2016 georgia southern football - s3.amazonaws.com · coaching staff meet the eagles student...

GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES FOOTBALL 1 2015 GODADDY BOWL CHAMPIONS

UNIVERSITY/MEDIA

EAGLES GATACOACHING STAFF

MEET THE EAGLES

STUDENT SERVICES2015 REVIEW

RECORDSHISTORY

2016 SEASON

2016 Schedule

Sept. 3 SAVANNAH STATE 10 at South Alabama 17 UL MONROE 24 at Western MichiganOct. 5 at Arkansas State 15 at Georgia Tech 22 at New Mexico State 27 APPALACHIAN STATENov. 5 at Ole Miss 10 UL LAFAYETTE 19 at Georgia StateDec. 3 TROY

2016 GEORGIA SOUTHERN FOOTBALL

On the covers: OFC - Senior linebacker Ironhead Gallon, senior running back Matt Breida and new head coach Tyson Summers; IFC - The new Georgia Southern coaching staff; IBC - Antwione Williams, Antonio Glover, Derek Keaton and the rest of the Eagles in the NFL; OBC - The 2016 Georgia Southern football schedule. All covers designed by Ryan Hurst (Georgia Southern, c/o 2016 - public relations); helmets on outside back cover designed by Clark Ruhland.

2 GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES FOOTBALL 2015 GODADDY BOWL CHAMPIONS

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FOLLOW THE EAGLES

@GSAthleticS GSAthleticS

GSAthleticS GSAthleticS

EAGLES GATA 1 2016 Schedule 2 Quick Facts/Credits 4 Staff Information 6 Smith Family Football Center 8 Allen E. Paulson Stadium 9 Bishop Field House 10 This is Georgia Southern 12 Georgia Southern Football Traditions 14 The Total Student-Athlete

2016 SEASON 16 Preseason Rosters 18 Preseason Depth Chart 19 Personnel/Pronunciation Guide 20 Sun Belt Conference

COACHING STAFF 22 Eagle Head Coach Tyson Summers 24 Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Costantini 25 Co-Offensive Coordinator Rance Gillespie 26 Co-Offensive Coordinator David Dean 27 Assistant Coach Pat Bastien 28 Assistant Coach Chris Foster 29 Assistant Coach Jimmy Lindsey 30 Assistant Coach Chad Lunsford 31 Assistant Coach Allen Mogridge 32 Assistant Coach Jeremy Rowell 33 Support Staff

MEET THE EAGLES 36 Veteran Profiles 66 Newcomers

STUDENT SERVICES 74 Academic Support 76 Strength & Conditioning 77 Equipment Room 78 Sports Medicine 80 Eagles in the Community

2015 REVIEW/STATISTICS 82 Individual Honors/Start Chart 83 2015 Statistics 86 2015 Individual Summaries 88 2015 Game-By-Game Statistics 89 2015 Game Highs 90 2015 Scoring Summaries 91 2015 Miscellaneous Statistics 92 2015 Big Plays 93 Last Time It Happened 94 Eagles in National Rankings 95 2015 Game Recaps 108 The GoDaddy Bowl Experience

RECORD BOOK 110 Individual Records 125 Annual Leaders 129 Longest Plays 130 Team Records 131 Overtime Games 132 Year-By-Year Team Stats 134 Team Records By Era 135 Paulson Stadium Records 136 Eagles on Television/Online 137 All-Time Results 141 Eagles vs. Conferences 142 Series Results

HISTORY 146 Eagle Football History 148 1985 National Championship 150 1986 National Championship 152 1989 National Championship 154 1990 National Championship 156 1999 National Championship 158 2000 National Championship 160 Eagles in the Pros 162 Eagle All-Americans 165 Conference Accolades 167 Modern Era Lettermen 170 All-Time Wins/Championships 171 All-Time Coaching Records 172 Modern Era Assistant Coaches 174 Coach Erk Russell Tribute 176 No. 8 Tracy Ham 177 No. 3 Adrian Peterson 178 Jayson Foster 179 Paul Johnson 180 Championship Rings

