Erskine Russell

The late Erk Russell was the last 4-sport letterman at Auburn University. But as a coach his specialty was getting maximum effort out of lesser athletes.

He won a state championship as head coach of Atlanta's Grady High School, and a national championship as defensive co-ordinator for the University of Georgia Bulldogs

His defensive line talent was so pathetic in 1980,. that he desperately

sought out ways to fortify their fragile self-esteem. (He couldn't expect much help from an offense whose best hope was an incoming "true freshman" running back who had played high school ball at the single-A level.)

When passed over for the head coaching job at UGA, Erk responded to the disappointment by inaugurating the football program at Georgia Southern. In their first two years of competition in NCAA Division I-AA, his Golden Eagles won back-to-back national championships.

Now Erk has been nominated to the College Football Hall of Fame