Georgia Southern Eagles football

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 nine 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.

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 Russell, 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.

Post Russell era: 1990–1996
Tim Stowers was hired to replace Coach "Erk" Russell after Georgia Southern's 1989(15-0) National Title. Stowers was the 1989 Offensive Coordinator, one of only two coordinators since 1900 to direct an offense with a team 15-0 record. However, Stowers was never able to live up to the expectations set by Russell and was fired in 1995 after a 9-4 record, ranked as one of top 8 teams in 1995(lost at Montana the eventual I-AA/FCS National Champion and beat # 1 ranked Troy State 11-0 on the road), by new AD Sam Baker who never saw Stowers coach a game. Stowers overall record of  51-23(.689) vs. FCS/I-AA opponents. FBS/D-IA losses-Miami "Hurricanes" twice, Georgia "Bulldogs", Auburn "Tigers", and Bobby Bowden and Florida State "Seminoles". Coach Stowers had a 6-2 playoff record and a 51-18(.739) overall record vs. I-AA/FCS opponents and lower. Stowers won the 1990 I-AA National Championship (12-3) and was named AFCA Kodak National Coach of the Year. Stowers also won Georgia Southern's first ever Southern Conference Title in 1993(first year in league)and was named 1993 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. 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 Johnson. Johnson found instant success taking the Eagles to the playoffs in his first season. He along with Eagle legend Adrian N. Peterson reached the 1998 national championship. However, the Eagles lost the game to UMass 55-43 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 succeeded 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 led to his firing after the 2005 season. Brian VanGorder, 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. Also, Erk Russell passed away unexpectedly on the Friday before the first game of the 2006 season; Russell had addressed the team on the night before. 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, whom he led to the 2004 NCAA Division II Football Championship, was named the new head coach on January 19, 2007. Hatcher led 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, going 11-11 in the following two seasons. Hatcher was dismissed after the conclusion of the 2009 season, the team's third modern era season with a losing record (5-6).

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 semifinals, where the Eagles fell to the Delaware Blue Hens 10-27.

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. The Eagles finished the 2011 regular season with a 9-2 record; however, the Eagles were ousted in the semifinals for a second straight year by the eventual FCS champion North Dakota State Bison 7-35.

Possible move to the Football Bowl Subdivision
After years of rumors and fan speculation, Georgia Southern formally announced its intentions to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision level in April 2012. The university plans to raise $36.6 million over 8 years to accommodate the move, primarily by expanding Paulson Stadium by constructing a 57000 ft2 football operations center in the eastern end of the stadium and adding 6,300 seats. Additionally, students voted in favor of raising student fees by $100 to accommodate the move. $25 of the fee increase will be used for the stadium expansion project while the $75 "FBS fee" will not be implemented until Georgia Southern receives a bid to move up to a FBS conference.

On July 27, 2012 then-Athletics Director Sam Baker resigned. Baker was an ardent supporter of remaining in the FCS despite university president Brooks Keel's proclamation, mainly due to the financial ramifications of moving to a higher level. On November 12, 2012, President Brooks Keel named Tom Kleinlein the athletic director of Georgia Southern University.

Coaches
The current coach is Jeff Monken.

Stadium
Georgia Southern home football games are played at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Paulson Stadium 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 Eagle's win fourth national championship vs. Nevada
 * 1999 - Paul Johnson won his first national championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee vs. Youngstown State in Jim Tressel's 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 University in Pocatello, Idaho.
 * 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 Award 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.

Eddie Robinson Award
Two Georgia Southern coaches have won the Eddie Robinson Award winners honoring the top coach in Division I-FCS. Erk Russell won it in 1989 and Paul Johnson in 1998.

Nickname
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.

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 Hugo, 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. While it was expected initially to be a sellout crowd, due to the approaching storm the actual attendance was in the neighborhood of only 3,000.

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. At the time of the restart of GSU Football the equipment budget was so limited that only practice pants could be purchased. Hence, players wore the same practice pants as game pants. A simple limited monetary approach which has become a nationally recognized tradition 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 Russell 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 Stadium. It has become a rich tradition and many gather before the game to watch the arrival of the yellow school buses. Little known to many outside of the program and still privy info, "The Valley Song" sang by the team en route to Paulson Stadium. "Erk" would always ride the first bus and soon after arrival he would often ask how the song was on the other bus, an indication of how prepared his team was to play.

Freedom flight
As part of the pregame ceremonies, Georgia Southern's living mascot, Freedom, a Bald 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 Stadium the toughest venue the opposition has ever experienced.

Black flag
In 2011, Coach Monken's team took the field leading with a solid black flag. The flag symbolized their motto "No quarter given, no quarter taken." During the game it was placed behind the bench. The flag was carried by safety Derek Heyden who suffered a career ending neck injury early in the season.

Fight song
Listen to the Fight Song -

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
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.