Hall of Fame
Fred Darling participated in three sports – football, basketball and track – his freshman and sophomore year at EKU and was a member of the football and track teams his junior and senior years. He was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference tackle for three seasons and was an All-American choice his senior year. He played on coach Rom Rankin’s undefeated, untied 1940 team and signed professionally with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League.
However, Darling entered the Army Field Artillery and served for five years before joining the staff of Rankin as an assistant coach. He served as line coach under three head coaches – Rankin, Tom Samuels and Glenn Presnell and was on the staff of the undefeated 1954 Tangerine Bowl Team.
Darling served as head track coach from 1948-58, coaching Eastern’s first undefeated track team and an OVC track championship squad. He resigned from coaching in 1961 to enter full-time teaching.
He holds five graduate degrees, including his doctorate from Indiana University in 1958, and served as EKU’s Chairman of the Department of Men’s Physical Education.
