Georgia Southern Eagles football
Encyclopedia
The Georgia Southern Eagles represent Georgia Southern University
in football
as part of the Southern Conference
under head coach Jeff Monken. The Eagles have won an unprecedented six FCS (I-AA) national championships and eight Southern Conference championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award
winners. The Eagles first continuously fielded a football team in 1924; however, play was suspended for World War II
and revived in 1981.
However, the college first continuously fielded a team in 1924. In 1929, B.L. "Crook" Smith, a sports standout from Mercer University, was hired as football coach and athletic director and would lead the football team for thirteen seasons. Football was suspended in 1941 at the outset of World War II and would not return for 41 years.
, the popular and charismatic defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia
, to coach the new football team. On the hire, humorist Lewis Grizzard
said, "When they landed Erk Russell, they got themselves a franchise." The Eagles fielded a club team in 1982 and 1983 and began official NCAA Division I-AA play in 1984. The next year, the Eagles would win their first Division I-AA national championship in Tacoma, Washington, defeating current Southern Conference rival Furman University, in only the team's fourth year in existence, second as a varsity team. The Eagles would return to Tacoma the next year and win the championship vs. Arkansas State. In 1989, the Eagles became the first college team to go 15-0 in twentieth century, winning the national championship on their home field vs. Stephen F. Austin
. Soon after the game, Russell retired.
. Johnson found instant success taking the Eagles to the playoffs in his first season. He along with Eagle legend Adrian Peterson reached the 1998 national championship. However, the Eagles lost the game to UMASS in inclement weather in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Eagles rebounded under Johnson and won back to back national championships in 1999 and 2000. After the 2001 season, Johnson resigned to become the head coach of Navy.
, a former defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia, was hired to replace Sewak. In the first of many controversial moves, VanGorder scrapped Georgia Southern's famed triple option offense and did away with certain traditions such as the team's arrival on yellow school buses. VanGorder led the team to a 3-8 record, the worst in the modern era of Georgia Southern football. After his unsatisfactory one year as coach, VanGorder left to take a position with the Atlanta Falcons
. Chris Hatcher, formerly the head coach at Valdosta State University
, was named the new head coach on January 19, 2007. Hatcher lead the Eagles back to a winning record with a 7-4 finish, barely missing the playoffs. However, Hatcher could not replicate the success of his first season, leading to his dismissal after the conclusion of the 2009 season.
During the 2011 season
, Georgia Southern was ranked No. 1 in the FCS for the first time since the 2001 season. Additionally, Georgia Southern clinched the Southern Conference Football Championship for the first time since 2004 and its first outright conference championship since 2002.
was dedicated on September 29, 1984, and has an official seating capacity of 18,000, although the hills leave room for about 5,000+ additional grass sitting spectators. The record attendance was in the 1989 I-AA National Championship game as Georgia Southern hosted Stephen F. Austin University, where the attendance reached 25,725.
winners honoring the top offensive player in the Football Championships Subdivision. Running Back Adrian Peterson won the award in 1999 and quarterback Jayson Foster
won it in 2007.
winners honoring the top coach in Division I-FCS. Erk Russell won it in 1989 and Paul Johnson in 1998.
The athletic teams of Georgia Southern University are referred to as the Eagles. However, the school has gone by a number of different nicknames. From as early as 1907 the athletic teams of the then First District A&M school were referred to as the 'Culture to reflect the agricultural background of the school. From 1924 to 1941, the nickname was the Blue Tide. After World War II, athletic teams were referred to as the Professors reflecting the school's status as a teachers college. However, in 1959 when the school was renamed Georgia Southern College, a student vote was held to determine the new mascot
; among the 104 entries, voters chose Eagles over Colonels by a narrow margin. In 1997, a contest was held to select the official name of the mascot, two incoming freshman Imen Edmond & Heidi Barber, won with the name GUS.
