The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), located in Richmond, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) since the 2021–22 academic year. Its football team competes in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), which started play in 2023 as a football-only merger of the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). In July 2026, the UAC will become an all-sports conference as a rebranded WAC, with EKU as a member. The Colonels previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2020–21.