 Tolley pictured in Phi Psi Cli 1968, Elon yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 6, 1942 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1962–1964 | East Carolina |
| Position(s) | Wingback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1966 | Fayetteville HS (NC) (assistant) |
| 1967–1976 | Elon (assistant) |
| 1977–1981 | Elon |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–11–2 |
| Tournaments | 8–1 (NAIA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 NAIA Division I National (1980–1981) 4 SAC (1977–1978, 1980–1981) | |
| Awards | |
| NAIA Division I Coach of the Year (1980) | |
Jerry Russell Tolley (born November 6, 1942) is a former American football coach, educator, and politician.[1][2] He served as the head football coach at Elon University from 1977 to 1981, compiling a record of 49–11–2.[3][4] His 1980 and 1981 teams were both crowned NAIA national champions. He graduated from East Carolina University with a master's degree in education in 1966. He also received his Ph.D from University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1982.
Tolley formerly served as the mayor of Elon, North Carolina.[5][6]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Fightin' Christians (South Atlantic Conference) (1977–1981) | |||||||||
| 1977 | Elon | 9–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1978 | Elon | 11–2–1 | 6–0–1 | T–1st | L NAIA Division I Championship | ||||
| 1979 | Elon | 5–5 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1980 | Elon | 13–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | W NAIA Division I Championship | ||||
| 1981 | Elon | 11–1–1 | 6–1 | 1st | W NAIA Division I Championship | ||||
| Elon: | 49–11–2 | 27–7–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 49–11–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||