, a category 4 storm, was headed straight towards the coast of Georgia. Hugo ranked as the eleventh most intense hurricane at time of landfall to strike the U.S. this century, with the highest ever recorded storm surge on the East Coast. Nevertheless, the decision was made to continue with the game. For safety purposes, an open line was kept between the press box at Paulson Stadium and the National Hurricane Center in Florida. The Eagles went on to defeat MTSU by a score of 26-0 in a classic that will forever be known in Eagle History as the Hugo Bowl.
This was the first night game played at Paulson Stadium. Temporary lighting was used for the game because the stadium was not outfitted with permanent stadium lighting until the 1994 season. Many feared that the booms used to hoist the stadium lights would tip over due to the heavy wind.
after the team's 1986 National Championship when he said, "Hey ladies, hey fellas, hey gentlemen, hey everybody, one more time for the greatest team in America!" The phrase 'one more time' was forever immortalized and to this day is used often.
. It has become a rich tradition and many gather before the game to watch the arrival of the yellow school buses.
, makes a flight from the top of the press box down to the field. It has been described as "the most exciting 30 seconds of college football."
the hardest venue the opposition has ever seen.
Wave the blue, wave the white
Hold the banner high
The Eagles are on the wing.
Sound a cry to the sky,
As we look for glory.
Victory now we sing.
Hail the blue, hail the white
Hail the team that's soaring
Upward to bring us fame;
Georgia Southern Eagles
Fight on to victory and
Win this game!
Blue and white-fight, fight!
Blue and white-fight, fight!
Georgia Southern-Eagles!
Fight, fight, fight!
"Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern"
"Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern!"
"Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern!"
"Hail (The name of the defeated team)?"
(Response) "Hell no!"
The phrase "Hail Southern" is also used as a greeting to a fellow Eagle.
Athletics Department Facebook page: facebook.com/GSAthletics
Athletics Department twitter: twitter.com/GSAthletics
Football recruiting website: eaglesgata.com
Coach Jeff Monken twitter: twitter.com/CoachJeffMonken
Radio flagship: WBMZ 103.7 FM in Metter ("The Boomer")
Broadcasters: Chris Blair (play-by-play), Terry Harvin (analyst) and Ryan Chambers (sideline reporter).
Also:
Student Radio: WVGS 91.9 FM in Statesboro ("91.9 The Buzz")
Broadcasters: TBD (play-by-play), and TBD (analyst).
Management: TBD (Sports Director), TBD (Program Director) and Dr. Melanie Stone (Faculty Advisor).
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
as part of the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
under head coach Jeff Monken. The Eagles have won an unprecedented six FCS (I-AA) national championships and eight Southern Conference championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award
Walter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
winners. The Eagles first continuously fielded a football team in 1924; however, play was suspended for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and revived in 1981.
Early years: 1924–1941
As First District A&M, the school began organizing football teams as early as 1909.However, the college first continuously fielded a team in 1924. In 1929, B.L. "Crook" Smith, a sports standout from Mercer University, was hired as football coach and athletic director and would lead the football team for thirteen seasons. Football was suspended in 1941 at the outset of World War II and would not return for 41 years.
Erk Russell era: 1981–1989
In 1978, president Dale Lick decided that football should be revived at Georgia Southern College. Despite a faculty senate vote against renewing the sport, President Lick worked to generate support for the endeavor. In 1982, the school hired Erk RussellErk Russell
Erskine "Erk" Russell was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach in the United States. He was also the defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia Bulldogs for seventeen years and head football coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles...
, the popular and charismatic defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, to coach the new football team. On the hire, humorist Lewis Grizzard
Lewis Grizzard
Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr. was an American writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the American South...
said, "When they landed Erk Russell, they got themselves a franchise." The Eagles fielded a club team in 1982 and 1983 and began official NCAA Division I-AA play in 1984. The next year, the Eagles would win their first Division I-AA national championship in Tacoma, Washington, defeating current Southern Conference rival Furman University, in only the team's fourth year in existence, second as a varsity team. The Eagles would return to Tacoma the next year and win the championship vs. Arkansas State. In 1989, the Eagles became the first college team to go 15-0 in twentieth century, winning the national championship on their home field vs. Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. Soon after the game, Russell retired.
