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TSC Blues Review Interview with Erk Russell, conducted in
August 2002: http://www.southern-connection.com/media/2002/bluesreview/vol2erk.wma Since
leading the Eagle football team to its third NCAA Division I-AA national
championship and retiring from coaching in December 1989, Russell has
continued to give all he can to Georgia Southern. Whether assuming
chairmanship of the university's capital campaign or dousing the baseball
team bus with Eagle Creek Water before its departure for the College World
Series, Russell has remained an active and visible booster of GSU and its programs. As
a coach, Russell saved the best for last. He entered the 1989 season as
America's winningest coach, orchestrator of two national championships, 68
wins and 14 All-America selections--during a seven-year period. In
the ensuing 105 days, Southern ascended to the top spot in the NCAA I-AA
football poll and Russell smoked 15 victory cigars. Erk's Eagles extended
Division I's longest home win streak from 26 to 37 games. Strong safety
Randell Boone, free safety Taz Dixon and offensive guard Sean Gainey raised
Russell's All-America count to 17. Georgia Southern gained distinction as the
only 15-0 college team of this century. Russell's
final record at Georgia Southern is a remarkable 83-22-1 (.788). After the
Eagles moved to Division I-AA in 1984, he fashioned a 70-14 (.825) mark.
Russell averaged 10.4 wins per season. When
Georgia Southern brought football back in 1984 it looked to Russell,
long-time defensive coordinator at Georgia. Russell's first Eagle team,
comprised entirely of walk-on players, fashioned a 7-3-1 record in 1982. The
next year Southern went 6-5, with four of the losses by five points or less.
In 1984 the Eagles entered Division I-AA and went 8-3, narrowly missing a
national playoff berth. Then came consecutive 13-2 seasons and back-to-back
national championships, a I-AA first. With true freshman Raymond Gross at
quarterback, the Eagles advanced to the national quarterfinals in 1987 before
finishing 9-4. In 1988, Southern made its third championship game appearance
in four seasons, falling to Furman 17-12 in Pocatello, Idaho. Russell,
who developed a reputation as one of college football's great defensive
coordinators at Georgia, put together an extraordinary offense for the Eagles.
His 1986 squad led the nation in scoring (41.3 points per game), total
offense (501.8 yards per game), and rushing offense (327.1). Georgia Southern
was unstoppable in the playoffs during the 1986 season, averaging 50.7
points. His last Eagle team won the national rushing championship (329.2
yards per game). Southern was among the top five teams nationally in both
scoring (12.1 points) and total defense (255.9 yards) while allowing only 133
points, a school-record, and holding two opponents scoreless. During
his 17 years at Georgia, Russell molded some of the country's finest
defensive teams and his Junkyard Dogs became synonymous with Bulldog
football. In 1967 Georgia led the Southeastern Conference in total defense
and scoring defense. The next year Georgia topped the SEC in total defense
and led the nation in scoring defense, yielding just 9.8 points per contest.
In 1971, Russell's group paced the country in shutouts and finished among the
nation's Top 10 in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense. The
'78 Bulldogs finished a point behind national champion Alabama in scoring
defense. UGA's '79 defense forced 49 takeaways, the national high. A
native of Birmingham, AL, Russell holds bachelor's and master's degrees from
Auburn. He played football, basketball, baseball and tennis for the Tigers,
earning 10 varsity letters. Russell was the last four-sport letterman in
Auburn history. Born
July 23, 1926, Russell is married to the former Jean Farmer of Birmingham.
They have two sons--Rusty and Jay--who are also football coaches. ERK
RUSSELL'S RECORD THROUGH THE YEARS
HONORS
AND AWARDS 1996 1.
Inducted
into the Blue-Gray Hall of Fame 1990 1.
Georgia
Association of Broadcasters Georgian-of-the-Year 1989 1.
Eddie
Robinson Award (symbolic of top Division I-AA coach) 2.
Football
Gazette
Coach-of-the-Year 3.
USA Today Georgia Coach-of-the-Year 4.
USA
Today Georgia
Coach-of-the-Decade 5.
Kodak-American
Football Coaches Association I-AA Coach-of-the-Year 6.
Georgia
Sports Hall of Fame Coach-of-the-Year 1988 1.
Georgia
Sports Hall of Fame Coach-of-the-Year 1987 1.
Inducted
into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 1986 1.
Kodak-American
Football Coaches Association I-AA Coach-of-the-Year 2.
Washington,
DC, Touchdown Club I-AA Coach-of-the-Year 3.
Football
News
Coach-of-the-Year 4.
Chevrolet-CBS
Sports I-AA Coach-of-the-Year 5.
Atlanta
Touchdown Club Coach-of-the-Year 6.
Macon
Touchdown Club Coach-of-the-Year 7.
100% Wrong
Club of Atlanta Coach-of-the-Year 8.
Georgia
Sports Hall of Fame Coach-of-the-Year 9.
Statesboro
Rotary Club Man-of-the-Year 1985 1.
Georgia
Sports Hall of Fame Coach-of-the-Year 2.
Football
News Coach-of-the-Year 3.
ABC-TV
Coach-of-the-Year 4.
Washington,
DC, Touchdown Club I-AA Coach-of-the-Year 1984 1.
Georgia
Sports Hall of Fame Coach-of-the-Year The
information detailed above is courtesy of the Georgia Southern University
Media Relations Department.
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