PROGRAM HISTORY EAGLE FOOTBALL HISTORY 1908 December 17, 1988 First District Agricultural & Mechanical School founded with four faculty members and 15 students. Georgia Southern makes its third NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game appearance, falling to Furman 17-12 in Pocatello, Idaho. 1924 The school’s name is changed to Georgia Normal School as a training ground for educators. February 23, 1989 EAGLES GATA EAGLES The NCAA awards Georgia Southern, Statesboro and Savannah the rights to host the NCAA Division I-AA 1924 National Championship Game for a three-year period (1989, 1990, 1991) at Paulson Stadium. First football team at Georgia Normal School under the direction of E.G. Cromartie. September 13, 1989 1929 The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia votes to change the name of Georgia Southern The school’s name is changed to South Georgia Teacher’s College. College to Georgia Southern University. 1939 September 21, 1989 2016 SEASON The school’s name is changed to Georgia Teacher’s College. Georgia Southern defeats arch rival Middle Tennessee St. 26-0 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. The game, played only 180 miles from the eye of Category 4 Hurricane Hugo, was also the first night game 1941 at Paulson Stadium. For safety, an open phone-line existed from the Paulson Stadium press box to the Shortly after the final game of the 1941 season, the United States becomes involved in World War II and all National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida, where updated reports were continuously fed to game sports are discontinued. officials. 1959 December 16, 1989 The school’s name is changed to Georgia Southern College. NCAA I-AA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Georgia Southern captures its third NCAA Division I-AA National Championship in five years with a 37-34 February, 1980 win over Stephen F. Austin. A record crowd of 25,725 saw the Eagles score the game’s final 10 points in the COACHING STAFF COACHING Georgia Southern College President Dale Lick establishes a community-wide committee to report on win to cap a 15-0 season. “Football at Georgia Southern, A Feasibility Study.” December 20, 1989 January 21, 1981 Head coach Erk Russell announces his retirement from coaching. He follows by accepting a promotion to Committee makes final report that football is feasible at Georgia Southern, and recommends it be started. Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations. Tim Stowers is named the next head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles. April 9, 1981 Dr. Dale Lick announces that Georgia Southern will begin an intercollegiate football program in the fall of July 1, 1990 1981 with the first game scheduled for the fall of 1982. Georgia Southern officially receives University status and the name is changed for a fifth time. MEET THE EAGLES May 23, 1981 September 22, 1990 Georgia Southern announces the hiring of Erskine (Erk) Russell as head coach. Georgia Southern’s record 38-game home winning streak comes to an end as Eastern Kentucky drops the Eagles 42-34 in Paulson Stadium. The loss is just the second for the Eagles inside “the friendly confines.” July 1, 1981 Russell assumes his duties as head coach. December 15, 1990 NCAA I-AA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS September 28, 1981 Georgia Southern wins its fourth National Championship with a 36-13 victory over Nevada at Paulson Football practice begins at Georgia Southern for the first time in 40 years with 126 players, all walk-ons. Stadium. Raymond Gross rushed for 145 yards while the defense made a crucial goalline stand early in the STUDENT SERVICES third quarter en route to the win. October 31, 1981 Football intrasquad scrimmage is played in Dublin, Georgia, at the Shamrock Bowl. September 11, 1993 No. 8 Georgia Southern posts a 16-6 victory over No. 24 The Citadel in its inaugural Southern Conference January 30, 1982 game. A crowd of 12,921 witnessed the excitement of a new era in Eagle Football. Stadium site on the southwest quarter of campus is announced. November 21, 1993 September 11, 1982 Georgia Southern becomes the 11th school in Division I history to win a conference championship in its first 2015 REVIEW FOOTBALL RETURNS TO GEORGIA SOUTHERN season of membership when it defeated East Tennessee St., 31-24, in Johnson City. With the title comes Eagles play Central Florida in Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl, taking a 16-9 win over the Knights in front of 7,350 an automatic bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs (the first automatic bid for Georgia Southern), where the top- fans. seeded advance to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Youngstown St. September 25, 1982 April 1, 1996 First collegiate football game in Statesboro in 41 years as the Eagles face Valdosta State at Statesboro High Assistant