OBITUARY (NORTHCUTT AND SONS HOME FOR FUNERALS, INC.)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State has lost a one-of-a-kind gentleman. Long-time volunteer statistician and former MSU Assistant Professor of industrial education and technology Edward Nass passed away on April 22. He was 89.
Alongside teaching, Nass spent 56 years doing something he loved: watching and supporting Morehead State Athletics (and in particular football) as a statistician, and he did it just for the love, never being paid for his services. That didn't matter to Ed, he just relished making his way to the press box every Saturday the football Eagles played. In later years, he took a bit longer to make his way up the Jayne Stadium incline, but there was always someone generous enough in the press box already to help him up the steps. One could likely count on one hand the number of games Ed had to miss in more than 50 years.
Nass kept defensive stats for a majority of his time. Later on, he transitioned to keeping participation of who got into the games. No matter his role, Ed always supported the Eagles. He began keeping stats in 1968, and it was just a coincidence too. Former University public relations man Martin Huffman invited him to the press box for a game and the current sports information director at the time, Keith Kappes, heard Nass calling out who made the tackles and invited him to be the permanent defensive stats specialist. The rest was history.
You can read more about Ed's history in a
2016 feature article by Mark Maloney here. He was granted emeritus status as associate professor of industrial education and technology when he retired from Morehead State in 2004.
Nass was honored at a game in 2017 for being a press box volunteer for 50 years. He was a mainstay for six more, finally attending his final game in the 2023 season. You could set your watch to a day in the middle of August every year. Nass would come into the sports information office to get his credential for the season and ask how the team was looking that fall. He'd tell you about his health and his family.
He saw the very highs and some of the lows too of Eagle football history, but he always had high hopes for his Eagles. Rarely was Ed negative. He was always interested in the opponent too and kept close tabs on the Ohio Valley Conference and the Pioneer Football League.
But no matter the score, no matter the Eagles' season record, everyone in the press box always heard his voice, "Come on Eagles." Cheering in a press box is typically frowned upon. For Ed, there was an exception.
So sadly, while the Jayne Stadium press box will have an empty seat from now on, if a heavenly football team needs someone to keep tackles, fumbles and sacks, trust me, they got their man.
