1979 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team
| 1979 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 30–7 vs Lehigh | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 11–2 (5–1 OVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Hanger Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Murray State $^ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Eastern Kentucky ^ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1979 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University in the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They competed as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and played their home games at Hanger Field in Richmond, Kentucky. Head coach Roy Kidd was in his 16th season leading the Colonels.
The team advanced to the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, where they defeated Lehigh, 30–7.[1] After the championship win, Governor John Y. Brown Jr. declared the week of January 20–26, 1980, as "EKU National Football Champions Week" in the state.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8 | at Kent State* | W 17–14 | 11,045 | [3] | |||
| September 15 | Troy State* | W 15–0 | 15,200 | [4] | |||
| September 22 | at East Tennessee State* | No. 5 | L 20–27 | 9,361 | [5] | ||
| September 29 | Austin Peay | No. 7 |
| W 35–10 | 12,800 | [6] | |
| October 6 | at Middle Tennessee | No. 7 | W 52–10 | [7] | |||
| October 13 | Cal State Fullerton* | No. 7 |
| W 33–17 | 10,100 | [8] | |
| October 20 | Western Kentucky | No. 3 |
| W 8–6 | 25,300 | [9] | |
| October 27 | No. 8 Murray State | No. 1 | L 7–24 | 16,000 | [10] | ||
| November 3 | Tennessee Tech | No. 5 |
| W 35–0 | [11] | ||
| November 10 | No. 2 Jackson State* | No. 5 |
| W 27–21 | [12] | ||
| November 17 | at Morehead State | No. 4 | W 34–7 | 9,600 | [13] | ||
| December 8 | No. 1 Nevada* | No. 3 |
| W 33–30 2OT | 5,100 | [14] | |
| December 15 | vs. No. 4 Lehigh* | No. 3 | ABC | W 30–7 | 5,200 | [15] | |
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References
- ^ "Lehigh Routed By 30‐7". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 16, 1979. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "1979 Football Team Team of Distinction". ekusports.com.
- ^ "Kent victim of mistakes". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 9, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern blanks Troy 15 to 0". The Advocate-Messenger. September 16, 1979. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "E. Tennessee relies on defense and Hutsell to conquer Eastern". The Courier-Journal. September 23, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern Kentucky routs Austin Peay". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 30, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Injuries don't hurt Eastern's offense". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 7, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern Kentucky Rips Fullerton, 33-7". The Los Angeles Times. October 14, 1979. p. III-22. Retrieved February 10, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern hangs on to edge Western by 8–6". The Kentucky Advocate. October 21, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Murray blocks out No. 1 Eastern 24–7". The Courier-Journal. October 28, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern tops Tenn. Tech". The Courier-Journal. November 4, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern wins 27–21 to retain its hopes for playoff berth". The Courier-Journal. November 11, 1979. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern gets record 9-victory season, but getting playoff bid may be harder". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 18, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Flores' overtime kick helps Eastern nip Reno". The Courier-Journal. December 9, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Larimer, Terry (December 16, 1979). "Lehigh Routed, 30-7, in Title Game". Sunday Call-Chronicle. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.