STATESBORO – Well over 100 Lady Eagles participated in the fifth annual Women's Football Clinic presented by International Diamond Center Friday for an evening packed with prizes, tours and drills.
"The 2019 GS Football Women's Clinic definitely went from Good To Great," said head coach Chad Lunsford. "Dan Adams and his marketing crew, along with our director of football operations Sean Fitzgerald put together a great plan that really emphasized Georgia Southern Football to our Goergia Southern Women. The two highlights of the night was the surprise guest Speaker Doc Spurgeon, who connected the past with the future. The second was the historic yellow bus ride for the ladies. It was an epic night to lead us into the 2019 season. The only thing better than a GS Man is a GS Woman!"
Participants began arriving at 5 p.m. at the Bishop Field House for food and refreshments. Among the prizes were prize packs, gift cards, gift baskets, assorted gifts and more. After check-in the ladies enjoyed some food and an open bar before Danny Reed and Head coach Chad Lunsford welcomed the group to get things started. Coach Lunsford introduced each member of his staff, who in turn introduced their wives and also gave an overview of the upcoming 2019 season.
New equipment director Leo Roberts IV detailed the equipment side of things, complete with a fashion show that is always a hit with the women. Roberts IV went over the cost of each piece of equipment, looking at over $1,800 spent per player, and more than $206,000 for the entire team with game day and workout clothing. Several players modeled the travel gear, home and away uniforms and practice gear for the room.
With introductions complete, the ladies were split into two teams based on their blue or white jerseys and headed over to the Ted Smith Football Center. As one team met with Strength & Conditioning coach
Matt Greenhalgh in the weight room, the others met with Coach
Bob DeBesse and Scott Sloan and other staff members to go over the X's and O's of the team.
Once the team in the weight room was finished, the squad moved to the training room to meet with head athletic trainer
Brandy Clouse. In the training room they learned about the $5,000 equipment that is stationed in between each of the training tables.
Before heading out to the field, both teams headed to the locker room to meet with Coach Lunsford. While in the locker room, Lunsford cued the crowd to a G-A-T-A chant, did a chair slam and elbow drop and then rushed out of the locker room to the field for the final events.
For the final event before the door prizes were handed out, the group of ladies participated in on field drills. The drills included tackling dummies, passing into a net, running back hurdle drills and kicking field goals. Players and coaches helped out to assist the women with each of their drills and enhance the experience.
The event ended with a few surprises as Lunsford introduced Dr. Patrick "Doc" Spurgeon to the group who was on the original coaching staff and still serves as a mentor to Coach Lunsford and the specialists. Spurgeon was a full-time English Literature professor and one of the first assistant coaches hired by Erk Russell. He coached with Erk throughout his tenure as well as a year to help with transition to Coach Tim Stowers. Spurgeon coached kickers and punters and acted as lead scout for Coach Russell for four of Georgia Southern's six National Championships. He joined the staff at Youngstown State, where he won four more National Championships under coach Jim Tressel. He then served as a volunteer coach under Tressel at Ohio State when the Buckeyes won a National Championship, giving him nine during his collegiate coaching career. He was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
After Spurgeon wrapped up his speech, the ladies were the ushered outside to take a surprise lap in the Yellow School Buses, a tradition usually only reserved for the players!
Georgia Southern reports for preseason camp on Thursday, Aug. 1 and begins practice the next day. A full practice schedule for the preseason will be released Monday morning on
GSEagles.com.
Gallery: (7/26/2019) Women's Football Clinic 2019
