Eastern Kentucky University possesses one of the richest traditions in all of college football, both in the Ohio Valley Conference with a record
21 conference championships, and on the national stage with
two NCAA Division I FCS/I-AA national champioships (1979, 1982). EKU is one of just six programs to win at least two NCAA FCS national titles (Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, Appalachian State, Marshall and Montana).
In 2011, the Colonels produced perhaps their biggest comeback ever with a
52-48 win at No. 18 Jacksonville State. Eastern Kentucky went on to earn a share of the Ohio Valley Conference title and advance to the NCAA FCS playoffs for the 20th time and the second time in four years under current head coach Dean Hood.
There have been many other memorable moments in the rich heritage of Eastern football. One came in 1967 when EKU, the OVC champion, won the NCAA Mideast Regional championship by defeating Ball State, 27-13, in the Grantland Rice Bowl. Another occurred in 1954 when Eastern’s third regular season undefeated team (the first was in 1940) made the school’s first bowl appearance only to fall to the University of Omaha, 7-6, in the Tangerine Bowl.
Under the guidance of Coach Roy Kidd on Dec. 18, 1982, EKU capped a
perfect 13-0 season by defeating Delaware in the NCAA Division I-AA title game, 17-14, for the University’s second national championship.
Kidd’s 39-year record at Eastern concluded in 2002 with 315 wins, 123 losses and eight ties, for a remarkable .716 winning percentage. He was twice chosen National I-AA Coach of the Year and was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame. The football stadium on Eastern's campus is named in his honor.
EKU's history in Pro Football is also very rich. Over the last seven decades,
more than 30 players have suited up in the NFL. Five Colonels have played in the ultimate game, the Super Bowl, while
two former EKU players own Super Bowl rings - Myron Guyton with the 1990 N.Y. Giants and Danny Copeland with the 1991 Washington Redskins.
The list of outstanding players continues to grow yearly. With 59 All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans, and 23 OVC Player of the Year award winners, Eastern Kentucky boasts a national reputation for recruiting and producing peak athletic and academic talent.
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