Coach Willie Fritz talks about the upcoming season.
Georgia Southern Kicks off Paint the Town Blue with a Luncheon
8/18/2015 4:46:00 PM | Football
The season starts Sept. 5 at West Virginia, and the home opener is Sept. 12 vs. Western Michigan
Photo gallery | Paint the Town Blue Activities
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern athletics and the Statesboro Convention and Visitor's Bureau kicked off the second Paint the Town Blue Week with a luncheon at Bishop Field House Tuesday afternoon.
Over 150 local businessmen, businesswomen and Eagle fans were on hand at the luncheon. Statesboro mayor Jan Moore, Georgia Southern Interim President Dr. Jean Bartels, Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein and football coach Willie Fritz were among the speakers, each of whom spoke briefly about the tie between the University and the community and the upcoming football season.
Following lunch, Moore led things off by talking about how proud she was of the business community for supporting the first Paint the Town Blue Week last year.
"It was a wonderful event, and I want everybody who comes to Statesboro and Bulloch County to know when they drive in the city limits of Statesboro, if not before, that they are in the home of Georgia Southern University," she said.
Dr. Bartels talked about the history and tradition of Georgia Southern University and the football program, borrowing a famous quote from legendary coach Erk Russell when talking about the upcoming football season.
"This is a year for us to do it 'One More Time,' and we'll do it in style and with character, and it will be our gift back to the community for all the wonderful things you bring to us and our students," she said.
Fritz recapped the Eagles' inaugural FBS season, noting his three favorite three moments of the memorable campaign – the two games in Atlanta with a loud and proud Eagle Nation crowd and coming out of the locker room 20 minutes after the final horn of the ULM game to find 8,000-plus still on Glenn Bryant Field awaiting a trophy presentation.
"That was very impressive and a memory I'll cherish for the rest of my life," he said.
He also looked ahead to the 2015 season and the future of Georgia Southern football.
"Last season, we had the toughest schedule, by far, in the history of Georgia Southern football, and the 2015 schedule is going to trump that," said Fritz. "These are the type of schedules we're going to have from here on out. Our goal is to be a perennial top-25 football program. We want to do a great job this season and take another step in the right direction."
Kleinlein recapped the achievements of the entire athletic department in the 2014-15 academic year and talked about the role of the athletic department.
"At the end of the day, it's about producing young people with a quality education who can walk back into their communities and be leaders," said Kleinlein. "And when they go back in the community, and they are leaders and doing the things we trained them to do, they become walking billboards for this institution."
Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Experience Gleen Hart capped the luncheon by explaining all the promotions involved in Paint the Town Blue Week.
Paint the Town Blue starts on Sept. 1 with the True Blue Spirit Competition and goes through the first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 12. The week-long event is designed to get all of Statesboro involved in the celebration of the beginning of the 2015 football season and for businesses and campus departments and members of the community to show their support of Georgia Southern University.
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 and the Statesboro Convention and Visitor's Bureau kicked off the second Paint the Town Blue Week with a luncheon at Bishop Field House Tuesday afternoon.
Over 150 local businessmen, businesswomen and Eagle fans were on hand at the luncheon. Statesboro mayor Jan Moore, Georgia Southern Interim President Dr. Jean Bartels, Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein and football coach Willie Fritz were among the speakers, each of whom spoke briefly about the tie between the University and the community and the upcoming football season.
Following lunch, Moore led things off by talking about how proud she was of the business community for supporting the first Paint the Town Blue Week last year.
"It was a wonderful event, and I want everybody who comes to Statesboro and Bulloch County to know when they drive in the city limits of Statesboro, if not before, that they are in the home of Georgia Southern University," she said.
Dr. Bartels talked about the history and tradition of Georgia Southern University and the football program, borrowing a famous quote from legendary coach Erk Russell when talking about the upcoming football season.
"This is a year for us to do it 'One More Time,' and we'll do it in style and with character, and it will be our gift back to the community for all the wonderful things you bring to us and our students," she said.
Fritz recapped the Eagles' inaugural FBS season, noting his three favorite three moments of the memorable campaign – the two games in Atlanta with a loud and proud Eagle Nation crowd and coming out of the locker room 20 minutes after the final horn of the ULM game to find 8,000-plus still on Glenn Bryant Field awaiting a trophy presentation.
"That was very impressive and a memory I'll cherish for the rest of my life," he said.
He also looked ahead to the 2015 season and the future of Georgia Southern football.
"Last season, we had the toughest schedule, by far, in the history of Georgia Southern football, and the 2015 schedule is going to trump that," said Fritz. "These are the type of schedules we're going to have from here on out. Our goal is to be a perennial top-25 football program. We want to do a great job this season and take another step in the right direction."
Kleinlein recapped the achievements of the entire athletic department in the 2014-15 academic year and talked about the role of the athletic department.
"At the end of the day, it's about producing young people with a quality education who can walk back into their communities and be leaders," said Kleinlein. "And when they go back in the community, and they are leaders and doing the things we trained them to do, they become walking billboards for this institution."
Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Experience Gleen Hart capped the luncheon by explaining all the promotions involved in Paint the Town Blue Week.
Paint the Town Blue starts on Sept. 1 with the True Blue Spirit Competition and goes through the first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 12. The week-long event is designed to get all of Statesboro involved in the celebration of the beginning of the 2015 football season and for businesses and campus departments and members of the community to show their support of Georgia Southern University.
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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