Moore (left), Keel (center) and Kleinlein (right).
Georgia Southern Athletics Kicks Off Season at Fall Coaches Luncheon
8/14/2014 7:08:00 PM | Football, General, Athletic Foundation, Ticketing
Photo gallery
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern athletics kicked off its Paint the Town Blue Promotion, and Statesboro mayor Jan Moore announced a Declaration of Proclamation to commemorate the beginning of a new era in Georgia Southern history at the Fall Coaches Luncheon Thursday afternoon at The Hall by 40 East Grill.
About 150 local businessmen, businesswomen and Eagle fans were on hand at the luncheon, sponsored by Georgia Southern Athletics, the Statesboro Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the city of Statesboro.
Joining Moore at the podium were Dr. Darin Van Tassell, associate professor and former assistant baseball coach at Georgia Southern, Georgia Southern President Dr. Brooks Keel, men's soccer coach Kevin Kennedy, volleyball coach Dustin Wood, football coach Willie Fritz, Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein and associate director of athletics for external affairs Gleen Hart.
Following lunch, Moore led things off with a Proclamation declaring August 14, 2014, "the beginning of a new era in Georgia Southern athletics." She also remarked that she feels a sense of energy and anticipation around town much like the early 1980s when Georgia Southern restarted its football program.
"I feel strongly we are about to see a phase of development and growth like we experienced in the early 80s, and to be a part of that is tremendous," Moore said.
Keel noted many of the positive developments for the Georgia Southern football program in the last nine months – the win over Florida, renovations to Paulson Stadium, officially joining the Sun Belt Conference and the opening of the Football Operations Center.
"When I look back at the things all of us in this room have contributed to and made possible in a relatively short period of time, it's staggering," said Keel. "And we're just getting started."
He ended his remarks by thanking those in attendance and saying, "It's because we have a great community that we have a great university. We could not do it without you, and we will not be able to accomplish our expectations and our goals without you."
Fritz told the crowd that he invited people who were instrumental in the history of Georgia Southern football to speak to the current team in preseason camp. Former Athletic Director Bucky Wagner told the team about the excitement surrounding the university and community in the 1980s when Georgia Southern brought football back and said he feels that same sense of anticipation again with the Eagles' move to FBS and the Sun Belt.
"Even though I wasn't here back then with Coach Russell, I feel it as well," said Fritz. "It's a new chapter in the history of Georgia Southern football, and we're very excited to get it started."
Kleinlein talked about the spotlight that will be on Georgia Southern and the community because of FBS football and capped the luncheon by laying out his vision for Georgia Southern and the city of Statesboro.
"In the near future, can we get 60,000 or 70,000 people here on a Saturday to come watch us play? Can we get people talking about Statesboro like they talk about Ann Arbor, Michigan?" he said. "It can happen. It happens when the university and community step up and work together."
Hart rolled out Georgia Southern's Paint the Town Blue promotion, announcing a competition encouraging local businesses to decorate their store fronts to show their True Blue spirit. There will be a True Blue Tailgate downtown from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, as the Eagles play their 2014 home opener Saturday, Sept. 6. Winners of the competition will be announced at halftime of the game, and a photo album of the Paint the Town Blue events will be released on the Georgia Southern Athletics FaceBook page.
"We are very appreciative of the Statesboro Visitors Bureau and 40 East Grill for their support of Georgia Southern Athletics and the Paint the Town Blue Promotion," said Hart. "Today's luncheon was a great event and kick off to the upcoming football season."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern athletics kicked off its Paint the Town Blue Promotion, and Statesboro mayor Jan Moore announced a Declaration of Proclamation to commemorate the beginning of a new era in Georgia Southern history at the Fall Coaches Luncheon Thursday afternoon at The Hall by 40 East Grill.
About 150 local businessmen, businesswomen and Eagle fans were on hand at the luncheon, sponsored by Georgia Southern Athletics, the Statesboro Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the city of Statesboro.
Joining Moore at the podium were Dr. Darin Van Tassell, associate professor and former assistant baseball coach at Georgia Southern, Georgia Southern President Dr. Brooks Keel, men's soccer coach Kevin Kennedy, volleyball coach Dustin Wood, football coach Willie Fritz, Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein and associate director of athletics for external affairs Gleen Hart.
Following lunch, Moore led things off with a Proclamation declaring August 14, 2014, "the beginning of a new era in Georgia Southern athletics." She also remarked that she feels a sense of energy and anticipation around town much like the early 1980s when Georgia Southern restarted its football program.
"I feel strongly we are about to see a phase of development and growth like we experienced in the early 80s, and to be a part of that is tremendous," Moore said.
Keel noted many of the positive developments for the Georgia Southern football program in the last nine months – the win over Florida, renovations to Paulson Stadium, officially joining the Sun Belt Conference and the opening of the Football Operations Center.
"When I look back at the things all of us in this room have contributed to and made possible in a relatively short period of time, it's staggering," said Keel. "And we're just getting started."
He ended his remarks by thanking those in attendance and saying, "It's because we have a great community that we have a great university. We could not do it without you, and we will not be able to accomplish our expectations and our goals without you."
Fritz told the crowd that he invited people who were instrumental in the history of Georgia Southern football to speak to the current team in preseason camp. Former Athletic Director Bucky Wagner told the team about the excitement surrounding the university and community in the 1980s when Georgia Southern brought football back and said he feels that same sense of anticipation again with the Eagles' move to FBS and the Sun Belt.
"Even though I wasn't here back then with Coach Russell, I feel it as well," said Fritz. "It's a new chapter in the history of Georgia Southern football, and we're very excited to get it started."
Kleinlein talked about the spotlight that will be on Georgia Southern and the community because of FBS football and capped the luncheon by laying out his vision for Georgia Southern and the city of Statesboro.
"In the near future, can we get 60,000 or 70,000 people here on a Saturday to come watch us play? Can we get people talking about Statesboro like they talk about Ann Arbor, Michigan?" he said. "It can happen. It happens when the university and community step up and work together."
Hart rolled out Georgia Southern's Paint the Town Blue promotion, announcing a competition encouraging local businesses to decorate their store fronts to show their True Blue spirit. There will be a True Blue Tailgate downtown from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, as the Eagles play their 2014 home opener Saturday, Sept. 6. Winners of the competition will be announced at halftime of the game, and a photo album of the Paint the Town Blue events will be released on the Georgia Southern Athletics FaceBook page.
"We are very appreciative of the Statesboro Visitors Bureau and 40 East Grill for their support of Georgia Southern Athletics and the Paint the Town Blue Promotion," said Hart. "Today's luncheon was a great event and kick off to the upcoming football season."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
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