Georgia Southern Hall of Fame member Dr. Patrick “Doc” Spurgeon passes away

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Georgia Southern University Hall of Fame member Dr. Patrick “Doc” Spurgeon has died at age 92.

Dr. Spurgeon was one of the first assistant coaches hired by Erk Russell. He was also an English Literature professor.

Spurgeon coached with Russell and Coach Tim Stowers. He also acted as a lead scout for Russel for four out of six of Georgia Southern’s national Championships.

Former Georgia Southern Head Football Coach Chad Lunsford expressed his condolences on Twitter.

Spurgeon went on to win four more National Championships under Coach Jim Tressel at Youngstown State.

He then volunteered as a coach under Tressel at Ohio State when they won a National Championship which gave him nine during his coaching career.

Spurgeon coached three All-American punters and five All-American kickers. His career coaching record was 555-125.

According to his Hall of Fame bio for his alma mater, Emory and Henry, “Spurgeon’s passions for English and football truly came together in his ability to write scouting reports. He was known for scouting reports that were exceedingly accurate and well written.”

Spurgeon remained a fixture in Statesboro and the sports community after his retirement.

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