In Memory of Roy Kidd

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to honor a legendary Kentuckian, Roy Kidd. He was a renowned football coach at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky and he passed away on September 12, 2023.

Coach Kidd was born in Corbin, Kentucky on December 4, 1931. He was a star athlete at Corbin High School, playing 3 sports. He attended Eastern Kentucky University, where he was an outstanding quarterback and also played center fielder. His coaching career began at the high school level where he coached from 1955 to 1961. He entered the college coaching ranks at Morehead State University and moved to EKU one year later. Coach Kidd served as head football coach for thirty-nine years, retiring in 2002. He amassed an outstanding record, winning over 300 games, with two I-AA national titles and two runner-up titles. Coach Kidd's teams had 25 consecutive winning seasons. He was twice named the NCAA Division I-AA National Coach of the Year and received the prestigious American Football Coaches Association's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award.

Coach Kidd was well respected and beloved by his former players. He was a staunch ambassador for his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University. His impact on the university was significant, resulting in the football stadium being renamed Roy Kidd Stadium in his honor and the street in front of the stadium named Roy and Sue Kidd Way. He was a member of the EKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni, the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame, the OVC Hall of Fame, and the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association's highest football award is named the Roy Kidd Award.

Coach Kidd is survived by his wife Sue. They were married for 62 years and have 3 children, six grandchildren, and four great- grandchildren. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond.

Roy Kidd was highly respected as a coach and a leader throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He was a man who of integrity who contributed greatly to his players by the lessons he taught both on and off the football field. I am honored to lift up his contributions to Kentucky before the United States Congress.

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