Erk Russell had rare and extraordinary leadership skills. Across the Southeast and beyond, there are hundreds of football players who would quickly attest to that—the many who truly loved him and extended overachieving effort to help him win games.
He had remarkable instincts with an ability to get his point across graphically and made every player, regardless of his ability, think he was the “little train that thought it could.” Erk invoked humor to relax and to communicate. He gave of himself like no other. He cared for his players, and they knew it. This set him apart.