UNIVERSITY/MEDIA 182 Georgia Southern University 184 University President Jaimie L. Hebert, Ph.D. 185 Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein 186 EFAA 187 Athletic Foundation/Ticket Office 188 Georgia Southern Radio Network 189 Media Guidelines 190 Athletics Communications 191 Department Personnel 192 adidas

TABLE OF CONTENTSGS QUICK FACTS

Location: Statesboro, Ga. Founded: December 1, 1906 Enrollment: 20,517 President: Jaimie L. Hebert, Ph.D.Athletics Director: Tom KleinleinFaculty Athletics Representative: Dr. Chris GeyermanAthletics Department Phone: 912-478-5047Ticket Director: David Cutler Ticket Office Phone: 1-800-GSU-WINSNickname: Eagles Colors: Blue and WhiteConference: Sun BeltFirst Year of Football: 1924 (no football from 1942-1981) Modern Era Record: 312-122-1 (.718)FCS National Championships: 6 (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000)

Home Stadium: Paulson Stadium Capacity: 25,000Playing Surface: Shaw Sports Turf (Legion 41)Paulson Stadium Record: 186-34 (.845)Head Coach: Tyson SummersAlma Mater: Presbyterian College, ‘02Summers’ Record at GS: 0-0 (First Year)Summers’ Career Record: 0-0 (First Year)Eagles’ 2015 Record: 9-4Postseason: GoDaddy Bowl ChampsConference Record: 6-2Offensive System: Spread OptionDefensive System: 4-3GS Athletics on the Web: GSEagles.comGS Football on Twitter: @GSAthletics_FBLetterwinners (Ret/Lost): 38/25Position Starters (Ret/Lost): 12/10

CREDITSThe 2016 Georgia Southern University Football Media Guide was published by the Georgia Southern Athletics Communications Office.

Editor and Design: Bryan JohnstonEditorial Content: AJ Henderson, Marc Gignac, Katy Baker Johnston, Michael Fennell, Michael ChastainCovers: Ryan Hurst (GS c/o 2016 - public relations); helmets on OBC designed by Clark RuhlandPrinting: South Georgia Graphics (Claxton, GA)Additional contributions from the GS Office of Marketing and Communications.

PHOTOGRAPHY Frank Fortune, Jeremy Wilburn, Milledge Austin IV, Allen Gambrell, Carroll Gambrell, Kyunnie Shuman, Amanda Korpanay and Jeffrey Abraham. Images of Eagles in the NFL courtesy of Tom Pennington, Drew Hallowell, Jamie Squire of Diamond Images; Tom Dahlin and Wesley Hitt of Getty Images. Images of championship rings from Super Bowl XXVI and Super Bowl XXXIX and NFL team marks courtesy of the National Football League.


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KEY DATES Student-athletes report ........................................................................................Sunday, July 31First day of preseason practice ..........................................................................Monday, August 1First day of university fall classes .....................................................................Monday, August 15Season and Home Opener (Savannah State) ............................................. Saturday, September 3Sun Belt Opener (at South Alabama) ...................................................... Saturday, September 10

COACHING STAFF Head Coach ...........................................................................................................Tyson SummersAlma Mater/Year ..................................................................................Presbyterian College/2002Twitter Account .............................................................................................. @TysonSummersGSRecord at Georgia Southern (Years) ............................................................... 0-0, .000 (First Year)Career Record (Years) .................................................................................... 0-0, .000 (First Year) Best Time to Reach Coach ........................................................ Contact Athletics Communications Sun Belt Coaches’ Teleconference ...................................................... Monday mornings in season

ASSISTANT COACHES (Alphabetical order) PAT BASTIEN @CoachBastienUAB, 2013 ................................................................................................ Linebackers – First Year

ZO COSTANTINI @CoachZo1UTEP, 1990 ............................................................................... Defensive Coordinator – First Year

DAVID DEAN @CoachDeanGSGeorgia State, 1987 .....................................Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers – First Year

CHRIS FOSTER @CoachC_FosterGardner-Webb, 2003 ............................................................................Running Backs – First Year

RANCE GILLESPIE @CoachRGillespieGeorgia, 1992 .................................Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Fourth Year Overall

