FROM THE BOOTH VIEW A

by Greg Stotelmyer

Late on a Sunday morning 20 years ago (November 22, 2002), Coach and I finished taping our last Roy Kidd Show. As we walked off the set in a Lexington TV studio, he said, “I want to take you to lunch.”

Most Sundays, he was rushing back to the office to get ready for the next game. But on that Sunday, we both wanted to linger and to reminisce. He took me to Waffle House. That’s Coach Kidd. Sincere, down to earth and a true legend.

The day before, in Nashville’s NFL stadium, he had won his 314th and final football game as EKU’s head coach. An era had ended, but not the memories. A few weeks later, he sent me a game ball from the 45-20 win over Tennessee State. On one of the ball’s white stripes, he had hand-printed, “Greg, thanks for all the memories. Coach Roy Kidd.”

To this day, that ball sits on a bookshelf near the desk where I continue to prepare for broadcasts of Colonel games. It’s a constant reminder of how grateful I am to have been a tiny part of his last 24 seasons.

Coach won 100 games before I arrived in Richmond (including two against the college where I was a student at the time.) Honestly, I have no idea how or when he found out that Eastern Kentucky University’s new playby-play announcer was a Western Kentucky University graduate.

I’m not sure we ever tackled that subject, but Coach’s wife, Sue, still remembers telling me in a motherly yet stern way: “Don’t forget who you work for. You work for Eastern.”

No worries, Sue. I have bled Maroon since before my first Colonel broadcast September 8, 1979, just 16 months after I graduated from that other school.

Good luck charm, perhaps? EKU did play in the 1-AA National Championship game my first four years in Richmond, winning two titles. But, no, I’m the lucky one, humbled to have had so many memories, up close and personal, thanks to a legendary coach.

by Karl Park

NOTRE DAME-SOUTHERN CAL … MICHIGAN-OHIO STATE … TEXAS-OKLAHOMA … ALABAMA-AUBURN … EASTERN KENTUCKY-WESTERN KENTUCKY.

This in-state rivalry was reaching its peak in 1967 when the two teams tied 14-14 at old Hanger Stadium in a game that saw the Colonels rally in the last five minutes to tie the game on a 10-yard run by Bob Beck and a two-point conversion run around the right end by quarterback Jim Guice with 2:40 to go, before an overflow crowd of 15,000 celebrating Eastern’s Homecoming.

The 1967 game would be hard to match in intensity, crunching hits, big plays on offense and defense and excitement, but the following year in 1968 made the ’67 contest look like a walk in the park.

The backdrop for the 1968 EKU-WKU game was to be the dedication game for Western’s new 19,200 seat football venue –– L. T. Smith Stadium. It was to feature the No. 3 ranked Western Hilltoppers, who were undefeated and unscored upon through five games, vs. the 4-1 Colonels, who were ranked No. 11.

The scene was set as more than 20,000 fans packed L. T. Smith Stadium. Another 200 EKU students that made the trip to

Bowling Green watched the action from each end of the stadium through the wrought-iron fence that enclosed the football complex.

Anticipation was running rampant for an epic battle that didn’t disappoint.

Midway through the first quarter, the Western defense led by All-American linemen Romeo Crennel and Lawrence Brame were relentless in their pursuit of sacking EKU quarterback Jim Guice. They finally got to him and slammed him to the ground, forcing the Eastern star to the sideline as the Western faithful erupted with approval.

“WHEN JIM WENT OUT, I DIDN’T KNOW IF HE WOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN BECAUSE HE TOOK A BIG HIT,” said EKU Hall of Fame head coach Roy Kidd.

After a scoreless first quarter, Western punched across the initial score of the game when ’Topper QB Johnny Egan hit split end Jay Davis with a nine-yard scoring pass with 5:26 before halftime to put WKU up 7-0.

But the momentum turned toward Eastern when Guice, who was being walked to the EKU locker room, miraculously came to his senses and trotted back to the Eastern bench.

He was inserted back into the game and proceeded to march the Colonels 60 yards in six plays, culminated by a five-yard scoring pass to flanker Chuck Walroth that tied the game 7-7 with 1:21 left in the second quarter.

“That was a weird feeling to get hit like that,” said Guice. “I tried to get up once and passed out. Everything was going around and around. I looked up once and saw all those people in the stands and wondered, ‘What are they doing here?’”

The second half was all Eastern as the Colonel defense held Western scoreless with only four first downs, while Guice marched Eastern on another scoring drive (78 yards in eight plays), finishing on a six-yard scamper by Guice with 4:17 left in the third quarter.

Placekicker Jerry Pullins hit the game-clinching field goal with 6:24 to play to cap off Eastern’s 16-7 win.

Eastern had overcome all the obstacles that day, playing before a raucous, hostile crowd of 20,000, losing its star quarterback for nearly 15 minutes of action and defeating the No. 3 team in the nation to put itself in position to win its second straight Ohio Valley Conference crown.

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“I’ve been asked many times, ‘What has been your biggest victory at Eastern?’ Of course, it is hard to get past the two national championship (1979 and 1982) wins, but the one that really stands out to me was in 1968 when we went to Western and won such a big game in front of that big crowd,” Kidd said.

“THE GUYS REALLY PUT FORTH A GREAT EFFORT, AND GUICE COMING BACK TO LEAD US TO THE WIN AFTER HE WAS INJURED WAS SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET.”

So, there you have it. A rivalry that would match any in the country: Eastern vs. Western. n