THE ROY KIDD FORMULA

It is not by chance that Eastern annually ranks high in the Ohio Valley Conference in virtually every statistical category. The hard work behind the accumulation of each set of statistics comes under the individual jurisdiction of an assista nt coach. Each is a specialist, individually responsible for applying the polish to a specific facet of the game that must blend with all other facets to produce the machine-like precision of modern college football. The word for it is balance.

That is the essence of the Roy Kidd formula. Balance The formula has been successful enough to produce championship teams two of the last three years, capture the 1967 Grantland Rice Bowl, gain All-America recognition for three players and send several others to the professional ranks

Kidd will be the first to tell you that balance is achieved through the total efforts of the coaching staff. "The assistant coaches are the meat of any winning football team," he says "Without them - without dependable men at every phase of the game - you don't have a winner. One weak spot can make the difference. " How is this balance manifested on the field ? Let Kidd tell it "It's the thing that makes Eastern go. The opponent can't concentrate on stopping our passing game or we'll run. If they try to stop the nm, we can pass On defense, it's the same thing. We're prepared for the pass or the run." That seemingly simplistic explanation of the Kidd formula beli es its success. Those all-telling statistics reveal that the Roy Kidd era at Eatern just happens to coincide with the period of the most productive offense and the tightest defense in the school's history. "We try to complement each Coach Roy Kidd other," he says.

Doing the "complementing" are assistant coaches Fred Francis, B;Jl Shannon, Bobby Harville and Jack Ison.

Francis is offensive backfield coach and the man responsible for developing the balanced attack that has become a trademark of Eastern teams. Passing and running is the name of the game for Francis and his offensive backfields generally are equaily adept at both.

Shannon ' handiwork becomes most evident when the opposing teams start taking to the air. That generally means they have found little success trying to run through Eastern's usually rugged defensive line. Three years ago the Colonels held opponents to 70 points in 10 games and the following season limited the opposition to less than 100 yards per game.

Harville is tutor to the unsung hero in football-the offensive lineman. It is Harville's job to develop a forward wall strong enough to punch holes in the defensive line, mobile enough to protect the quarterback on passing plays and fast enough to leave the line of scrinunage and block on running plays. Colonel lines have consistently done all three well.

!son's job is to assure that the opposition doesn't get where it wants to go through the air lanes. And Ison has shown an affinity for instilling a stingy disposition in his defensive backfields. In his first year at Eastern, the Colonels led the OVC in pass defense.