Hall of Fame
Steve Bird was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at wide receiver for coach Roy Kidd’s football Colonels, playing in four consecutive national championship games (1979-82). He enjoyed a breakout season in 1982 in helping lead Eastern to an undefeated 13-0 season which culminated in the school’s second national championship. Bird was a first-team All-OVC choice in 1982 when he was also selected to the I-AA All-American team by Kodak, The Sporting News and Associated Press. He was also chosen as the OVC’s Male Athlete of the Year for 1982-83. Bird won the Chevrolet Most Valuable Player of the Game three times his senior season when he led Eastern and the OVC with 63 receptions for 1,056 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1983 National Football League Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played two seasons of professional football which concluded in the 1984 season with the San Diego Chargers. Since 1987, he has served as assistant coach for 10 NCAA Division I schools and is currently on the coaching staff at the University of South Florida.