Post Russell era: 1990–1996
Tim Stowers was hired to replace coach Russell. In his first year, he won the national championship vs. Nevada. However, Stowers was never able to live up the expectations set by Russell and was fired in 1995. He was replaced by interim coach Frank Ellwood for one year. The 1996 season was the first losing season in the modern era as the Eagles fell to 4-7.Paul Johnson era: 1997–2001
The next coach for the Eagles was Paul JohnsonPaul Johnson (American football coach)
Paul Johnson is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a position he has held since the 2008 season. Previously, Johnson served as the head coach at Georgia Southern University from 1997 to 2001 and at the United States Naval Academy...
. Johnson found instant success taking the Eagles to the playoffs in his first season. He along with Eagle legend Adrian Peterson reached the 1998 national championship. However, the Eagles lost the game to UMASS in inclement weather in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Eagles rebounded under Johnson and won back to back national championships in 1999 and 2000. After the 2001 season, Johnson resigned to become the head coach of Navy.
Post Johnson era: 2002–2009
Johnson was replaced by Mike Sewak. Despite winning the SoCon twice in his tenure, his lack of postseason success as well as a falling out with former head coach Erk Russell lead to his firing after the 2005 season. Brian VanGorderBrian VanGorder
Brian VanGorder is the current Defensive Coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. He previously was the head coach of Wayne State University, Georgia Southern University and has been as assistant coach under many other universities, most notably the University of Georgia.-Early coaching...
, a former defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia, was hired to replace Sewak. In the first of many controversial moves, VanGorder scrapped Georgia Southern's famed triple option offense and did away with certain traditions such as the team's arrival on yellow school buses. VanGorder led the team to a 3-8 record, the worst in the modern era of Georgia Southern football. After his unsatisfactory one year as coach, VanGorder left to take a position with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Chris Hatcher, formerly the head coach at Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...
, was named the new head coach on January 19, 2007. Hatcher lead the Eagles back to a winning record with a 7-4 finish, barely missing the playoffs. However, Hatcher could not replicate the success of his first season, leading to his dismissal after the conclusion of the 2009 season.
Jeff Monken and the return of the triple option: 2010–present
On November 29, 2009, school officials announced that Jeff Monken, a longtime assistant coach under Paul Johnson, would become the next head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles. Monken's hiring signaled the return of the triple option offense which brought success to the program in years past. In Monken's first year, the Eagles finished the regular season with a 7-4 record and made their first playoff appearance since 2005, advancing to the semi-finals, where the Eagles fell to Delaware 10-27.During the 2011 season
2011 Georgia Southern Eagles football team
The 2011 Georgia Southern Eagles team represents Georgia Southern University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Eagles will be led by second year head coach Jeff Monken and will play their home games at Paulson Stadium. They are a member of the Southern...
, Georgia Southern was ranked No. 1 in the FCS for the first time since the 2001 season. Additionally, Georgia Southern clinched the Southern Conference Football Championship for the first time since 2004 and its first outright conference championship since 2002.
Coaches
The current coach is Jeff Monken.| Coach (Alma Mater) | Seasons | Years | Games | W | L | T | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.G. Cromartie (Mercer) | 3 | 1924-1926 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | .583 |
| H.A. Woodle | 2 | 1927–1928 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | .647 |
| B.L. Smith (Mercer) | 13 | 1929–1941 | 117 | 44 | 66 | 7 | .415 |
| Erk Russell (Auburn) | 8 | 1982–1989 | 106 | 83 | 22 | 1 | .790 |
| Tim Stowers (Auburn) | 6 | 1990–1995 | 74 | 51 | 23 | 0 | .689 |
| Frank Ellwood (Ohio State) | 1 | 1996 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| Paul Johnson (Western Carolina) | 5 | 1997-2001 | 72 | 62 | 10 | 0 | .861 |
| Mike Sewak (Virginia) | 4 | 2002-2005 | 49 | 35 | 14 | 0 | .714 |
| Brian VanGorder (Wayne State) | 1 | 2006 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 |
| Chris Hatcher (Valdosta State) | 3 | 2007–2009 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 0 | .545 |
| Jeff Monken (Millikin) | 2 | 2010- | 25 | 19 | 6 | 0 | .760 |
Stadium
Georgia Southern home football games are played at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Paulson StadiumPaulson Stadium
Allen E. Paulson Stadium is an 18,000 seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park....
was dedicated on September 29, 1984, and has an official seating capacity of 18,000, although the hills leave room for about 5,000+ additional grass sitting spectators. The record attendance was in the 1989 I-AA National Championship game as Georgia Southern hosted Stephen F. Austin University, where the attendance reached 25,725.
