 Erk Russell was the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year for 1984–1986; was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1987; inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1991; became USA Today's Georgia Coach of the Year and Coach of the Decade for 1989; In 1989, he also became the Chevrolet-CBS Sports I-AA Coach of the Year; and in 1996 he was an Olympic torch bearer for the Atlanta Games.Russell died in Statesboro, Georgia on September 8, 2006 following a stroke at age 80.His funeral took place two days later at Paulson Stadium with over 2,000 fans, friends, family, and former players present.