September 8, 2009: Three Years As It Had Suffered Seven Losing Ago, the University of Georgia Seasons the Previous Nine Years
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INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL RESEARCHERS ASSOCIATION ™ The College Football Historian ™ Reliving College Football History Today! ISSN: 1526-233x Vol. 2 No. 8 Established: Jan. 2008 Tex Noel, Editor ([email protected] ) http://www.secsportsfan.com/college-football-association.html He Turned Lemons Into four-sport lettermen. Following a few coaching positions, Erk Lemonade arrived with new head coach Vince Dooley at Georgia in 1964 By Patrick Garbin to coordinate the Bulldogs’ defense. The Georgia football program needed to be revitalized September 8, 2009: Three years as it had suffered seven losing ago, the University of Georgia seasons the previous nine years. football program lost one of its greatest Bulldogs of all time. Through the 1980 season with Russell as a major contributor, Erskine “Erk” Russell was UGA football was turned into one Georgia’s defensive coordinator of the better programs in the for 17 seasons and, during this country. Erk then went off on his time, became one of the most own to small, Division III Georgia highly-regarded and renowned Southern College where he assistant coaches in the game. helped elevate a second football program to national prominence. In the late 1970s, I actually met Erk once, sort of, when I was just In the 17 seasons and 192 games a few years old. His wife was a while at Georgia, Erk’s defenses friend of my mother’s and the held more than 43 percent of the Russell’s were invited to our opposition to 10 points or less, house for dinner. Even today, including 26 shutouts. The my father often reminds me how Bulldogs also finished in the lucky I was to sit in the lap of the nation’s top 10 in scoring defense great Coach Russell. in five seasons. Russell’s defenses were normally not all While in college, Russell earned that physically talented but were 10 letters at Auburn University extremely emotional and and still remains the school’s last aggressive. His “Junkyard Dogs” The College Football Historian-2- was not until mid-November, although asked to attend, Erk defensive unit of 1975 and thought it would be better if he “Runts” of 1976 were small in did not make an appearance at stature but gritty and determined Georgia’s first game versus and strained their full potential Tennessee in Athens. The bald to help Georgia win 19 of 22 Russell was tempted, however, regular-season games. and joked he might go to the game in disguise if he “could Foremost, Erk was a master at wear a toupee.” communicating with and motivating his players. He As the Bulldogs began the 1981 devised Georgia’s big “TEAM” season by allowing only 225 little “me” t-shirts, proclaiming yards per game and three the team is always bigger and touchdowns through the first five more important than an contests, Georgia’s defense individual player. His shaven, seemed as dominant as it had bald head was often bleeding, while under the guidance of Erk. since he frequently rammed it against the helmets of players A newspaper reported that during pre-game drills to although Russell was physically motivate them for the game at absent from the Dogs, he surely hand. Russell was “like an had a “vicarious presence” with institution,” according to ABC-TV the ’81 defense. New defensive color analyst Lee Grosscup in coordinator Bill Lewis was 1981. “I kind of miss him along speaking almost weekly to the sidelines with that bald head Russell and asking his advice. of his that was always bloodied.” “He’s a true authority on our His last game at Georgia was a defense,” said Lewis. “As far as 17-10 win over Notre Dame in I’m concerned, he wrote the book the 1981 Sugar Bowl for the on the Split 60 defense (Georgia’s national championship. In the defensive formation).” spring of 1981, he accepted the head coaching position at Head coach Erk Russell’s first Georgia Southern College (later game in 1981 was against Florida Georgia Southern University) in State’s junior varsity. Since it Statesboro. With it he acquired was a lower division football an inactive football program that program, Georgia Southern could had not fielded a team since not grant football scholarships. 