Eastern Kentucky Colonels Logo PNG
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels logo features an image of Colonel Collegiate University. Founded in 1966, it remains committed to long-standing traditions, demonstrating courage, nobility, hidden strength, and adherence to ideals.
The athletic program of Eastern Kentucky University began soon after 1906, when the school operated as Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. Football started in 1909, and teams were known as Maroons for decades. In 1963, the name changed to Colonels, reflecting the established mascot.
A major turning point came in 1964, when head coach Roy Kidd, a former player in the program, took over. By 1967, he led the team to its first Ohio Valley Conference title and a Grantland Rice Bowl win over Ball State.
The peak came after the creation of Division I-AA in 1978. EKU reached four consecutive national finals, winning titles in 1979 against Lehigh and in 1982 against Delaware, finishing that season 13:0. The rivalry with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers shaped this period.
Over 39 seasons, Kidd recorded 314 wins, 16 conference titles, and 17 playoff appearances. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, and the stadium was named after him in 1990.
Basketball also contributed to the program’s profile, with eight NCAA Tournament appearances and a conference title in 1977 under Guy Strong. Baseball added multiple Ohio Valley Conference championships.
In 2021, EKU left the conference after 73 years and joined the Atlantic Sun Conference, with football later competing in a joint league before moving to the United Athletic Conference in 2023.
Meaning and History
The old emblem of the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, used from 1966 to 2004, was not diverse. It was the inscription “EKU,” an abbreviation of the educational institution’s full name. A double circle surrounds the dark abbreviation. There are no letter spaces: the symbols are closely spaced, with “K” and “U” merging at the top.
Since 2004, the logo has included a graphical element. Artists depicted a man’s head with gray hair, a beard, a mustache, and lowered eyebrows. According to the authors’ intention, this is the very colonel who is the mascot of the sports teams. He is wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a bow tie. To the right is the inscription “Eastern Kentucky Colonels,” divided into two lines.
What is Eastern Kentucky Colonels?
Eastern Kentucky Colonels is a sports division comprising 18 student teams that participate in intercollegiate programs on behalf of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. They are members of the NCAA, competing at the Division I level. Representatives are also part of the ASUN Conference (since the 2021-2022 season) and the Western Athletic Conference (for football).
1965 – 1968
1968 – 1974
1974 – 2004
2004 – 2006
2006 – 2017
2017 – today
Eastern Kentucky Colonels Basketball
The EKU men’s basketball team has participated in NCAA tournaments seven times. It has won the Ohio Valley Conference championship three times. The women’s team has five victories in KWIC. Since 2019, athletes have been coached by Samantha Williams. The home stadium for all the college basketball players is the McBrayer Arena at Alumni Coliseum.
Eastern Kentucky Colonels Football
Eastern Kentucky University is famous for its football team, which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision. It is renowned for having placed first twice in the national Division I-AA championship and for winning 22 OVC titles. The team’s golden era came during Roy Kidd’s coaching tenure.