Roy Kidd/ The Builder

Roy Kjdd is a winner. That's the best place to start when describing Eastern Kentucky University's football coach.

Roy Kidd has built one of the ten best college division football programs in America. That's another way to say it.

But these facts are the tools used for measuring his success as a coach. What must also be said is that Roy Kidd is a paradox. A nice guy who finishes first. A football coach who is respected by his players, although he demands the ultimate in dedication and determination.

It's a nice combjnation.

Kidd started winning as a little leaguer in Corbin, Ky. He continued on the plus side of the ledger as a high s chool athlete and then as a football and baseball star at Eastern.

When he was graduate assistant coach, Eastern went unbeaten and received an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl. Then he started coaching in high school, building tiny Madison into a state football powerhouse. He had a 54-10-1 record, a 27-game winning streak and 14 consecutive unscored-upon games. He was Kentucky Coach of the Year in 1961 when the Purples were ranked No. l in the state all season.

He went to Morehead as an assistant coach in 1962 and helped guide the Eagles to their second winning season in 13 years and a share of the OVC championship.

Then it was back to Eastern in 1963 where he served o ne year as an assistant before taking over the head job.

His first season was the only time in his career as a head coach that he was associated with a losing team. T he Colonels went 3-5-1. They improved that to 4-4-1 the following year , and Kidd was elected Coach of th Year in the OVC .

It was 1965 when the Kidd era really began to flex its muscles.

Eastern has won 29 games, lost 10 and tied two since then, for a winning percentage of .755. They ' ve captured two OVC championships, had an unbeaten string of 14 games in the league, and won the 1967 NCAA Mideast Regional championship (covering more than 100 teams in 10 states) by defeating Ball State 27-13 in the Grantland Rice Bowl.

During the span, the Colonels were ranked in the top twenty in both wire service polls, going as high as second.

These are the things that say, emphatically, Roy Kidd is a winner. He has a brilliant football mind. He is a strategist who isn't afraid to gamble when necessary. He is an organizer who has surrounded himself with winners on his staff. (When he talks football, his players and his staff are his two favorite subjects.)

His ability to communicate with his players - to bridge the proverbial gap - stems from a realistic, matterof-fact attitude. He's a straight talker who pulls no punches and he's genuinely concerned about each indiv idual as a player , as a student, and as a citizen.

Much has been said about Roy Kidd's goals. He has accompHshed most of them . But there are two he's still pointing for. An unbeaten season and the national championship. They are energetic goals, to be sure. But then again, so were the others.

Kidd is married to the former Susan Purcell of Richmond. They have three children, Marc (12) , Kathy (9) and Keith (7).

Bo.b Harville

Offensive Line Coach

Bobby Harville is an intensely dedicated y oung coach who relishes new challenges. Last season is a good e x ample. It was Harville who drew the assignment of developing a host of newcomers into a solid offensive line. He did just that. And he has them back this year.

He has always been one of the versatile members of the staff. Harville's first year was spent with the off ensive backfield and the following season he coached the defensive secondary. That year th e defense set a conference record with 20 interceptions .

And those are the reasons Kidd pe r suaded Harville t o join his staff in 1965 - he knew frmn experience th e Harlan native was a dedicated work e r with a keen knowl e d g e of all aspects of the game.

Harville and Kidd's professional association began 1n 1957 at Richmond Madison.

The next five years Harville sp e nt as an assistant a t Elizabethtown (Ky . ) and Lancaster ( Ohio) where th e t e ams with which he was associat e d compiled a 41- 9 re cord.

Then i n 1965, Harville returned to Madison High School as i t s head football coach . He was inhe r itin g a t eam that w·as 4-6 a nd had graduated 13 s enio r s , thr e e of whom were to pla y college football.

But Harville brou g ht the Ro y al P ur p les' w inni ng footb all tradition back to life. Instilling basic fundamentals and a strong desire to win , he huilt a win n er. That yea r M a dison had a 10-4 record, won the C e ntral Kentucky Conference and lost t o Ft. Thomas Highlands fo r the s tate Class AA championship.

Harville is 1narried to the former Sandra Sharp of South Fort Mitchell. They have three children , Robert Michael (11) , Virginia Louise (9) , and Leigh Ann ( 4).

Fred Francis

Offensive Backfield Coach

Affable , energetic Fred F r ancis has been a significa nt factor in the success of Eastern ' s football program. H e has developed an outstanding running attack built aroun d All-American candidate Jimmy Brooks and he has pla y ed a major role in the Colonels' recruiting program .

Francis ' initial assignment when he came to Easter n in 1967 was to develop a ground attack to complement a w ell-established passing gam e . He did , molding perhap s the finest 1-2 running punch in the OVC with Brooks and fullback Butch Evans.

