It’s hard to fill the shoes of a legend, but that is exactly what Eastern Kentucky University had to do.

When 45-year (39 with EKU) head coach Roy Kidd announced on Sept. 30 that he would retire at the end of the season, the EKU athletic department had to ask someone to take the place ofthe man who for so long had been synonymous with Colonel football.

But that is exactly what EKU interim director of athletics Jack Lengyel has asked University of Louisville assistant head coach and offensive line coach Danny Hope to do.

Hope has accepted the challenge of replacing the man he once played for.

To put into perspective what Hope’s predecessor did, Hope himself was only 4-years- old when Kidd started coaching at EKU. Hope wasn’t born when Kidd’s head coaching career began. Hope will also have to coach his home games in a place called Roy Kidd Stadium. So saying he has some big shoes to fill is an understatement.

Kidd’s name will go down in history with the great coaches of college football. Kidd ended his career with 315 wins, sixth on the all-time NCAA I-A/ I-AA list.

However, Hope taking the job is not nearly as surprising as the quickness that EKU found Kidd’s replacement.

It is no surprise to me that Hope would want to return to his alma mater to coach. EKU has a great tradition, and Hope will inherit an excellent program.

However, EKU’s athletic department did a great job of finding a head coach. Kidd announced his retirement on the last day of September. EKU announced Hope’s hiring Dec. 6, just over two months later. EKU’s search for a new head coach looks like one down of a football game compared to Eastern’s presidential search.

Finding their new coach this quickly will help the Colonels almost immediately. The team will not lose much time from a recruiting standpoint and what time is lost can be easily made up by Hope, who is regarded as one of the best recruiters in the nation by ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

Hope’s speedy appointment also helps EKU from embarrassing itself like the Chicago Bears did when they tried to announce that Dave McGinnis would be their head coach.

The only question is what type of game plan will Hope bring to the Colonels.

For nearly the past four decades, the hallmark of the Colonels football program has been a dominating defense and a bruising running game.

Will Hope bring the same type of team that nearly beat Eastern homecoming weekend, or will he completely alter the Colonels’ approach?

What Hope will do is keep the Colonels among the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference.