Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator and Georgia Southern Eagles head coach Erk Russell may not yet be in the College Football Hall of Fame, to the everlasting chagrin of Dawg Sports' Kyle King, but an effort is underway to better honor his memory in Statesboro. Georgia Southern fans have set up a ChipIn account in hopes of building a Russell statue, hoping to raise $20,000, with nearly 10 percent in the can so far, with money-raising happening offline as well.
While there's currently a pandemic of graven images being thrown up all around the Southeast, this one would certainly be merited.
Russell coached Vince Dooley's defenses at UGA, including the one that helped win the 1980 national championship. He appeared set to replace Dooley at Georgia, but opted to take over as Georgia Southern coach when Dooley decided to stick around Athens a while longer. The Eagles won three national championships during his time in Statesboro, thus establishing the best program in FCS history.
The project's website features a letter of support from Dooley, now the father of Kennesaw St. Owls football. Yep, have yet to miss a chance to work my Owls in wherever possible.