Eastern Kentucky University Athletics

Jack Ison served as an assistant football coach at Eastern Kentucky for 30 seasons.  He began his association with EKU, playing halfback during the 1959-60 seasons for coach Glenn Presnell before graduating in 1961.  He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Richmond Madison High School, helping the school to a 13-1 record and a Class AA runner-up trophy in 1961.  Ison was named head coach at Madison in 1962 and guided the Royal Purples to a 6-2-2 record.  He returned to Eastern in 1963 to obtain his master’s degree and then served as Director of Health, Physical Education and Dean of Students at Alice Lloyd College in 1964.  Before coming to Eastern as an assistant coach in 1967, he served as head coach at Catlettsburg High School for two seasons where his teams went 14-7-1.  Ison began his coaching career at Eastern in 1967 in charge of EKU’s defensive secondary and took on the dual role of coaching defensive backs and serving as defensive coordinator until 1993 when he was defensive coordinator and in charge of Colonel linebackers.  He also worked with Eastern’s weightlifting and strength and conditioning program for a good portion of his 30-year tenure, implementing a new powerlifting regimen in 1977 that helped prepare future Colonel teams for national dominance.  Called by one of his players “a disciplinarian and emotional catalyst for our team.  His intensity and heart were instilled in us which in effect, helped us win many close games.”  There were many defensive coaching highlights during Ison’s career, among them EKU’s first national championship game when Eastern totally dominated Lehigh, allowing only a single touchdown and less than 150 yards in a 30-7 victory.  Because of his longstanding association with EKU’s strength and conditioning program, Eastern’s new strength and conditioning room is named the Jack Ison Sports Performance Center.