Photo by: Frank Fortune - Georgia Southern Athletics
Throwback Thursday – The Beginning of a New Era
8/28/2014 10:34:00 PM | Football
Another first on Saturday brings the Eagles to the highest level of competition
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There were some black dirt fields where the new Georgia Southern Football team practiced.
There was a high school football field in Dublin where the Eagles and their fans made their first road trip.
There were trips to Jacksonville and Savannah to see "their" team play in their first season in 1982.
Seeing the Eagles step onto the field, for practice, for a scrimmage, for a game, was the culmination of a dream, what some considered a risky idea at best, and hard, hard work.
While it was the end of a process, at the same time, it was just the beginning.
On September 11th, the Eagles stepped onto the field at the Gator Bowl for that first game and picked up their first program win over Central Florida.
Two weeks later, in late September, a frenzied crowd packed into Statesboro High School's Womack Field to cheer on Georgia Southern in a "home" game.
It was a first. It was a first in a long time, 41 years to be exact, since a team from "The College" played a football game in Statesboro.
It was the start of a new era.
Another new era starts on Saturday when the Eagles kick off against N.C. State. It's likely some of the details of Georgia Southern's first game in the FBS and as a member of the Sun Belt Conference will fade over time, but not the significance of how far the program has come.
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