I've been sitting behind my desk all day trying to figure out why I'm so upset over the passing of a man I never met, Erk Russell. I never met him. In fact, no one I know ever met the man. We never got to have a chat with him face-to-face. We never got to hear him tell one of his stories. We never got to sit around with him and smoke a cigar. However, one thing that binds all of us is the fact that we were very well aware of who Erk Russell was and what he did for a living. It was the same way with so many other Georgia legends throughout the years. I've never met Herschel Walker, but I certainly know who he is and feel like I know him. I never met Vince Dooley, but I certainly know who he is and feel like I know him. I've never met Larry Munson, but I certainly know who he is and I fell like I know him. Coach Erk Russell was one of those guys that was known by people throughout the state and around the southeast, and despite the fact that a relatively small number of people actually knew them personally, they feel like family.

Out of all of those Bulldog legends, Erk was a guy we could all connect with on a different level. He wasn't flashy. He was one of us; a good 'ole boy from the south that loved football, lived his life the best he could and carried himself at all times with dignity and honor. How do I know he did all of this without ever having met the man? Well, you could tell.

"If you don't have the best of everything, make the best of everything you have." - Erk Russell

Whether it was through something he said to a reporter or from the images of him head-butting his defensive players to the point of having blood streaming down his bald head, you could tell he was sincere and he was one of us. He cared just as much or even more than we did. Further endearing him to all of us was the fact that he loved us just as much as we loved him. He made no bones about that.

"The railroad track crowd. These are my people because they love the Dawgs almost as much as I do...they choke me up!" - Erk Russell

Yeah, when you hear something like that, you know you're talking about a man that doesn't bemoan the fact that the average fans are passionate. You know you're talking about a man that considers himself no better than any of us. You're talking about a man that loved us and thought as much of us as we all thought about him. There was nothing phony about Coach Erk Russell, and that fact and the way he expressed it and made it a reality made all of us who had never met him love him even more.

It went deeper than just a mutual love of the Georgia Bulldogs. Coach Russell was a man that we admired for the way he led his life and conducted himself. We could tell, without ever having met him, that he cared about each of his players. It was more than football succes...it was his desire to see these kids succeed and grow in their lives. He took many of these kids he coached and taught them how to be men of character. He gave them lessons not only in how to GATA, but how to live. Coaches around the country have done that for a long time and they continue to do that to this very day, but in Erk Russell, we had a man that devoted himself to that and continued to do it long after others would have moved on for fame or glory or personal gain...or just because they were simply tired and exhausted. It was part of who Erk Russell was. Despite having never met the man or speaking a word to him, he made it abundantly clear, both here in Athens and in Statesboro, that he had a vested interest in each and every one of the kids he coached and he continued to do it long after those kids grew into men and moved on with their lives.

It's very rare that a man can touch and influence so many people he had never met, but Coach Russell was one of those men. He set an example with the way he carried himself and that came across loud and clear every time we saw him on the sidelines or read something that he said.

"Fame wasn't important. I didn't even know it existed. I saw my name in the paper and my picture in the paper a lot, but I felt like I could overcome that." - Erk Russell

He set an example without even knowing he was doing it and he set that example by doing everything he did with 100% effort, never failing to give his all for his team and the team's fans. He was so sincere that he even set an example for his rival coaches. Today, you'll find quotes from a variety of people who coached against Erk and they'll all describe him in the most glowing and affectionate terms possible.

So, why do I feel such a sense of loss over a man I never met and never talked to?

It's because he was one of us and he was a man who possessed qualities we should all strive for. He was an example. He was a Bulldog..the very definition of a Bulldog; tough, loyal, tenacious, friendly and fair. This is why we all loved him. This is why we all feel such a sense of loss. Erk Russell was the very essence of the Georgia Bulldog.

Erk, there are many of us that never met you, but we know you can see us from up there. We just want to you know that we cared about you just as much as you cared about us.

"We lost a 3-year-old at one time, a child, and that is real pain. But time, blessed time, is the greatest healer...it ain't gonna quit hurting until enough time passes." - Erk Russell

Erk, we ain't gonna quit hurting until enough time passes.
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Posted 9/8/2006 by Dawg151