Meet The Assistant Coaches

JACK ISON Linebackers Coach and Defensive Coordinator

Coach Jack Ison will again serve as defensive coordinator for Eastern He is the Dean of Colonel assistant coaches, having served for this his 30th year, 26 as defensive coordinator.

Ison, who will again be in charge ofthe4-3 defense this year for the Colonels, will work with the linebackers for the fourth straight year

Kidd gave the 1961 Eastern graduate his first coaching job at Richmond's Madison High School.

After assisting Kidd to a 13-1 record and a Class AA runnerup trophy in 1961, Ison was named head coach in 1962 when Kidd entered the college coaching field The Royal Purples were 6-2-2 under his guidance. He also served as head football, baseball, and basketball coach at Catlettsburg High School during 1965 and 1966.

A fully-equipped, modern weight room is located on the extreme lower level of the stadium (opposite trophy-case entrance) and has been named in lson's honor- the Jack Ison Weight Room

The Flatwoods native is married to the former Patricia Lykins, whom he met as a classmate at Eastern. They have two daughters, Elizabeth Woehler and Melinda, both EKU graduates. He also has two grandchildren: Stephanie and Alexandra Woehler

JIMTANARA Defensive Line Coach

Jim Tanara will handle the defensive line again in his 18th year as an assistant coach at Eastern. Tanara came to EKU from the staff of Bear Bryant at Alabama where he served 11 years working with the Tide's defensive front.

While at Alabama, Tanara was a member of the staff that directed the Tide to two national championships and appearances in 11 bowl games He also served as UA's head wrestling coach for 11 years

He was a three-year letterman for UT Chattanooga and started at both defensive end and tight end. While collecting Little AllAmerican honors in 1964, he received his bachelor of science degree in 1965 and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints as a free agent upon graduation.

He was an assistant football coach at Cleveland (TN) High School for three years before going to Alabama in 1970.

Tanara's recruiting area for the Colonels includes northeast Georgia and the Atlanta and Chattanooga metropolitan areas.

He enjoys hobbies of golf, tennis and scuba diving. He has two children, Julie and Jimmy, and is married to the former Charlotte Gibson of Gadsden, AL.

Leon Hart

Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach

Leon Hart begins his second stint as an EKU assistant coach in 1996 He will serve coach Roy Kidd as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the coming season.

Hart has been the head football coach at Elon College in Bu rlington , N C , from 1989-95 where he compiled a 37-37 overall record in seven seasons there . His best year came in 1992 when Elon went 8-2 and finished the year ranked fifth among NCAA Division II schools. He was voted South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Associat ion District 4 Coach of the Year in 1992.

He was prev iously a member of the EKU coaching staff for 13 seasons ( 1976-88) and was offensive coordinator from 1981-88. Hart graduated from Mansfield (Ohio) Madison High School in 1969 and went on to Maryville College where he rece ived his B.A. in education in 1973

While at Maryv ille , Hart lettered four years serving as captain of the baseball squad as a senior He was a safety for the Maryvillegridders , leading the team in interceptions his last three seasons

Prior to coming to EKU in 1976 , he coached at Malabar High School in Mansfield for three years. Hart coached running bac k s and defensive linemen , plus assisted with basketball and baseball.

Hart is married to the former Mattie Arvin of Irvine and has two sons , Tim and Seth

Doug Carter

Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach

Doug Carter will begin his 10th season as an assistant coach for Coach Roy Kidd's staff and will be in charge of the offensive line , while serving his first season as co-offensive coordinator.

Carter came to Eastern from the staff at the University of Central Florida where he coached two seasons as head offensive line coach , offensive special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator. In those two seasons , UCF progressed to a winning 6-5 record from a 2-9 mark in 1984

He has also served as a graduate assistant at Florida State University in 1983 and 1984 and at EKU in 1982 when the Colonels went 13- 0 and won the NCAA I-AA national championship. While at Florida State , the Seminoles competed in both the Peach and Citrus Bowls

His other coaching experience includes one year (1981) as offensive backfield coach at his alma mater-William Jewell College in Liberty , MO That team went 12-1 and was a NAIA national semifinalist. In 1980 , he was head football coach at Holt County High School in Mound City , MO ., as that team was district champion and Class A state semifinalist.

