Anatomy of an Elbow Drop

If you’re on social media and follow Georgia Southern, you’ve probably seen Eagles’ Head Football Coach Chad Lunsford perform an elbow drop on a metal folding chair, followed by a frenzy of stomping by the players.

The ritual has become a mainstay of Eagle football after important wins, and both players and fans are whipped into a frenzy when it’s performed.

Lunsford says it started when he was visiting the fraternity houses on campus, trying to get students hyped up about the upcoming 2018 season. He grew up a wrestling fan, and so when the students were getting rowdy, the chair came out and “it just kind of happened.”

After the blowout 52-0 win against South Alabama in 2017, the video of the elbow drop made it to Twitter, “and it kind of became a thing.” However, he is quick to remind everyone that the elbow drop doesn’t happen after every win. “It only happens after big wins,” he said.

Saving the ritual for special occasions is probably wise for Lunsford, who was forced to develop a “form” after a particularly painful win.

“When I did it against Lafayette I actually bruised a rib,” he said. “But I learned from it. Just like our losses, you know? Loss stands for learning opportunity stay strong, and so I had a learning opportunity then, and so I figured it out.”

– Doy Cave