The 1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football team was an American football team that represented Elon University of Elon, North Carolina, as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1980 NAIA Division I football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jerry Tolley, the Christians compiled a 13–1 record (6–1 against SAC opponents) and tied for the SAC championship.[1]
| 1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football | |
|---|---|
NAIA Division I national champion SAC co-champion | |
NAIA Division I Championship Game, W 17–10 vs. Northeastern State | |
| Conference | South Atlantic Conference |
| Record | 13–1 (6–1 SAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Elon +^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Mars Hill +^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carson–Newman | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Presbyterian | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lenoir–Rhyne | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newberry | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catawba | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team lost the second game of the season at Mars Hill, but then won the remaining 12 games of the season.[1] The team advanced to the NAIA Division I playoffs, defeating Concord (17–14) in the quarterfinals,[2] East Texas State (14–6) in the semifinals,[3] and Northeastern State (17–10) in the national championship game.[4]
Running back Bobby Hedrick rushed for 1,394 yards in the regular season[5] – 1,793 yards with three post-season games included. He set Elon's all-time rushing record with 5,603 rushing yards in four years.[6] He was also a first-team pick on the 1980 Little All-America college football team.
Tight end Joey Hackett went on to play in the NFL.[7] John Bangley was the quarterback.[8]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | at Winston-Salem State* | Winston-Salem, NC | W 27–22 | ||||
| September 13 | at Mars Hill | Mars Hill, NC | L 11–23 | ||||
| September 20 | Delta State |
| W 24–21 | ||||
| September 27 | at North Carolina Central* | Durham, NC | W 23–14 | ||||
| October 11 | Norfolk State* |
| W 65–26 | ||||
| October 18 | Presbyterian |
| W 28–26 | ||||
| October 25 | at Catawba | Salisbury, NC | W 14–10 | ||||
| November 1 | at Gardner–Webb | Boiling Springs, NC | W 37–3 | 2,000 | |||
| November 8 | Newberry |
| W 31–0 | ||||
| November 15 | at Lenoir–Rhyne | Hickory, NC | W 27–12 | ||||
| November 22 | Carson–Newman |
| W 38–12 | ||||
| December 6 | at Concord* | Bluefield, WV | W 17–14 | 4,000 | [2] | ||
| December 13 | at East Texas State* | W 14–6 | 2,578 | [3] | |||
| December 20 | Northeastern State* |
| W 17–10 | 6,128 | [4] | ||
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References
edit- ^ a b "Elon Year-by-Year vs. Opponents". Elon University. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Hedrick's Score Helps Elon Slip By Concord". The Charlotte Observer. December 7, 1980. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Defensive Effort Keys Elon Victory". The Charlotte Observer. December 14, 1980. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b David Scott (December 21, 1980). "Tootoo Helps Crown Elon NAIA Champ". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ David Scott (November 28, 1980). "Hedrick's Accomplishments Sound Like Broken Records". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ David Scott (December 21, 1980). "The Elon Powerhouse". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joey Hackett". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Tom Knott (December 19, 1980). "Bangley Trying To March Elon To NAIA Crown". Daily Press. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.