1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Last updated

1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
ConferenceIndependent
Record13–2
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Paul Johnson (1st season)
Home stadium Paulson Stadium
(capacity: 18,000)
Seasons
  1984
1986  
1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^   13 2 0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^   9 3 0
No. 18 Richmond   8 3 0
Colgate   7 3 1
Delaware   7 4 0
Tennessee State   7 4 0
No. 16 William & Mary   7 4 0
Lafayette   6 5 0
James Madison   5 6 0
Lehigh   5 6 0
Holy Cross   4 6 1
Florida A&M   4 7 0
Western Kentucky   4 7 0
Bucknell   3 7 0
Northeastern   2 8 0
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College (now known as Georgia Southern University) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his fourth year as head coach for the Eagles.

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 7vs. Florida A&M W 27–2118,086
September 14 Middle Tennessee L 10–359,227
September 21at Troy State W 17–106,400 [1]
September 28at Chattanooga W 19–148,892
October 5 Tennessee Tech
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 34–09,152
October 12 Bethune–Cookman No. 19
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 46–248,063
October 26 Newberry No. 8
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 38–1712,831
November 2at James Madison No. 7L 6–215,000 [2]
November 9 UCF No. 16
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 35–187,759
November 16 East Tennessee State No. 12
  • Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
W 46–78,142
November 23at South Carolina State No. 10W 43–306,543
November 30No. 15 Jackson State No. 9
W 27–04,128 [3]
December 7at No. 1 Middle TennesseeNo. 9
W 28–219,500
December 14at No. 4 Northern Iowa No. 9
W 40–3312,300
December 21vs. No. T–2 Furman No. 9W 44–425,306 [4]

[5]

Related Research Articles

The Georgia Southern Eagles football program represents Georgia Southern University in football as part of the Sun Belt Conference. The current head coach is Clay Helton. The Eagles have won six FCS (I-AA) national championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award winners. Georgia Southern first continuously fielded a football team in 1924, but play was suspended for World War II and did not return until 1981. The Eagles competed as an FCS independent from 1984 to 1992 and as a member of the Southern Conference from 1993 to 2013, winning 10 SoCon championships. In 2014, Georgia Southern moved to the FBS level and joined the Sun Belt Conference, winning the conference championship outright in its first year. Georgia Southern's main Sun Belt rivals are Appalachian State and Georgia State.

The 1985 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their eighth year under head coach Dick Sheridan, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a conference mark of 6–0, winning the SoCon title. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Rhode Island in the quarterfinals, Nevada in the semifinals, and were upset by Georgia Southern in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

The 2002 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Mike Sewak, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title for the sixth consecutive season. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Bethune–Cookman in the first round and Maine in the quarterfinals before falling to Western Kentucky in the semifinals. Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 2001 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Paul Johnson in his fifth and final year as head coach, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the SoCon title with Furman. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Florida A&M in the first round and Appalachian State in the quarterfinals before falling to Furman in the semifinals. Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1997 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Florida A&M in the first round before losing to Delaware in the quarterfinals. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1999 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a conference mark of 7–1, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern defeated Youngstown State in the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game to win the program's fifth NCAA Division I-AA title. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 2000 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated McNeese State in the first round, Hofstra in the quarterfinals, Delaware in the semifinals, and Montana Grizzlies] in the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, winning the program's second consecutive and sixth overall NCAA Division I-AA title. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1998 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Paul Johnson, the Eagles compiled and overall record of 14–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Colgate in the first round, Connecticut in the quarterfinals, and Western Illinois in the semifinals before falling to UMass in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 2006 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern University during the 2006 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Brian VanGorder, in his first and only year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 2003 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Mike Sewak, in his second year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1996 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Frank Ellwood in his first and only season as head coach, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a conference mark of 2–6, tying for sixth place in the SoCon. Georgia Southern played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1995 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Tim Stowers in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a conference mark of 5–3, trying for third place in the SoCon. Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Troy State in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Montana in the quarterfinals. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1991 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University as an independent during the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Tim Stowers, the Eagles compiled a record of 7–4. They played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1989 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern College as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Erk Russell in his eighth and final year as head coach, the Eagles compiled a record of 15–0 and won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, the program's third national title in five seasons. After completing an 11–0 regular season, Georgia Southern advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, beating Villanova in the first round, Middle Tennessee, in the quarterfinals, Montana in the semifinals, and Stephen F. Austin in NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.

The 1988 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his seventh year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1987 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his sixth year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1986 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his fifth year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1984 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his third year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1983 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Eagles played their home games at Womack Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his second year as head coach for the Eagles.

The 1982 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented the Georgia Southern Eagles of Georgia Southern College during the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season. This was the Eagles' first season of football since the suspension of the program following the 1941 season. The Eagles played their home games at Womack Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The team was coached by Erk Russell, in his first year as head coach for the Eagles.

References

  1. "Ham paces Ga. Southern to 17–10 win". The Atlanta Constitution. September 22, 1985. Retrieved November 11, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "James Madison Dukes upend Georgia Southern, 21–6". The Daily News Leader. November 3, 1985. Retrieved October 12, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Georgia Southern advances". The Columbus Ledger. December 1, 1985. Retrieved April 8, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Erk's Eagles land with a title". The Atlanta Constitution. December 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "1985 Football Schedule". CFBDataWarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2017.