Erk Russell, 80; Coached ‘Junkyard Dog’ Defense Under Georgia’s Dooley

Erk Russell, 80, who led the University of Georgia’s “Junkyard Dog” defense under football coach Vince Dooley and then built a small-college powerhouse of his own at Georgia Southern, died Friday after a single-vehicle accident in Statesboro, Ga.

Russell was pronounced dead on arrival at East Georgia Regional Medical Center. A hospital official said his death was not from injuries related to the wreck, adding that the examination was not complete.

His bald head his trademark, Russell coached on Dooley’s staff for 17 years and came to prominence as his defensive coordinator. He left the Bulldogs after their 1980 national championship to build Georgia Southern’s first football team since 1941. He won Division I-AA championships in 1985, ’86 and ’89.

He compiled a record of 83-22-1 in eight seasons at Georgia Southern. He was a three-time I-AA national coach of the year, and his final Eagle team went 15-0.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Erskine Russell was a four-sport letterman at Auburn University in the 1940s.

On Thursday, two days before the start of Georgia Southern’s football season, Russell told an Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter: “I’m old, my eyes don’t work like they used to, I can’t smell anything, and I never had any hair. But I’m happy.”