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{{short description|Eastern Kentucky University athletic teams}}
{{About|the EKU sports teams|other uses|Kentucky Colonel (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox college athletics
| name                    = Eastern Kentucky Colonels
| logo                    = Eastern Kentucky Colonels logo.svg
| logo_width              = 200
| university              = [[Eastern Kentucky University]]
| association             = NCAA
| conference              = [[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]] (primary)<br>[[United Athletic Conference|UAC]] (football; primary in 2026)
| division                = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]])
| director                = Kyle Moats
| location                = [[Richmond, Kentucky]]
| teams                   = 16
| mens_teams              = 7
| womens_teams            = 9
| coed_teams              =
| stadium                 = [[Roy Kidd Stadium]]
| basketballarena         = [[Alumni Coliseum|Baptist Health Arena]]
| baseballfield           = [[Turkey Hughes Field]]
| softballstadium         = Gertrude Hood Field
| soccerstadium           = EKU Soccer Field
| tenniscourt             = Tom Higgins Outdoor Courts
| mascot                  = The Colonel
| nickname                = Colonels
| fightsong               = Yea Eastern & Hail, Hail Eastern Maroons
| alma mater              =
| pageurl                 = https://ekusports.com/index.aspx
| ncaa titles             =
| indiv_relay ncaa champs =
| altlogo                 = [[file:Ek athletics wordmark 2017.png|200px]]
}}

The '''Eastern Kentucky Colonels''' are the intercollegiate athletic teams of [[Eastern Kentucky University]] (EKU), located in [[Richmond, Kentucky]], in intercollegiate sports as a member of the [[NCAA Division I]] ranks, primarily competing in the [[Atlantic Sun Conference]] (ASUN) since the 2021–22 academic year. Its [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels football|football team]] competes in the [[United Athletic Conference]] (UAC), which started play in 2023 as a football-only merger of the ASUN and the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC). In July 2026, the UAC will become an all-sports conference as a rebranded WAC, with EKU as a member.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://uacfootball.com/news/2025/6/26/football-atlantic-sun-conference-and-western-athletic-conference-to-forge-strategic-alliance.aspx |title=Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference to Forge Strategic Alliance |publisher=United Athletic Conference |date=June 26, 2025 |access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref> The Colonels previously competed in the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2020–21.

==Overview==
The Colonels athletic program competes in [[NCAA Division I]] as a member of the [[Atlantic Sun Conference]] (ASUN).<ref>{{cite web |publisher=NCAA |title=Eastern Kentucky University |url=https://www.ncaa.com/schools//eastern-ky |access-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://asunsports.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210126nthmsg |title=ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport |publisher=ASUN Conference |date=January 29, 2021 |access-date=January 29, 2021 |archive-date=January 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129160022/https://www.asunsports.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210126nthmsg |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[College football|football]] team plays in the second level of Division I football, the [[NCAA Division I#Football Championship Subdivision|Football Championship Subdivision]] (FCS). Before joining the ASUN in July 2021, EKU had spent the previous 73 years as a charter member<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ovcsports.com/sports/2012/6/13/GEN_0613124325.aspx? |title=OVC History |publisher=Ohio Valley Conference |access-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref> of the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] (OVC).<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Ohio Valley Conference |title=OVC Member Institutions |url=http://www.ovcsports.com/sports/2012/6/14/GEN_0614121029.aspx |access-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref>  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.

The ASUN did not officially sponsor football until the 2022 season.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://asunsports.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210126nthmsg |title=ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport |publisher=ASUN Conference |date=January 29, 2021 |access-date=January 29, 2021 |archive-date=January 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129160022/https://www.asunsports.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210126nthmsg |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2021, EKU football competed as a de facto associate member of the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC), competing in a football partnership between the two leagues officially branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge".<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://asunsports.org/sports/fball/2020-21/releases/20210223bff9nn |title=ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021 |publisher=ASUN Conference |date=February 23, 2021 |accessdate=February 23, 2021 |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223155319/https://www.asunsports.org/sports/fball/2020-21/releases/20210223bff9nn |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ASUN–WAC alliance was renewed for the 2022 season, and the two conferences fully merged their football leagues after that season, announcing the football league's new branding of United Athletic Conference in April 2023.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://asunsports.org/sports/fball/2022-23/releases/20230417066y7o |title=ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference |publisher=ASUN Conference |date=April 17, 2023 |access-date=April 19, 2023 |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417170209/https://asunsports.org/sports/fball/2022-23/releases/20230417066y7o |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Conference affiliations ==
'''NCAA'''
* [[Ohio Valley Conference]] (1948–2021)
* [[Atlantic Sun Conference]]{{efn|The conference officially branded itself as the "ASUN Conference" from 2016 to 2023.}} (2021–2026)
* [[United Athletic Conference]] (2026–future)

==Varsity teams==
EKU's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Colonels.<ref>http://www.ekusports.com/documents/2016/11/4/2016_17_EKU_WBB_Quick_Facts61.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Eastern Kentucky University Special Collections & Archives |title=What is the origin of the EKU Colonel? |url=http://archives.eku.edu/what-origin-eku-colonel |access-date=July 2, 2015 |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703075809/http://archives.eku.edu/what-origin-eku-colonel |url-status=dead }}</ref>

An ASUN member since July 2021, Eastern Kentucky University sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] sanctioned sports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekusports.com/ |title=Official Website of the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels|publisher=Eastern Kentucky University Athletics|access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref>

