The Benko Briefing
1/11/2021 3:45:00 PM | General
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
Eagle Nation,
I pray this note finds you and your family safe and healthy as we move into a new calendar year.
I had a chance over the Christmas break to reflect back on 2020. Like many of you, it was the first time that I have had a chance to revisit all that had transpired over the previous 12 months. I know for me personally, 2020 was a year of change on several fronts (many of which were blessings). To sit here and say that any of us were fully prepared for a pandemic would be a gross overstatement. As I am sure many of you agree, true character is often revealed in the face of adversity. To that point, two things continuously come to mind during this period of reflection.
First, the resiliency of our student-athletes, coaches and staff cannot go unstated. When you think about the time management challenges that come along with being a student-athlete, coupled with the implementation of testing and changes associated with practice and competitions due to COVID-19, it is enough to make your head spin. Despite continued headwinds, our student-athletes set a record fall grade point average (GPA) of 3.07! We also asked our coaches and staff to not only strategize and solve problems on the fly but to do our best to ensure the safety and wellness of our student-athletes. I am really proud of our staff and coaches' efforts!
Secondly, you Eagle Nation … we are so very thankful and blessed to have the best fans and alumni in the nation! Several of my favorite memories of the past year involve many of you. Your continued support and generosity served as a catalyst for us to put our best foot forward through COVID-19. Thank you for your unwavering support!
I am really proud of how our football team played in our 38-3 win over Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl. Shai Werts' three rushing touchdowns on offense paired with four interceptions on defense propelled us to a convincing victory. Of note, we also ended Louisiana Tech's streak of six consecutive bowl victories, which was the longest active streak in college football. I would like to thank our fans who made the trip to New Orleans to support our team as well as the New Orleans Bowl Committee for its hospitality.
Since our last correspondence over a month ago, our men's and women's basketball teams have opened up conference play. This year the Sun Belt schedule calls for games on Friday and Saturday against the same opponent. This new format has challenged all teams in the league as student-athletes are playing two full games in less than 24 hours. Coaches Brian Burg and Anita Howard continue to lead rosters comprised of many newcomers and I am excited to see both teams' growth throughout the season. If you have not had a chance to join us in Hanner Fieldhouse this season, I hope to see you soon.
The spring semester also kicks-off and returns many of our teams to competitive play. Baseball and softball will see their first action of the year while all but football, men's soccer and women's soccer return to action. More information on various teams' schedules and on-site competitions will be forthcoming, but needless to say, it is going to be an exciting spring!
One of our important objectives for the third quarter of the academic year is to start a strategic planning process. Discussions are currently ongoing as to various timelines and committees for this critical exercise. The objective of this process is to populate a strategic plan for the next five years (2021-2026) that will serve as both our "north star" and as a reference point for evaluating our progress. We look forward to updating Eagle Nation on this exciting initiative.
From an external relations standpoint, we are planning to unveil some big updates for the Athletic Foundation in the next few weeks. One new initiative, in particular, will complement the Erk Russell Fund and provide another means for each of you to both donate and be recognized. We are also excited to announce that Eagle Club meetings are set to restart in March and will continue through May. While a full schedule will be released this spring, I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the process of bringing these important gatherings back together. Finally, as we look forward to starting the ticket renewal process for the 2021 football season, we are also discussing innovative ways to extend several new ticketing offerings/packages to each of you. Please be on the lookout for more football ticket information in the near future.
In closing, in order for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us:
Our Athletic Ticket Office is ready to assist you in purchasing tickets and can be reached at 1-800-GSU-WINS or via email at tickets@georgiasouthern.edu. For those wishing to donate, please go to Give.GSEagles.com.
Our best days are ahead and I look forward to an exciting 2021!
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics
I pray this note finds you and your family safe and healthy as we move into a new calendar year.
I had a chance over the Christmas break to reflect back on 2020. Like many of you, it was the first time that I have had a chance to revisit all that had transpired over the previous 12 months. I know for me personally, 2020 was a year of change on several fronts (many of which were blessings). To sit here and say that any of us were fully prepared for a pandemic would be a gross overstatement. As I am sure many of you agree, true character is often revealed in the face of adversity. To that point, two things continuously come to mind during this period of reflection.
First, the resiliency of our student-athletes, coaches and staff cannot go unstated. When you think about the time management challenges that come along with being a student-athlete, coupled with the implementation of testing and changes associated with practice and competitions due to COVID-19, it is enough to make your head spin. Despite continued headwinds, our student-athletes set a record fall grade point average (GPA) of 3.07! We also asked our coaches and staff to not only strategize and solve problems on the fly but to do our best to ensure the safety and wellness of our student-athletes. I am really proud of our staff and coaches' efforts!
Secondly, you Eagle Nation … we are so very thankful and blessed to have the best fans and alumni in the nation! Several of my favorite memories of the past year involve many of you. Your continued support and generosity served as a catalyst for us to put our best foot forward through COVID-19. Thank you for your unwavering support!
I am really proud of how our football team played in our 38-3 win over Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl. Shai Werts' three rushing touchdowns on offense paired with four interceptions on defense propelled us to a convincing victory. Of note, we also ended Louisiana Tech's streak of six consecutive bowl victories, which was the longest active streak in college football. I would like to thank our fans who made the trip to New Orleans to support our team as well as the New Orleans Bowl Committee for its hospitality.
Since our last correspondence over a month ago, our men's and women's basketball teams have opened up conference play. This year the Sun Belt schedule calls for games on Friday and Saturday against the same opponent. This new format has challenged all teams in the league as student-athletes are playing two full games in less than 24 hours. Coaches Brian Burg and Anita Howard continue to lead rosters comprised of many newcomers and I am excited to see both teams' growth throughout the season. If you have not had a chance to join us in Hanner Fieldhouse this season, I hope to see you soon.
The spring semester also kicks-off and returns many of our teams to competitive play. Baseball and softball will see their first action of the year while all but football, men's soccer and women's soccer return to action. More information on various teams' schedules and on-site competitions will be forthcoming, but needless to say, it is going to be an exciting spring!
One of our important objectives for the third quarter of the academic year is to start a strategic planning process. Discussions are currently ongoing as to various timelines and committees for this critical exercise. The objective of this process is to populate a strategic plan for the next five years (2021-2026) that will serve as both our "north star" and as a reference point for evaluating our progress. We look forward to updating Eagle Nation on this exciting initiative.
From an external relations standpoint, we are planning to unveil some big updates for the Athletic Foundation in the next few weeks. One new initiative, in particular, will complement the Erk Russell Fund and provide another means for each of you to both donate and be recognized. We are also excited to announce that Eagle Club meetings are set to restart in March and will continue through May. While a full schedule will be released this spring, I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the process of bringing these important gatherings back together. Finally, as we look forward to starting the ticket renewal process for the 2021 football season, we are also discussing innovative ways to extend several new ticketing offerings/packages to each of you. Please be on the lookout for more football ticket information in the near future.
In closing, in order for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us:
- Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
- Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
- Get others to do the same!
Our Athletic Ticket Office is ready to assist you in purchasing tickets and can be reached at 1-800-GSU-WINS or via email at tickets@georgiasouthern.edu. For those wishing to donate, please go to Give.GSEagles.com.
Our best days are ahead and I look forward to an exciting 2021!
Hail Southern! GATA!
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics
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