Carter is a 1976 graduate of Liberty (MO) High School where he was a three-year letterman in the offensive line and played i n the Missouri vs. Kansas high school all-star game . The 37-year old native of Kansas City , MO , graduated from William Jewell in 1980 where he was a two-year letterman at offensive guard and competed for one season on the swim team

He has one son , Christian (1 1/2).

Coach

Teddy Taylor, a 1970 graduate of Eastern, will serve as a coach for Kidd's Colonels for the 18th straight season He will work again with the Colonel runningbacks th is season .

Taylor , who played offensive guard and defens ive tackle at Harrison County High School for five seasons, was an all-state player and led the Thorobreds to the Mid-State Conference title three years

An All-American noseguard at Eastern in 1969, Taylor was a significant force in EKU's Mideast Regional and Ohio Valley Conference championship team in 1967 and the OVC champion squad of 1968

Taylor served as head coach at Pineville High School after filling an assistant's post there for two years He was voted Southeast Kentucky Coach of the Year in 1978 while guiding his team to a 9-3 record

His hobbies include reading , sports and travel i ng .

He is married to the former Frances White of Lexington and they have two daughters, Katrina and Che

DEAN HOOD Defensive Backfield Coach

Dean Hood , former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Glenville 0MI) State College, begins his third season as defensive backfield coach at EKU

Hood came to Eastern after coaching at Glenville State for four seasons , the last three on defense , as GSC advanced in 1993 to the NA IA Division I national championship game and compiled a 10-3 record .

Glenville State 's defense led all NAIA Divis ion I schools in 1993 in three categories : scoring defense (9 2) , pass defense (118 0) and total defense (223 .0) .

Hood , 32 , a native of Ashtabula , OH, also coached the 1987 and 1988 seasons as assistant football coach at Fairmont 0MI) State College working with defensive backs In 1989 , he served as junior vars ity defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and assistant varsity defensive secondary coach at Colgate (NY) University.

Hood is a 1986 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University where he served as team captain his jun ior and senior seasons while playing defensive back there . He was a first team All-American defensive back at OWU as a senior and a three-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference choice in the secondary

He is a 1982 graduate of Harbor High School in Ashtabula whe re, as a senior, he served as team captain, was an All -Ohio pick , was chosen as the Northeastern Conference and Ashtabula County Offensive Player of the Year and received the Jim Kanicki , Robert L. Weise Outstanding Senior Athlete Award

Hood received his masters of science degree in physical educat ion from West V irginia University in 1989 He is married to the former Crystal Ramsey of Richmond

DAVID ELSENRATH Tight Ends Coach

David Elsenrath begins his third season at EKU and will work with the Colonel tight ends He came to EKU after serving for two seasons as graduate assistant at the University of Louisville

A native of St. Peter's, MO, Elsenrath played offensive guard in college for the University of Missouri-Rolla where he graduated in 1985 with a bachelors degree in life sciences. He was a letterwinner on the UMR squad that copped the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association title

He is a 1980 graduate of Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO, where he was a two-sport letterman and a secondteam All-Gateway Athletic Conference choice.

Elsenrath, 34, began his coaching career as offensive line coach at Cooper City (FL) High School in 1985 He then spent two seasons on coach Pat Dye's staff at Auburn as a graduate assistant in 1986 and 1987 when the Tigers won the Citrus Bowl the first season and secured the Southeastern Conference and tied Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl in 1987.

From Auburn, he joined the staff at Valdosta State University for four seasons, working with the tight ends and offensive line from 1988-91. He was also recruiting coordinator at VSU for three seasons.

Elsenrath received his masters degree in education from Auburn in 1987