The 1980 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Roy Kidd, the Colonels compiled an overall record of 10âÂÂ3, with a mark of 5âÂÂ2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the OVC. Eastern Kentucky advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game and were defeated by Boise State.