(click here for 1979 team roster)
The 1979 EKU Football Colonels were a team of destiny as this squad finished the season as the University’s first national football championship team with an 11-2 record and a final ranking of No. 3 in the nation and. Paced by an opportunistic defense and an efficient offense, the Colonels finished the year strong, winning their last five games, including a 30-7 defeat of Lehigh University in the national championship game at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
--The Colonels defeated two NCAA Division I-A teams this season, Kent State (17-14) and Cal-State Fullerton (33-17)
--Eastern limited seven of its 13 opponents to 10 points or less, including shutouts of Troy State (15-0) and Tennessee Tech (35-0)
--EKU had two blocked kicks (one extra point and one field goal) that played prominently in two huge victories – an 8-6 win over Western Kentucky and a 33-30 double overtime victory over Nevada-Reno
--EKU tailback Alvin Miller was named the national championship game’s Most Valuable Player when he accumulated 144 total yards in the Colonels’ win over Lehigh
--Linebacker Bob McIntyre was named first team Associated Press All-American
--Cornerback Danny Martin, nose guard Joe Richard, fullback Dale Patton, linebacker Bob McIntyre, offensive guard Kevin Greve, center David Neal and placekicker David Flores were each named first team All-OVC
--Strong safety George Floyd, defensive end Tim Frommeyer, wide receiver Jerry Parrish, tailback Alvin Miller and quarterback Bill Hughes were each selected on the second-team All-OVC unit
--EKU was inspired throughout the year remembering teammate Don MacKinnon, an offensive guard, who died the preceding spring after a bout with meningitis.
--Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr., proclaimed the week of Jan. 20-26, 1980, as EKU NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS WEEK in Kentucky.
--Coach Roy Kidd receives John F. Kennedy Cup in New Orleans given by the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, and the Timmie Award presented to Kidd by the Touchdown Club of Washington, D.C.