EKU competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

{| class="wikitable" style= " "
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Eastern Kentucky Colonels|Men's sports|Women's sports}}
|-
| [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels baseball|Baseball]] || [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels women's basketball|Basketball]]
|-
| [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels men's basketball|Basketball]] || Beach volleyball
|-
| Cross country || Cross country
|-
| [[Eastern Kentucky Colonels football|Football]] || Golf
|-
| Golf || Soccer
|-
| Tennis || Softball
|-
| Track and field{{sup|1}} || Tennis
|-
|  || Track and field{{sup|1}}
|-
| || Volleyball
|-
| colspan="2" style="{{NCAA secondary color cell|Eastern Kentucky Colonels}}" | {{small|{{sup|1}} – includes both indoor and outdoor.}}
|}

===Football===
{{Main|Eastern Kentucky Colonels football}}
[[File:RoyKiddStadium.jpg|thumb|Roy Kidd Stadium, home to EKU Football]]
Eastern has traditionally been quite successful on the football field, having won 20 OVC 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekusports.com/sports/2008/10/1/GEN_1001081044.aspx|title=EKU Colonels - Facilities|work=Ekusports.com|access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref> With their win over [[Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football|Southeast Missouri State University]] in 2008, Eastern's football team secured their 31st consecutive winning season. The team is currently coached by Walt Wells, former assistant head coach at Eastern and most recently a quality control assistant at the [[Kentucky Wildcats football|University of Kentucky]].

In September 2013, the ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]'', the daily newspaper of nearby [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], reported that EKU was considering moving its program to the top-level [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]]. However, under NCAA rules, such a move would require that EKU first receive an all-sports invitation from an existing FBS conference.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kentucky.com/2013/09/14/2822344/mark-story-eku-is-discussing-moving.html |title=Mark Story: EKU is 'discussing' moving its football program up to the FBS |first=Mark |last=Story |newspaper=Lexington Herald-Leader |date=September 14, 2013 |access-date=September 18, 2013}}</ref> In the end, no such move was made.

As noted previously, EKU football now plays in the UAC.
{{clear left}}

====Conference championships====
{| class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Eastern Kentucky Colonels|Year|Conference|Overall Record|Conference Record|Coach}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1954 || Ohio Valley || 8–1–1 || 5–0 || [[Glenn Presnell]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1962 || Ohio Valley || 6–3 || 4–2 || Glenn Presnell
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1967 || Ohio Valley || 8–1–2 || 5–0–2 || [[Roy Kidd]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1968 || Ohio Valley || 8–2 || 7–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1974 || Ohio Valley || 8–2 || 6–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1976 || Ohio Valley || 8–3 || 6–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1981 || Ohio Valley || 12–2 || 8–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1982 || Ohio Valley || 13–0 || 7–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1983 || Ohio Valley || 7–3–1 || 6–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1984 || Ohio Valley || 8–4 || 6–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1986 || Ohio Valley || 10–3–1 || 6–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1987 || Ohio Valley || 9–3 || 5–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1988 || Ohio Valley || 11–3 || 6–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1990 || Ohio Valley || 10–2 || 5–1 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1991 || Ohio Valley || 12–2 || 7–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1993 || Ohio Valley || 8–4 || 8–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1994 || Ohio Valley || 10–3 || 8–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1997 || Ohio Valley || 8–4 || 7–0 || Roy Kidd
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2007 || Ohio Valley || 9–3 || 8–0 || [[Danny Hope]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2008 || Ohio Valley || 8–4 || 7–1 || [[Dean Hood]]
|-  style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Eastern Kentucky Colonels|border=0|color=white}}"
| colspan="2"| '''Total'''
| colspan="3"| '''20'''
|}

===Men's basketball===
The current head coach of the Colonels is [[A. W. Hamilton]].

The Colonels have appeared in the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] eight 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekusports.com/documents/2012/9/26/2012-13_EKU_Men_s_Golf_Guide.pdf?id=4034 |title=EKU 2013–13 Men's Golf Guide|publisher=Ekusports.com |access-date=June 21, 2013}}</ref>

==Rivalries==
Historically, the [[Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers]] 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 Kentucky University|Western]] leading the overall series 34–47–3.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekusports.com/documents/2008/7/28/08fbguide_history.pdf?id=351 |title=Program History |publisher=Ekusports.com |access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref>  With WKU's recent move up to the [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]], any future games between the two teams are uncertain.

Outside of Western, EKU has maintained rivalries with the only remaining in-state [[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]] member, [[Morehead State Eagles|Morehead State]], and [[Murray State Racers|Murray State]], which left the OVC in 2022 for the [[Missouri Valley Conference]].

==Facilities==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:45%;"
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Eastern Kentucky Colonels|Facility|Sport(s)|Capacity}}
|-
|align=center| [[Roy Kidd Stadium]]
|align=center| Football
|align=center| 20,000
|-
|align=center| [[Alumni Coliseum|Baptist Health Arena]]
|align=center| Basketball
|align=center| 6,500
|-
|align=center| Gertrude Hood Field
|align=center| Softball
|align=center| 400
|-
|align=center| [[Turkey Hughes Field]]
|align=center| Baseball
|align=center| 900
|-
|align=center| Arlington
|align=center| Golf
|align=center| n/a
|-
|align=center| Tom Samuels Track
|align=center| Outdoor Track and Field
|align=center| n/a
|}

== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons cat}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Eastern Kentucky University}}
{{ASUN Conference navbox}}
{{United Athletic Conference navbox}}
{{Kentucky Sports}}

[[Category:Eastern Kentucky Colonels| ]]
[[Category:Eastern Kentucky University|Colonels]]