RICHMOND, Ky. (FOX 56) — On Tuesday morning, Eastern Kentucky University football coach Roy Kidd passed away.

Kidd is revered as an iconic figure across Kentucky because of the long-standing history he has with EKU’s football program, plus winning two national championships and more prestigious awards.

Kidd’s legacy can be seen across Richmond, with the stadium, a street, and a high school football classic all named after him. A street is also named after Kidd in Corbin, where Kidd grew up.

Many of Kidd’s former football players turned into long-time friends of Kidd’s, spending more than five decades with him.

Skip Daugherty is one of those long-time friends.

“I came as a freshman in 1964 on his first football team,” Daugherty said. “I’m really honored to have known him. It’s a great loss.”

Daugherty said he just saw Kidd two weeks ago, and it was the last time he would see him.

“The inevitable is really here. It really became real at 1:36 this morning, you know, the dynasty came to an end, as far as with which Coach Kidd.”

Daugherty said Kidd directly impacted 1,500 people. That includes the roughly 12–13 hundred football players he coached and the 200 coaching staff members he managed the team with throughout his career.

Another long-time friend is Dr. Jim Coy III, who met Kidd around the same time as Daugherty.

“I played for Roy Kidd in high school,” Coy said. Coy played on Richmond’s Madison Model football team from 1957-1959.

Many years later, Coy became interested in Kidd’s early years and wrote a biography of him that is now archived at EKU and the Madison County Historical Society.

Some of the stories are remarkable, including Kidd’s very first touchdown on Oct. 11, 1946. Coy also shares the story of Kidd during the early 1960s, when schools were being integrated for the first time. He recalls a time when one of his players, who was Caucasian, asked Kidd what to do about sharing locker room showers with the new African-American athletes.

Kidd said, “Young man, those black kids are going to block for you when you’re running the ball, aren’t they? Yes, sir. And those black kids that are going to help tackle the opponents like you’re trying to do, correct? Yes, sir. And those black players—they’re your teammates, aren’t they? Yes, sir. Well, son, I think you can go in there and shower with them.”

Coy said Kidd was big on his players learning lessons on the field that would be valuable in the game of life.

“How to Get up when you get knocked down,” Coy said. “How to play against an opponent that’s bigger and faster than you; how to work together; how to be a teammate, how to behave when things are going well.”

Coy said that through the year, Kidd became like a brother, but he would still always call him ‘Coach’.

“What I’m proud of most, I played for Coach Roy Kid,” Coy said.

City of Richmond’s mayor, Robert Blythe, wrote the following statement about Kidd:

“Coach Roy Kidd was a model citizen of this community and a friend of all who were blessed to know him. I personally acknowledge his relationship with my family as my brother played for him at Richmond Madison High School. Upon my brother’s death, Coach Kidd served as one of my brother’s pallbearers. My mother provided support services for the teams at the University. Coach and I were fellow members of a local bank board several years ago. He was truly iconic and shall be sorely missed.”

Mayor Robert Blythe

EKU will be holding a special ceremony on Saturday during its game against Western Carolina University for Kidd. Kidd’s family members are expected to say a few words and also announce visitation and funeral arrangement details.