1983 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

The 1983 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 20th-year head coach Roy Kidd, the Colonels compiled an overall record of 7–3–1, with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, and finished as OVC champion. Eastern Kentucky advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA First Round and were defeated by Boston University.

1983 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football
OVC champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 20–24 at Boston University
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	7–3–1 (6–1 OVC)
Head coach	Roy Kidd (20th season)
Home stadium	Hanger Field
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Eastern Kentucky $^	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Middle Tennessee	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Akron	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Murray State	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Austin Peay	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Youngstown State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Tennessee Tech	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Morehead State	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	East Tennessee State*		Hanger Field Richmond, KY	W 21–15	9,200	[1]
September 10	at Youngstown State		Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 28–23	13,349	[2]
September 24	Akron	No. 3	Hanger Field Richmond, KY	W 10–5	14,600	[3]
October 1	Austin Peay	No. T–1	Hanger Field Richmond, KY	W 31–14	19,200	[4]
October 8	at No. 17 Middle Tennessee	No. 1	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 14–7		[5]
October 22	Western Kentucky*	No. 1	Hanger Field Richmond, KY (rivalry)	T 10–10	8,700	[6]
October 29	at Murray State	No. 3	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	L 10–23		[7]
November 5	Tennessee Tech	No. T–5	Hanger Field Richmond, KY	W 24–7		[8]
November 12	at Morehead State	No. 5	Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY (rivalry)	W 56–0		[9]
November 19	at Florida A&M*	No. 4	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 10–35	6,427	[10]
November 27	at No. T–13 Boston University*	No. 8	Hanger Field Richmond, KY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 20–24	4,800	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "ETSU falls to powerful EKU, 21–15". Kingsport Times-News. September 4, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Eastern uses field goals to defeat Youngstown". The Courier-Journal. September 11, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Zips lose in battle of defenses". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 25, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Eastern runs over APSU 31–14". The Daily News-Journal. October 2, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "James sparks EKU win". Messenger-Inquirer. October 9, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Western ends Eastern winning streakk with 10–10 tie". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 23, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Murray shocks Eastern Kentucky, 23–10". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 30, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Eastern rolls, 24–7". The Leaf-Chronicle. November 6, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Eastern mauls Morehead". The Park City Daily News. November 13, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "FAMU shocks Colonels". Tallahassee Democrat. November 20, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "BU wins opener in playoffs, 24–20". The Boston Globe. November 28, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.