Conference Ohio Valley Conference Athletic director Steve Lochmueller Varsity teams 7 men's, 8 women's | NCAA Division I (FCS) Location Richmond, Kentucky | |
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University Eastern Kentucky University | ||
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), located in Richmond, Kentucky, United States. The Colonels athletic program is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. The EKU mascot is The Colonel, and the school colors are maroon and white. While the women's teams were formerly known as the Lady Colonels, the school now emphasizes that all teams are now Colonels.
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Athletic teams
EKU's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Colonels. Maroon has been the official color of Eastern athletics since the school was begun as the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School in 1906, and the school's official team nickname was the "Maroons" from the start of intercollegiate competition in 1909–10 until 1963, when then-president Robert Martin changed the nickname to the "Colonels".
A member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Kentucky University sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
Football
Eastern has traditionally been quite successful on the football field, having won 20 OVC conference titles and two Division I-AA National Championships in 1979 and 1982. Much of the success came during the long tenure of head coach Roy Kidd from 1964 to 2002. In 1990, Eastern honored Kidd by naming the school's football stadium Roy Kidd Stadium. With their win over Southeast Missouri State University in 2008, Eastern's football team secured their 31st consecutive winning season. The team is currently coached by Dean Hood, a former defensive coordinator for Wake Forest.
In September 2013, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the daily newspaper of nearby Lexington, reported that EKU was considering moving its program to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision. However, under NCAA rules, such a move would require that EKU receive an all-sports invitation from an existing FBS conference.
Men's basketball
The current head coach of the Colonels is Dan McHale.
The Colonels have appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven times. The Colonels play their home basketball games at Alumni Coliseum, located on EKU's campus.
Men's golf
The men's golf team has won 12 Ohio Valley Conference championships: 1975, 1980, 1982–86, 1992, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2015.
Rivalries
Historically, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers served as the primary rival to EKU, especially in Football. Their matchups, known as the "Battle of the Bluegrass," date back to 1914, with Western leading the overall series 34-47-3. With WKU's recent move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, any future games between the two teams are uncertain.
Outside of Western, EKU has maintained rivalries with its two other in-state OVC foes: Murray State and Morehead State.