1941. Erk had left the Bulldogs Florida State’s JV, on the other to pursue and tackle a much hand, had several scholarship bigger challenge. players. Erk’s squad surprisingly led late in the game until Florida Although Georgia Southern’s State scored two touchdowns in exhibition season opener of 1981 the final 90 seconds to win, 30- The College Football Historian-3- seasons, winning three. Most significantly, he took a once lifeless football program and built 20. After the loss, Russell was it into excellence, an achievement not satisfied with the moral similar to what Erk assisted with victory and declared, “I hope our at Georgia a quarter-century people don’t ever feel good about prior to his retirement in 1989. losing.” On September 8, 2006, Erk While Erk coached Georgia Russell passed away in Southern, the “people” likely Statesboro at the age of 80. A day never felt good about losing later, in honor of Russell, Georgia because they rarely had to players wore a black “ERK” decal endure defeat. The Eagles moved on the back of their helmets to Division II in 1983 and then against South Carolina in onto Division I-AA the following Columbia. Georgia paid a fitting season. In only its fourth season tribute to Russell by shutting out of football after four decades of the Gamecocks 18-0, reminiscent being dormant, Georgia Southern of Erk’s “Junkyard Dogs” of three won the national title in 1985. decades before. It was Georgia’s first shutout over a conference For an encore to the opponent on the road since 1980, championship season, Erk’s Erk’s final season at the Eagles won their second University of Georgia. consecutive national championship in 1986. Following It was in 1980 when a newspaper a 9-4 campaign in 1987, Georgia article mentioned Erk had the Southern won 12 games in 1988 following motto on his office’s and made another appearance in bulletin board—one certainly the national title game, losing to suited for the coach and likely Furman. In Erk Russell’s final had been posted for years: “If life year in 1989, the Eagles recorded deals you lemons, turn it into a perfect 15-0 record, including a lemonade.” I like to think I’ll get defeat of Stephen F. Austin 37-34 to see Coach Russell again in for a third national person one day. If so, I’d asked if championship in only five he is aware of the great number seasons. Four days following the of football fans astonished how title win, Erk decided to retire at he often turned hindered and the age of 63. undersized players to over- achieving, spirited, and In just eight seasons as Georgia determined all-stars. Southern’s head coach, Russell compiled an 83-22-1 (.788) Understanding what I know overall record and made four about Erk Russell, he would trips to the Division I-AA national probably respond with one of his title game in his final five The College Football Historian-4- R.I.P., ERK. acclaimed quips, like “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Part of this article is a revised feature from Garbin’s book About Them Dawgs! (Scarecrow Press—2008). For more information on Garbin’s books and writing, please visit the author’s website at www.patrickgarbin.com and his blog at www.patrickgarbin.blogspot.com. * * * A Backward Glance at the Wooster game, and depending on Livy's ability to listen to his players, Forward Pass: the Denison eleven adapted Giving Credit Where marvelously to the new rules and Credit is DU! went on to an outstanding remainder of their 1912 football © Anthony J. Lisska season. This Denison team had several sophomores who jelled in the Denison University next two years to produce the Granville Historical Society famous 1914 Ohio Conference Championship football team. Used by permission The Big Red Adapt to the New The Denison University Marching Passing Rules Band, circa 1913 Livy had watched Dave Reese's all-round athletic under Livy did was get its own copy ability when he played for Doane of the new rulebook. With this new Academy [then the preparatory strategic possibility, the passing school at Denison expertise of halfback Roudebush University]. Thinking that a blossomed. basketball player should be a good man to catch passes, Livy devised a Roudebush himself noted that shift so that Dave, our center, while Denison "scored 19 points in our still centering the ball, was at one first three games. In the next five, end of the line and thus was eligible we scored almost 200! "The passing to receive passes. In the case of strategy had begun in earnest. Black, a tackle, the problem was easier; Roudebush remarked that the to become an eligible pass receiver, football was "fatter" in 1912 than it all he had to do was to line up is today and hence it was outside his end. Observing the possibility of deftly using the forward pass at the The College Football Historian-5- Virginia University 6. The passing arm of George Roudebush carried the day—and the season—for the difficult to handle. Many players Big Red of little Denison University entrusted to pass the football would in try to "palm it in the middle. Granville, Ohio. "Roudebush, who also played baseball for the Big Red, drew upon Newspapers of the day provide skills that had been finely honed by factual accounts of the great ability throwing those stones and corncobs of Roudebush to be a forward passer from his early days on the farm in of distinction.