JIMMY LINDSEY @CoachLindseyChattanooga, 2001............................................................................... Defensive Line – First Year

CHAD LUNSFORD @ChadLunsfordGeorgia College, 2000 .......................Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator – Eighth Year Overall

ALLEN MOGRIDGE @CoachMogridgeNorth Carolina, 1999 .............................................................................Offensive Line – First Year

JEREMY ROWELL @Coach_RowellTroy, 1997.................................................................................. Defensive Secondary – First Year

FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF Director of Football Operations ........................................................ Travis Taylor (Valdosta State)Director of Football Administration ........................................................... Steve Dennis (Georgia)Director of Player Personnel ...................................................... John Douglas (Georgia Southern)Director of Recruiting Operations ................................................Rico Zackery (Georgia Southern)Associate AD for Sports Medicine/SWA .................................... Brandy Clouse (Georgia Southern)Strength & Conditioning Coach .................................................. Dr. Tredell Dorsey (Rhode Island)Equipment Manager ............................................................................... Adam Brooks (Marshall)Video Coordinator ...................................................................................Chris Ball (West Virginia)Offensive Graduate Assistant ........................................................ R.J. Canty (North Carolina A&T)Defensive Graduate Assistant ...........................................................Sumner Ellis (Louisiana Tech)Offensive Graduate Assistant ....................................................................... Sean Fitzgerald (UCF)Defensive Graduate Assistant ................................................... Darius Safford (Georgia Southern)Senior Administrative Assistant .................................................Munday Tatum (Georgia College)

Senior Associate AD for Business Operations ...................................... Jeff Blythe (North Carolina)Associate AD for Sports Medicine/SWA .................................... Brandy Clouse (Georgia Southern)Associate AD for Special Projects/Internal Operations. ...................Tracy Ham (Georgia Southern)Associate AD for Marketing and Fan Experience .....................................Gleen Hart (Wake Forest)Associate AD for Compliance and Eligibility ............................Keith Roughton (Georgia Southern)Associate AD for External Affairs....................................................................... Larry Mays (Berry)Assistant AD for Athletics Communications ................................ Bryan Johnston (South Carolina)Director of Athletic Facilities/Event Management ..................................... Nick Scull (Lock Haven)Facility Consultant ......................................................................Roger Inman (Georgia Southern)Director of Student-Athlete Services ................................Reggie Simpkins (South Carolina State)Marketing Director ........................................................................................Dan Adams (Liberty)Ticket Manager ........................................................................... David Cutler (Georgia Southern)

STAFF INFORMATION


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thiS iS GeorGiA Southern

Country music superstar and GS alumnus Cole Swindell (marketing) leads the Eagles out on the field at Georgia last season.


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The new headquarters for the Georgia Southern Football program, the Ted Smith Family Football Center, encloses the eastern end zone of Paulson Stadium and provides a state-of-the-art facility for the day-to-day functions of the Eagles. Groundbreaking on the 50,000-square-foot facility took place in June 2013 and the landmark project was completed in July 2014. The two-story, brick, glass and steel frame building is a visual attraction from both Lanier Drive and inside Paulson Stadium with the Bill W. Nelson Hall of Fame atrium connecting both wings of the center on the second floor. Coaches’ offices, conference rooms and positional meeting

rooms, as well as an expansive team room with stadium seating for more than 120, are also on the top level. The positional meeting rooms include tools and equipment for game planning, diagramming plays and reviewing game film. The academic study suite, adjacent to the team room, is equipped with numerous desktop computers. The players’ lounge, located right above the Eagles’ locker room, provides a place to relax in comfort, watch the flatscreen high-definition televisions or use the video game systems. The program’s football video and recruiting operations, as well as the control room for the new video display board, are also located here. Storage space and the facility’s extensive IT

and mechanical rooms are available on both levels. Spanning the majority of the field level, Georgia Southern Football’s athletic performance area is roughly four times the size of Iron Works and contains nearly $500,000 of equipment, including 12 customized Power-Lift Multi-Racks and four Power-Lift Half-Racks with 16 inlaid platforms, each stocked with an Eleiko weightlifting 177.5 kilogram set. Flanking the new strength and conditioning space are the athletic training and equipment areas, giving the Eagles access to some of the finest equipment in the region. Natural sunlight enters the locker room through the ceiling-height windows and is complemented by interior

