STATESBORO - Early in 1981, the decision to begin a football program at Georgia Southern had been finalized with an exciting, but unsure future ahead.
A mid-spring day in 1981 changed all that, when Erskine "Erk" Russell called college President Dale Lick from a payphone to let him know that he would come to Statesboro. Conversations had taken place on numerous occasions, but Russell had a lot to think about. He was comfortable in Athens, about to begin his 18th season as the defensive coordinator at Georgia, but he was looking for a new challenge.
On May 23, 1981, with more than 500 fans and members of the media gathered in Hanner Fieldhouse, Georgia Southern Football announced its new head coach and Russell put the Eagles on course to become one of the elite teams in its division.
Now, some 36 years later, when you think of Georgia Southern football, you think of the name Erk Russell. When you think of Erk Russell, you think of Georgia Southern football.
His spirit lives on across the Georgia Southern campus. His vision of what could be continues to inspire the university today, as do the morals and ethics he instilled in his players and his positive impact on the community. His motto of "Do Right" are words that will be ever linked to his legacy.
When Georgia Southern brought football back in 1981 it looked to Russell, long-time defensive coordinator at Georgia. He created the program from scratch and retired with three national title and an 83-22-1 record in seven seasons.
It is only fitting that in 2017, the Georgia Southern Eagles are going back to their roots, celebrating Russell and his contributions to the program, by wearing the "Erk Russell Classic" alternate uniforms designed and created to honor his spirit and memory.
The helmets the Eagles will be wearing will feature a script "Eagles" on one side just like on the shirt he made famous and the bumper on the front of the helmet will simply say "ERK."
The jerseys and pants will be grey and the entire uniform combination has several homages to Russell and the history of Georgia Southern Athletics, including:
• the stripes going down the sides to represent the three national championships won under Russell;
• the stripes also symbolize Beautiful Eagle Creek, which Russell turned into a treasure among Eagle Nation;
• the middle stripe is gold to signify the rich history of Georgia Southern football and the unprecedented six NCAA I-AA national titles;
• the script "Eagles" on the jersey and helmet;
• the stripes on the sides of the pants stop at the thighs before reaching the bottom of the pants, representing the athletic department's current motto of "Continue the Journey" as it has made the move to the FBS and the Sun Belt Conference.
Georgia Southern will wear these uniforms for the New Mexico State Homecoming game on Oct. 14. With these uniforms, the Eagles will honor the Father of Georgia Southern Football just "One More Time," hoping to pay homage to the legend who started the great tradition of Eagle Football.
Here's a look at a few photos of the uniform:
