1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football team

1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football
NAIA Division I national champion
SAC co-champion
NAIA Division I Championship Game, W 17–10 vs. Northeastern State
ConferenceSouth Atlantic Conference
Record13–1 (6–1 SAC)
Head coach
Seasons
← 1979
1981 →
1980 South Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

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.

The team lost the second game of the season at Mars Hill, but then won the remaining 12 games of the season. The team advanced to the NAIA Division I playoffs, defeating Concord (17–14) in the quarterfinals, East Texas State (14–6) in the semifinals, and Northeastern State (17–10) in the national championship game.

Running back Bobby Hedrick rushed for 1,394 yards in the regular season – 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. 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. John Bangley was the quarterback.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 6at Winston-Salem State*Winston-Salem, NCW 27–22
September 13at Mars HillMars Hill, NCL 11–23
September 20Delta State
W 24–21
September 27at North Carolina Central*Durham, NCW 23–14
October 11Norfolk State*
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 65–26
October 18Presbyterian
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 28–26
October 25at CatawbaSalisbury, NCW 14–10
November 1at Gardner–WebbBoiling Springs, NCW 37–32,000
November 8Newberry
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 31–0
November 15at Lenoir–RhyneHickory, NCW 27–12
November 22Carson–Newman
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 38–12
December 6at Concord*Bluefield, WVW 17–144,000
December 13at East Texas State*
W 14–62,578
December 20Northeastern State*
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 17–106,128
  • *Non-conference game

References

  1. ^ a b "Elon Year-by-Year vs. Opponents". Elon University. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Hedrick's Score Helps Elon Slip By Concord". The Charlotte Observer. December 7, 1980. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Defensive Effort Keys Elon Victory". The Charlotte Observer. December 14, 1980. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b David Scott (December 21, 1980). "Tootoo Helps Crown Elon NAIA Champ". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ David Scott (November 28, 1980). "Hedrick's Accomplishments Sound Like Broken Records". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ David Scott (December 21, 1980). "The Elon Powerhouse". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9D – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Joey Hackett". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Tom Knott (December 19, 1980). "Bangley Trying To March Elon To NAIA Crown". Daily Press. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.