008 | Ohio Valley | 8–4 | 7–1 | Dean Hood |
| 2011 | Ohio Valley | 7–5 | 6–2 | Dean Hood |
| Total | 21 | |||
School records
Team records
Consecutive winning seasons: 31, 1977–2008
Consecutive wins: 18, 1982–1983
Consecutive National Title appearances: 4, 1979–1982
Individual records
Most rushing yards (game): 300 Markus Thomas against Marshall 1989
Most rushing yards (season): 1,998 Elroy Harris in the 1988 season
Most rushing yards (career): 5,532 Markus Thomas 1989–1992
Most passing yards (game): 398 Josh Greco against Eastern Illinois 2005
Most passing yards (season): 2,861 Josh Greco in the 2005 season
Most passing yards (career): 5,992 Josh Greco 2004–2007
Most receiving yards (game): 316 Aaron Marsh against Northwood 1967
Most receiving yards (season): 1,150 Andre Ralston in the 2005 season
Most receiving yards (career): 3,095 Andre Ralston 2002–2005
References
- ↑ EKU Visual Identity (PDF). EKU. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ↑ Story, Mark (September 14, 2013). "Mark Story: EKU is 'discussing' moving its football program up to the FBS". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 18, 2013.