1980 Elon Fightin' Christians football team

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
ConferenceSouth Atlantic Conference
Record13–1 (6–1 SAC)
Head coach
1980 South Atlantic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Elon +^ 6 –1 –013 –1 –0
No. 6 Mars Hill +^ 6 –1 –08 –2 –1
Carson–Newman 5 –2 –07 –3 –0
Presbyterian 3 –4 –04 –6 –0
Lenoir–Rhyne 3 –4 –04 –7 –0
Newberry 3 –4 –03 –6 –0
Gardner–Webb 2 –5 –03 –7 –0
Catawba 0 –7 –01 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

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
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[2]
December 13at East Texas State*
W 14–62,578[3]
December 20Northeastern State*
  • Burlington Memorial Football Stadium
  • Burlington, NC
W 17–106,128[4]
  • *Non-conference game

References
  1. "Elon Year-by-Year vs. Opponents". Elon University. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  2. "Hedrick's Score Helps Elon Slip By Concord". The Charlotte Observer. December 7, 1980. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Defensive Effort Keys Elon Victory". The Charlotte Observer. December 14, 1980. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 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.
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