Roy Kidd

Bio

At the conclusion of his career, Roy Kidd's 315 victories ranked second to only Eddie Robinson on the all-time NCAA Division I-AA (FCS) win list. Kidd played quarterback at Eastern Kentucky and then began a successful stint as a high school coach and collegiate assistant before Eastern called for his services in 1964. In 1967, he won the first of 16 Ohio Valley Conference championships and also claimed a Grantland Rice Bowl victory. When the NCAA created Division I-AA (FCS) football in 1978, the EKU program flourished with the addition of 20 extra scholarships. In 1979, Kidd won his first of two national championships. They returned to the championship game the next two seasons only to lose close decisions. In 1982, EKU returned to the title game, defeating Delaware to complete a perfect 13-0 season. Every season since his final national title squad, Kidd produced a winning team. He added 13 more playoff trips to his record total of 18 playoff appearances. In one stretch his teams went to the post-season in 16 of 17 seasons. Kidd won numerous honors on the national and conference level, including ten OVC Coach of the Year Awards. He served as President of the American Football Coaches Association. Roy is a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and was twice named as the state's Sportsman of the Year. The stadium on Eastern's campus is named in his honor.