In 1964, the Eastern Kentucky University administration took a chance hiring a young football coach to lead their program. They hired 33 year old Roy Kidd, a former quarterback for the Colonels, and 2003 College Football Hall of Famer, to be their head coach.
It was one of the best decisions the university ever made.
His first two seasons were average, but the third is when he started building the foundation of what would become a powerhouse.
One of the changes he made, he says was:
“I put a little more discipline in the program. The players were there to get an education, so I made sure they did that. We were able to get a lot of good players, and that helped.”
Kidd started competing for the Ohio Valley championship nearly every season, but had yet to become a reuglar on the national level. That changed in 1978, when EKU went from Division II to Division I-AA.
When they changed Divisions they went from 38 or 40 scholarships to 70, so they were about to recruit more kids and more scholarship kids. This is when the program began to take off.
And it did! EKU appeared in four straight NCAA Divison I-AA Championship games from 1979-1982. The Colonels won the national championship in ’79 and ’82.
“When I took the job, I told my wife that we were going to win here. I wanted alumni, administrators, athletic directors to be proud. We had good coaches and good players and that made all the difference.”
Roy Kidd ramained the coach for 39 seasons, and his next to last season he reached a milestone only 12 others have ever in the history of college football, winning 300 games. Kidd joined a special class of coaches with the likes of legends Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, and Amon Alonza Stagg.
Kidd still lives in Richmond, KY, where EKU campus is located and still enjoys going to EKU practices and home games. The stadium was named after Roy Kidd, even while he was still coaching.
“That’s a heck of an honor. (Talking about Roy Kidd Stadium) Every time I go by there and see my name, it makes me feel very good. To think that the university and Board of Regents thought enough of me to name a stadium after me while I was still coaching is something.”
Kidd hopes he taught his players not just about football, but about life.
“Football is a lot like life. You’re going to have your ups and downs. You’re going to get knocked down, but you have to get back up.”
Full article and more over at www.footballmatters.org
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