TED SMITH FAMILY FOOTBALL CENTER


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pendant and ballast lighting fixtures. Each of the 132 lockers is branded with the Georgia Southern Athletics logo and feature a custom name plate for each student-athlete. Compartments for hanging clothes, storing helmets, shoulder pads and shoes are integrated into the design of the cherry wood veneer lockers. Designed to maximize efficiency and storage, the equipment room includes pass-through lockers for laundry service, space for travel trunks and a rail-based shelving system. Four industrial washers and five dryers are easily accessible for both the athletic training room and equipment room.

The athletic training space includes more than a dozen treatment areas and eight taping stations for Eagle student-athletes, as well as offices for staff and a physician’s exam room. Completing the modern training area is the large hydrotherapy room that features both hot and cold tubs as well as an underwater treadmill with video monitoring system for therapy and rehabilitation.

TED SMITH FAMILY FOOTBALL CENTER


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Thirty years after its first game on Sept. 29, 1984, Allen E. Paulson Stadium underwent a major expansion for the Eagles’ first season in the FBS and the Sun Belt Conference. The newly expanded facility, now at a capacity of 25,000, offers incredible views of the playing field and modern amenities on its concourses. The inaugural game at Paulson Stadium in 1984 saw the Eagles soar to a 48-11 victory over Liberty. That first contest was a fitting end to four years of planning and hard work – four years of dreaming of one of the finest football facilities in America. What former Eagle head coach Erk Russell described as “The Prettiest Little Stadium in America” has been transformed into one of the finest facilities of its kind. The new mid-deck creates an architectural presence on the north side with the new 50,000-square-foot Ted Smith Family Football Center enclosing the east end zone. The $10 million stadium expansion project was student fee funded with private donations making possible the Eagle Football team’s new building.

Winning is the one constant at Paulson Stadium where the Eagles have a stunning 186-34 home record (.845) and won 91.7 percent of their postseason games (33-3). That .845 winning percentage stands as the third best amongst current FBS stadiums entering the 2016 season. More than three million fans have witnessed that success in Statesboro, creating a gameday atmosphere that attracts Eagle fans from across campus, throughout the Coastal Empire and southeast region. Previous upgrades to the complex included renovation of the concourses and hospitality areas and the addition of a brick façade along the walls of Paulson Stadium prior to the 2005 season. Initially constructed at a cost of $4.7 million with just over 14,000 permanent seats and grass seating for thousands more, the addition of Paulson Stadium elevated the fledgeling program. The site for numerous nationally televised games, including the 1989 Hugo Bowl on ESPN, permanent light fixtures were installed for the 1994 season. In 2015, every home game was aired by the ESPN family of networks.

The stadium is named for the late Allen E. Paulson, former founder and chairman of Gulfstream Aerospace, who donated more than $1 million toward construction of the facility. In 2007, Georgia Southern University renamed the area surrounding the Stadium “Erk Russell Athletic Park” to honor the former Eagle coach. The addition of the Ted Smith Family Football Center brought the nucleus of Eagle Football to the south end of campus and gave the Eagles’ one of the finest team areas in the Sun Belt. This building features the team locker room, weight room, training room, equipment room, team room, meeting rooms and a lobby with all six FCS national championship trophies. The Field of Dreams has also been a popular addition to the stadium complex, allowing children to play football on their own field alongside the Eagles during their game. The 2014 expansion also brought a new Daktronics video board to the east side of the field. Following the 2015 season, the grass playing surface of Glenn Bryant Field was removed to make way for a brand-new turf surface.

