RICHMOND, Ky. - Coach Roy Kidd's Eastern Kentucky University Colonels have been picked to win the 2000 Ohio Valley Conference football race in a pre-season poll of the league's head football coaches and sports information directors.

Eastern was a near unanimous choice to win the crown, earning 12 of a possible 14 first place votes. Murray State was picked second, followed by two-time defending conference champion Tennessee State in third place. Rounding out the order of finish were Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and UT Martin.

"I really like our football team, but I was a little surprised to see us picked No. 1," said Kidd who will be beginning his 37^th season at the helm and who is just seven wins short of 300 career coaching victories.

"We do have a lot of our skill players back, but we only have three experienced offensive lineman back," said Kidd.

Quarterback Waylon Chapman, tailback Corey Crume, offensive tackle Lewis Diaz and defensive end Shorty Combs were each selected to the 2000 pre-season All-OVC football team. Wide receiver Alex Bannister was a pre-season honorable mention All-OVC pick.

Before being injured in the eighth game of the year against Tennessee State, Chapman was among the conference leaders in pass completion percentage and was on pace to break the school record for TD passes thrown. He finished the year hitting 100-174 passes (.575 percentage) for 1,295 yards and 13 TD's.

Crume returns for his senior year after receiving second-team All-OVC notice in 1999. He led the Colonels in rushing and finished second in the league in this category in 1999 with 942 yards and nine TD's. He stands as the school's 12^th all-time leading rusher (2,259 yards) and has rushed for 28 TD's in his Colonel career.

Diaz was also a second-team All-OVC pick in 1999, while Combs led the team in quarterback sacks last season with 4.5 and was third on the team in tackles for loss with seven.

Bannister was second on the team last season in pass receptions with 44 catches for 661 yards and eight TD's.

Kidd and his Colonel football team begin "The Drive for 300" Aug. 31^st when Eastern hosts Glenville State in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Roy Kidd Stadium. Tickets for EKU's six-game home schedule are on sale weekdays at the EKU Athletics Ticket Office in Room 126 of Alumni Coliseum or may be ordered by phone at 859-622-2122 or 1-800-262-7493, inside Kentucky.