An Enterprise Staff Report

The leader of one eastern Kentucky’s most memorable football dynasties passed away on Thursday. Former Lynch head coach Ed Miracle, 83, died after fighting an illness.

Miracle, a Middlesboro High School graduate, came to Lynch in 1957 from Jenkins, where he was a basketball coach and assistant football coach. During his 15-year tenure as the head of the Lynch football program the Bulldogs captured 13 Class A district titles, made eight trips to the state championship and captured four state titles.

“We worked them awful hard, and they were willing to work,” said Miracle in a 2009 interview with the Enterprise. “We started off pretty good and kept improving, improving, improving.”

Miracle’s Bulldogs captured the first Class A state title in 1959 with a dominant 40-0 victory over Henderson Douglas at Stoll Field in Lexington. He also led Lynch to state titles in 1960, 1963 and 1968.

Miracle later relocated to Madison County, where he served as a coach and athletic director until retiring in 1992, when he was indicted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Upon retirement, Miracle continued to live with his family in Madison County.

Miracle was a standout running back at Middlesboro during his own high school career. He went on to play at Eastern Kentucky University as a running back and defensive back.

Miracle’s visitation will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Oldham, Roberts and Powell Funeral Home in Richmond, with the funeral following at 1:30 p.m.