PAULSON STADIUM

PAULSON STADIUM FACTSCapacity: 25,000 (expanded 2014)Layout: East-West Initial construction start date: First shovel – 1983Expansion construction start date: June 12, 2013Glenn Bryant Field Surface: Shaw Sports Turf (Legion

41); installed 2016Daktronics Video Board: 852 square feet of display

area for replays, graphics and promotionsSuite Level: 26 private booster boxes, film deck and a

two-level working press box.Opening Game: Sept. 29, 1984First Opponent: Liberty, 9/29/84First Win: 48-11 vs. Liberty, 9/29/84First Postseason Win: 27-0 vs. Jackson State, 11/30/85All-Time Record: 186-34 (.845)All-Time Playoff Record: 33-3 (.917)First Score: 36-yard run by Tracy Ham vs. Liberty

(13:44, 1Q), 9/29/84First 100-Yard Rusher: 104 by Melvin Bell vs.

Liberty, 9/29/84First Shutout: 34-0 vs. Tennessee Tech, 10/5/85


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Thanks to the generous contribution from the late Gene Bishop, Georgia Southern University finished construction on the Bishop Field House in the west end zone at Paulson Stadium prior to the start of the 2006 football season.

Bishop passed away in March of 2011, but left behind a legacy at Georgia Southern. The former Athletic Foundation Chairman of the Board was a part of Eagle Nation for more than 20 years and his loyalty to the University and athletics

department provided for two showcase landmarks on campus - the Gene Bishop Field House and the Eugene M. Bishop Alumni Center.The Gene Bishop Field House measures 13,600 total square feet and was built to accommodate team game day locker rooms and a game day training room on the lower level and meeting and hospitality spaces on the second level. From 2006-2013, Bishop Field House served as the home locker room for the Eagles and for the visiting team.

Around 400 members socialize in the Field House prior to home football games. The Field House can be reserved for meetings, socials or luncheons and

has been the site for numerous events, including biennual Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

With his generous contributions, Bishop holds the distinction as the single-largest contributor to the Georgia Southern Athletics Department and is one of the largest contributors to the University.

The Eugene M. Bishop Alumni Center opened summer of 2009 on Akins Boulevard, just a short distance from Erk Russell Athletic Park and the epicenter of gameday Saturdays.

In 2003, the Southern Conference began the Distinguished Service Award program to recognize individuals who have made a great impact on their respective conference institution. Dr. Bishop was the first from Georgia Southern to receive the award.

In the spring of 2013, the GS Athletic Foundation provided additional premium seating with the creation of the Bishop Club at Paulson Stadium, an exclusive, members-only venue to entertain guests and clients on game day.

Two hundred new chairback seats allow fans to experience the atmosphere indoors or out while ejoying heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages and soft drinks during the game. Members also receive entry to pre-game festivities throughout the season. For more information about the Bishop Club and donation requirements, contact the Athletic Foundation at (912) 478-5520.

Ribbon cutting for Bishop Field House, 2006

GENE BISHOP FIELD HOUSE

Dr. Eugene M. Bishop, 1934-2011


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Game Day at Paulson

GAME DAY AT PAULSON STADIUM


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Game Day at Paulson

GAME DAY AT PAULSON STADIUM


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TRADITIONS

SINGING OF THE ALMA MATER

“BEAUTIFUL EAGLE CREEK”

“GO BLUE! ONE MORE TIME...” KICKOFF CHANT

SOUTHERN PRIDE MARCHING BAND


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YELLOW SCHOOL BUSES

FREEDOM’S FLIGHT

SINGING OF THE ALMA MATERPRE-GAME EAGLE WALK

HONORING A LEGEND

TRADITIONAL

UNIFORMS


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THE TOTAL STUDENT-ATHLETE

The GeorGia SouThern fooTball proGram STriveS To make each STudenT-aThleTe who walkS

ThrouGh The doorS of The Ted SmiTh family fooTball cenTer a beTTer perSon Than when he arriveS on campuS. ThrouGh STrenGTh TraininG,

academicS, characTer educaTion, communiTy Service and aThleTicS, GS fooTball iS buildinG

championS boTh on The Gridiron and in life!

GoDaddy Bowl Champs

Honored at the Georgia House of Representatives

Strength Training

Academic Recognition

Community Service

The 2016 Graduation Class

2016 georgia southern football - s3.amazonaws.com · coaching staff meet the eagles student...

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