1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football team

1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football
NAIA Division I national champion SAC co-champion
NAIA Division I Championship Game, W 17–10 vs. Northeastern State
Conference	South Atlantic Conference
Record	13–1 (6–1 SAC)
Head coach	Jerry Tolley (4th season)
Seasons ← 1979 1981  →

1980 South Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Elon +^	6	–	1	–	0			13	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Mars Hill +^	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	1
Carson–Newman	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Presbyterian	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Lenoir–Rhyne	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Newberry	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Gardner–Webb	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Catawba	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

The 1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football team was an American football team that represented Elon University of Elon, North Carolina, as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1980 NAIA Division I football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jerry Tolley, the Christians compiled a 13–1 record (6–1 against SAC opponents) and tied for the SAC championship. ^[1]

The team lost the second game of the season at Mars Hill, but then won the remaining 12 games of the season. ^[1] The team advanced to the NAIA Division I playoffs, defeating Concord (17–14) in the quarterfinals, ^[2] East Texas State (14–6) in the semifinals, ^[3] and Northeastern State (17–10) in the national championship game. ^[4]

Running back Bobby Hedrick rushed for 1,394 yards in the regular season ^[5] – 1,793 yards with three post-season games included. He set Elon's all-time rushing record with 5,603 rushing yards in four years. ^[6] He was also a first-team pick on the 1980 Little All-America college football team.

Tight end Joey Hackett went on to play in the NFL. ^[7] John Bangley was the quarterback. ^[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Winston-Salem State *	Winston-Salem, NC	W 27–22
September 13	at Mars Hill	Mars Hill, NC	L 11–23
September 20	Delta State	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 24–21
September 27	at North Carolina Central *	Durham, NC	W 23–14
October 11	Norfolk State *	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 65–26
October 18	Presbyterian	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 28–26
October 25	at Catawba	Salisbury, NC	W 14–10
November 1	at Gardner–Webb	Boiling Springs, NC	W 37–3	2,000
November 8	Newberry	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 31–0
November 15	at Lenoir–Rhyne	Hickory, NC	W 27–12
November 22	Carson–Newman	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 38–12
December 6	at Concord *	Bluefield, WV	W 17–14	4,000	[2]
December 13	at East Texas State *	Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	W 14–6	2,578	[3]
December 20	Northeastern State *	Burlington Memorial Football Stadium Burlington, NC	W 17–10	6,128	[4]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Elon Year-by-Year vs. Opponents". Elon University. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
2. "Hedrick's Score Helps Elon Slip By Concord". The Charlotte Observer. December 7, 1980. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Defensive Effort Keys Elon Victory". The Charlotte Observer. December 14, 1980. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
4. David Scott (December 21, 1980). "Tootoo Helps Crown Elon NAIA Champ". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
5. David Scott (November 28, 1980). "Hedrick's Accomplishments Sound Like Broken Records". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B – via Newspapers.com.
6. David Scott (December 21, 1980). "The Elon Powerhouse". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9D – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Joey Hackett". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
8. Tom Knott (December 19, 1980). "Bangley Trying To March Elon To NAIA Crown". Daily Press. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Elon University film on the 1980-81 seasons