Now , thanks to Francis, the Colonels are c apabl e of striking with equal force by land or by air.

Fred puts as much into a practice session as he expects from his runners. He's constantly in motion, shouting encouragement and sometim.es even g oing through drills with his players.

His personable manner has helped attract sev e ral outstanding players on this year's club.

His reputation on the high school coaching level is w ell established throughout Kentuc k y. With Francis at t he helm, St . Joseph Prep in Bardstown was r ecogniz ed as one of the state ' s perennial Clas s A powe rs with a three -year 20-6-4 record.

F r a n ci s' 1966 t e am wa s ranked ninth in the s t ate , went t h ro ugh the school ' s first und~feated -season with an 8-0-3 r e cord and defeated Cl a ss AA runner-up Lexington Henr y Clay in the Recreation Bowl.

He married Freda Catron of Lexington. Th ey ha ve two sons , Anthony (5) , and Timothy ( 3) .

Bill Shannon Defensive Une Coach

There is every reason to believe Bill Shannon is goin g t o enjoy this football season . He has a host of returnin g lettermen with good size and quickness and should r etain his reputation as a stingy person.

Shannon ' s defensive units have established several r ecords at Easte r n. In 1967, they gave up only 70 points in 10 games. Only one other college or university in the nation did better. The following season, the Colonels y ielded less than 100 yards a game. Last season, consi dered a rebuilding phase for the coaching staff, Eastern finished second in the OVC in scorin g defense.

Shannon played a major role in developing Teddy Taylor into a first-team All-American last season and Taylor and Sid Yeldell are the only absentees this year.

Noted for his humor off the field and dead-pan s eriousness on the field, Shannon has developed an excellent r ap p ort with e ach player , taking a special interest in t heir individual progress .

Shannon enjoyed considerable success at Dixie Heights High School in South Fort Mitchell, winning three N orthern Kentucky Conference championships and the Recreation Bowl , and gaining a tie in his only Burley Bowl Appearance.

The distinguished war veteran was Kentucky ' s Coach of the Year in 1955 and made three Kentucky East-West All-Star coaching appearances.

Th e one- time Danville High School star is n1arried t o the former Mary Peters, also of Danville. She ser v es as a registered nurse in the university infirmary.

Jack Ison Defensive Backfield Coach

Jack Ison f aces the o nl y m a j o r r ebuilding job o n t h e East e rn football team. Graduation left him with only on e full-tirne s tarter from last season. But Ison , a quiet , scholarl y t y p e who devotes long hours to his specialty, has been called upon before to replace personnel at ke y positions. And he has done it . In fact, only once in fou r seasons has he welcomed a veteran unit to the defensiv e backfield. Still , the Colonels have ranked high in pass defense each year.

The soft-spoken Kentuckian de v eloped the best pass defense in the OVC in his first season at Eastern. Since then , the Colonel secondary has gained a reputation for clutch play , especially deep in its own territory.

Kidd is well aware of the 1961 Eastern graduate ' s coaching abilities - he gave Ison his first job at Richmond's Madison Hi g h School.

After assisting Kidd to a 13-1 record and a Class AA r unner-up trophy in 1961 , Ison was named head coach in 1962 when Kidd entered the college coaching field. The Royal Purples w e re 6-2-2 under his guidance.

He received th e M.A . degree from Eastern in 1963 and entered the University of Indiana graduate school that fall , ea r ning 32 hours toward a doctorate.

The Russell nati v e is married to th e former Patrici a Lykins, whom he met as a classmate at Eastern. The y have two daughters , Elizabeth (8) and Melinda (4) .

MOBERLY Graduate Assistant

Jimmy Moberly is no stranger to the Colonel coaching staff. He played high school football under Roy Kidd, Bobby Harville, and Jack Ison while leading Richmond Madison to a place of prominence in Kentucky High School football. Moberly then went to Eastern , where he earned a starting job at linebacker his sophomore year. Defensive coach Bill Shannon called Jimmy "poun d-fo r-pound, the finest football player in the country." Moberly's playing weight sometimes dipped as low a.s 165 pounds, but he called defensive signals and was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference choice his senior year. He will assist with the linebacking corps , a vital cog in Kidd ' s four-man front.

BOB BECK Graduate Assistant

Bob Beck is recognized as an expert of sorts at knocking defensive players on the seats of their pants . Beck came to Eastern without a scholarship but quickly earned one. He also earned four letters and a reputation as the best blocking back in the OVC. He was a prime ingredient in the Colonels ' climb into the national spotlight. He was the second leading rusher on the team, set a new school scoring record, and was the starting full back on two OVC championship teams. But more importantly, he was a blocker. And that's exactly what he ' ll be teaching as a graduate assistant at Eastern.