Awards
The Eagles have won six NCAA FCS National Championships, the most by any team in the nation.National Championships
- 1985 - Coach Erk Russell and the Eagles won their first national championship vs. Furman University in the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. Quarterback Tracy Ham threw for 419 yards and rushed for another 90 to overcome a 28-6 deficit.
- 1986 - The Eagles returned to Tacoma to defeat the Arkansas State Indians. Tracy Ham earned 486 rushing and passing yards and three touchdowns.
- 1989 - In Erk Russell's final game, the Eagles defeated Stephen F. Austin in Statesboro, Georgia in front of 25,725 fans to complete a perfect 15-0 season. Quarterback Raymond Gross engineered 17 fourth quarter points, including a game-winning field goal with 1:41 remaining in the game.
- 1990 - Tim Stowers won the Eagle's fourth national championship vs. Nevada in the first season without Coach Russell.
- 1999 - Paul Johnson won his first national championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee vs. Youngstown State in Jim Tressel'sJim TresselJames Patrick Tressel is a gameday consultant for the Indianapolis Colts, and former collegiate football head coach at both The Ohio State University from 2001 to 2011 and at Youngstown State University from 1986 to 2000. Tressel is most notable for his time at Ohio State. He was hired by the...
last game as a Penguin. Adrian Peterson ran for a championship game record 247 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns. - 2000 - The Eagles defeated the Montana Grizzlies to win their sixth and most recent national championship.
National runners-up
- 1988 - The Eagles lost to Furman UniversityFurman UniversityFurman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
in Pocatello, IdahoPocatello, IdahoPocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
. - 1998 - In Paul Johnson's first national championship game, the Eagles lost to UMASS.
Walter Payton Award
Georgia Southern is one of five schools to have multiple Walter Payton AwardWalter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
winners honoring the top offensive player in the Football Championships Subdivision. Running Back Adrian Peterson won the award in 1999 and quarterback Jayson Foster
Jayson Foster
Jayson D. Foster is an American football wide receiver for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
won it in 2007.
Eddie Robinson Award
Two Georgia Southern coaches have won the Eddie Robinson AwardEddie Robinson Award
The Eddie Robinson Award is awarded annually to college football's top head coach in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision . The award was established by The Sports Network in 1987 and is voted upon by the division's sports information directors and selected sports writers...
winners honoring the top coach in Division I-FCS. Erk Russell won it in 1989 and Paul Johnson in 1998.
Nickname
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
; among the 104 entries, voters chose Eagles over Colonels by a narrow margin. In 1997, a contest was held to select the official name of the mascot, two incoming freshman Imen Edmond & Heidi Barber, won with the name GUS.
Beautiful Eagle Creek
When Georgia Southern resurrected football in 1981, it lacked tradition. A drainage ditch that the team had to cross several times a day during football practice came to be called Beautiful Eagle Creek by Coach Erk Russell. When the Eagles traveled to Northern Iowa during the 1985 playoffs, Coach Russell brought along a jug of this Eagle Creek water to sprinkle on the field. The Eagles were victorious and went on to win many national championships with the help of that magical water.The Hugo Bowl
In 1989 ESPN was to broadcast a Thursday Night Football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. However, Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
, a category 4 storm, was headed straight towards the coast of Georgia. Hugo ranked as the eleventh most intense hurricane at time of landfall to strike the U.S. this century, with the highest ever recorded storm surge on the East Coast. Nevertheless, the decision was made to continue with the game. For safety purposes, an open line was kept between the press box at Paulson Stadium and the National Hurricane Center in Florida. The Eagles went on to defeat MTSU by a score of 26-0 in a classic that will forever be known in Eagle History as the Hugo Bowl.