Athletics Director Frank Ellwood named Interim Head Coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles School. The teams played to a 27-27 tie, the only tie in program history. following the dismissal of Tim Stowers by athletics director Sam Baker. Stowers had a 53-23 overall record in six seasons including the 1990 I-AA National Championship. Ellwood previously served as head coach RECORDS September 1, 1984 at Marshall University from 1975-78 and was an assistant at Ohio State, Ohio University and the Air Force Georgia Southern plays its first game as a member of the NCAA Division I-AA, beating Florida A&M 14-0 in Academy. Savannah. November 14, 1996 September 19, 1984 Georgia Southern hires former assistant coach and then-Navy offensive coordinator Paul Johnson as the Georgia Southern opens Allen E. Paulson Stadium with a 48-11 win over Liberty. program’s fourth head coach in the modern era. He proceeds to post a 62-10 record and wins two national championships. October 5, 1985 HISTORY Georgia Southern rebounds from a Paulson Stadium loss to Middle Tennessee St. three weeks earlier with a September 27, 1997 34-0 drubbing of Tennessee Tech. The win initiates a streak of 38-straight home wins to set an FCS Record. Georgia Southern bounces back from a Paulson Stadium loss to No. 2 William & Mary three weeks earlier with a 37-10 win over Chattanooga. The win starts a run of 39 consecutive home wins. December 21, 1985 NCAA I-AA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS November 8, 1997 Georgia Southern defeats Furman 44-42 in Tacoma, Washington, behind 419 yards passing from Tracy Ham. The Eagles return to national prominence and the I-AA playoffs under the direction of first-year head coach A 13-yard pass from Ham to Frank Johnson with 10 seconds remaining gives the Eagles’ the win. Paul Johnson. Georgia Southern captures its second Southern Conference title by defeating Furman 30-13 in front of 18,269 fans at Paulson Stadium - the largest crowd to watch Eagle Football in Statesboro since Nov. December 19, 1986 16, 1991 (a span of 39 home games). Johnson became only the second SoCon Coach to that point to win a NCAA I-AA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS league title in his first season. Georgia Southern defeats Arkansas State 48-21 to win the program’s second-straight national UNIVERSITY/MEDIA championship. Ham threw for 306 yards and ran for 180 and three touchdowns as the Eagles became the first team in I-AA history to repeat as champions. 146 GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES FOOTBALL 2015 GODADDY BOWL CHAMPIONS EAGLE FOOTBALL HISTORY October 17, 1998 November 21, 2009 In front of a Paulson Stadium crowd of 20,353, Georgia Southern’s largest since the 1990 I-AA National Just an hour after taking a 13-6 win over The Citadel to close the 2009 season, the local media was GATA EAGLES Championship Game win over Nevada, the Eagles defeat Appalachian St. 37-24 and subsequently move to summoned back to Bishop Field House by Athletics Director Sam Baker. Hatcher was dismissed as head first place both The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today polls. coach following just the third losing season in program history. November 7, 1998 November 29, 2009 The Eagles’ 45-17 rout of Furman in Greenville earns Georgia Southern its second-consecutive Southern Former Georgia Southern assistant and then-Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Jeff Monken named the Conference Championship. Georgia Southern was just the third team in the 1990s to post a perfect 8-0 seventh head coach in the modern era of Georgia Southern football. league record. November 6, 2010 2016 SEASON December 19, 1998 Eagles upset No. 1-ranked Appalachian State 21-14 at Paulson Stadium to close the regular season with Georgia Southern makes its sixth NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game appearance, falling to three-straight win and earn the program’s first playoff appearance since 2005. Massachusetts 55-43 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. September 12, 2011 November 6, 1999 Georgia Southern returns to the top spot in the FCS polls following a 62-21 win over Tusculum. The Eagles Georgia Southern records its 100th win in Paulson Stadium in just its 111th game at the 15-year old facility earned the No. 1 ranking for the first time since October 2001. with a thrilling 41-38 win over Southern Conference rival Furman. November 23, 2013 COACHING STAFF COACHING December 6, 1999 In the Eagles’ final game as a member of the FCS, Georgia Southern takes a 26-20 win over Florida in front of Sophomore fullback Adrian Peterson becomes the first Georgia Southern player to earn the Walter Payton 82,459 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It was the Eagles’ first win over an FBS opponent. Award, the honor recognizing him as the most outstanding I-AA player in the nation.