Before leading the Ashland Tomcats’ football program to 78 victories in 10 seasons from 2003-2012, Leon Hart spent a dozen years in propelling the Eastern Kentucky University offense as an assistant coach under legendary Roy Kidd that included the 1979 and 1982 national championship seasons and the 1980 and 1981 national runner-up seasons – an incredible four-year span illustrating EKU’s dominance in Division I-AA.
Hart is one of seven individuals who will be inducted into the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 11 at the EKU Center for the Arts.
Hart coached wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks, and then served as offensive coordinator from 1981-88. While he was an EKU assistant, the Colonels won two national titles (1979 and 1982) and finished as the national runner-up twice (1980 and 1981). Hart also helped EKU make the playoffs in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
In 1985, EKU missed the playoffs, but the team went 8-3 and closed out the season with 45-21 rout of Louisville. The Colonels compiled an overall record of 120-37-2 in his 13-year stint on the staff, which included eight OVC titles to go along with the two national titles and two national runners-up finishes.
He came to the Tomcats in 2003 and put high-tech offenses on the field throughout his tenure where he had six seasons of nine victories and made the playoffs in all but one of his 10 seasons.
Hart led Ashland into the state quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004. Three of his last four seasons with the Tomcats resulted in nine victories. He had a 9-9 record in the postseason while often being matched against northern Kentucky powers.
Hart finished his Tomcat coaching career with a 78-40 record, which is the third-most victories in Ashland history behind Vic Marsh (112) and Tony Love (81).
Besides his elite coaching ability on the football field, he was also a tremendous special education teacher in the Ashland school system.
The 2025 EKU HOF class includes: Soufiane Bouchikhi (track/cross country, 2010-14), Billy Burton (men’s basketball, 1968-72), Ernest Dalton (track/cross country, 1959-63), Leon Hart (football, 1976-88), Leanna Pittsenbarger (softball, 2012-15), John Revere (football, 1972-76) and Mark Sandy (administration, 2005-15, 2019-20). The entire 2004-05 women’s basketball team will be inducted as a team of distinction.
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