This was the first night game played at Paulson Stadium. Temporary lighting was used for the game because the stadium was not outfitted with permanent stadium lighting until the 1994 season. Many feared that the booms used to hoist the stadium lights would tip over due to the heavy wind.
Plain uniforms
When the program was revived in 1982, the school did not have a large budget and coach Erk Russell ordered solid blue helmets and asked the players to put a white strip of tape down the middle. The uniforms consisted of plain white pants and blue jerseys without names. With the subsequent success of the Eagles, the basic simple design of the uniforms has remained the same. Sports Illustrated has ranked the uniforms as being the 3rd best in college football.One More Time!
This is the motto of Georgia Southern. It was coined by Coach Erk RussellErk Russell
Erskine "Erk" Russell was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach in the United States. He was also the defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia Bulldogs for seventeen years and head football coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles...
after the team's 1986 National Championship when he said, "Hey ladies, hey fellas, hey gentlemen, hey everybody, one more time for the greatest team in America!" The phrase 'one more time' was forever immortalized and to this day is used often.
Kickoff Chant
Prior to every kickoff, it is expected all in attendance in unison yell "GO" and when the ball is kicked yell "Blue! One more time!"Yellow School Buses
When the football team was started again in 1981, money was tight. In fact, there wasn't enough money to furnish transportation. The Bulloch County school system sold two buses for a dollar each to the team. The buses have been used by the team ever since as transportation to the Allen E. Paulson StadiumPaulson Stadium
Allen E. Paulson Stadium is an 18,000 seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park....
. It has become a rich tradition and many gather before the game to watch the arrival of the yellow school buses.
Freedom Flight
As part of the pregame ceremonies, Georgia Southern's living mascot, Freedom, a Bald EagleBald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, makes a flight from the top of the press box down to the field. It has been described as "the most exciting 30 seconds of college football."
GEORGIA...! SOUTHERN...!
This is the most well known chant of Georgia Southern. It starts by one person, or side of the crowd, yelling "GEORGIA!" and the other side or person responding "SOUTHERN!"WHOSE HOUSE...? OUR HOUSE...!
This chant is done in the same fashion as the "Georgia... Southern..." chant. It used in the same way as the "Georgia... Southern..." chant to make the Allen E. Paulson StadiumPaulson Stadium
Allen E. Paulson Stadium is an 18,000 seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park....
the hardest venue the opposition has ever seen.
Fight Song
Listen to the Fight Song - http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/traditions/audiofiles/fightsong.mp3Wave the blue, wave the white
Hold the banner high
The Eagles are on the wing.
Sound a cry to the sky,
As we look for glory.
Victory now we sing.
Hail the blue, hail the white
Hail the team that's soaring
Upward to bring us fame;
Georgia Southern Eagles
Fight on to victory and
Win this game!
Blue and white-fight, fight!
Blue and white-fight, fight!
Georgia Southern-Eagles!
Fight, fight, fight!
Hail Southern
A victory chant."Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern"
"Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern!"
"Hail Southern!"
(Response) "Hail Southern!"
"Hail (The name of the defeated team)?"
(Response) "Hell no!"
The phrase "Hail Southern" is also used as a greeting to a fellow Eagle.
Media
Athletics Department Football Website: GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/footballAthletics Department Facebook page: facebook.com/GSAthletics
Athletics Department twitter: twitter.com/GSAthletics
Football recruiting website: eaglesgata.com
Coach Jeff Monken twitter: twitter.com/CoachJeffMonken
Radio flagship: WBMZ 103.7 FM in Metter ("The Boomer")
Broadcasters: Chris Blair (play-by-play), Terry Harvin (analyst) and Ryan Chambers (sideline reporter).
Also:
Student Radio: WVGS 91.9 FM in Statesboro ("91.9 The Buzz")
Broadcasters: TBD (play-by-play), and TBD (analyst).
Management: TBD (Sports Director), TBD (Program Director) and Dr. Melanie Stone (Faculty Advisor).