It's TIME!

Hopefully, my coverage of the team this 

season will be better than my photo-

taking skills from Tuesday's press conf. 

Specifically for me, it's DAWGTIME this fall...  

The UGA Fan's Media Guide football annual is expanding its online presence and yours truly is fortunate enough to be covering the Bulldogs this season for DawgTime.com. 

On the site, I'll be posting write-ups and videos of press conference/player interviews, game previews, and game recaps.

All season long:

...for the latest write-up on Tuesday's press conference/player interviews;

...for the latest videos of the weekly player & coach interviews; and, beginning with today's Clemson game, here's the latest preview, and within a couple hours of the game's end, a game recap will be posted as well.

Go Dawgs!

In Celebration of Coach Magill, I Concur...

There's a "celebration of life" scheduled for noon today at the Athens Country Club, and if ever a life should be celebrated, it's that of the legendary Dan Magill.  

Over the last several days, a lot has been posted on Coach Magill regarding his accomplishments, what he stood for, how he is the greatest Bulldog of all time, and how he touched so many people's lives.  Therefore, for what it's worth, I felt compelled to post how he personally touched mine.

During the summer of 2007, when I was putting the finishing touches on About Them Dawgs!—my encyclopedia-like book consisting of Bulldog facts, stats, and information—there was a specific individual I had in mind to write its foreword, who stood head and shoulders above the rest.

At that point, I had never met Coach Magill, but when I visited him at his office inside the tennis hall of fame, he instantly made me feel like we were long-time friends.  After he gave me a tour of the facility, introduced me to the hall's "night watchman" (many of you know exactly "who" I speak of), and I briefed him on the foreword he graciously agreed to write, I then decided to leave him be—I'm sure the great Dan Magill has a lot more other things to do, I thought to myself.

As I headed for the door, he interrupted with something on the order of, "What do you think of that freshman sensation we have in the backfield?"

Of course, he was talking about redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno; however, with Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin returning at the position, while Moreno had yet to set foot on a college gridiron, I questioned as I returned to sit at his desk, "Do you think he'll even see the field in the opener [against Oklahoma State]?" 

Coach Magill responded with something like, "Oh, not only will he play, you'll be hearing a lot about him!"

Chuckling, I then asked the king of nicknames if he had already bestowed a moniker to Moreno.  And, he hadn't—not yet, anyway. But, Coach Magill stated that if he eventually did so, the name might have to do with how Moreno seemed to "hit the hole" so quickly. Magill, who had observed Moreno in practice, added something like, "he hits the hole quicker than any Bulldog I've seen since Frankie Sinkwich."

On that summer day, I wound up talking to Coach Magill at least an hour more than when I had originally gotten up to leave.  And, we all know what ever came of "that freshman sensation"—by the following summer, the third-stringer-turned-superstar was being touted for the Heisman Trophy.

Along with possessing a number of attributes and accomplishments—too many to list—Coach Magill, as simple as it sounds, knew what he was talking about. And, when he spoke, it would be to your benefit to listen up.

Through snail mail just days later, I promptly received the foreword, which appeared as if it was actually typed using an old typewriter.  Nevertheless, it was certainly Magill-esque, mentioning the two Georgia players he believed stood "head and shoulders above the rest: Herschel Walker, the Goal Line Stalker," and "Charley Trippi, the Italian Stallion." Coach Magill ended his foreword with, "Immortal Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd called Charley Trippi the greatest all-round player he had ever seen. Of the hundreds of memorable and outstanding football players I have observed since the 1920s, I concur with Coach Dodd."

For the next several years, I'd speak with Coach Magill two or three times a year, whether in person or by phone, about just whatever.  Between one and two years ago, I was curious about his renowned reputation of nicknaming UGA football players, particularly the identity of the very first player he nicknamed, and wanted to compile a thorough listing beyond what Georgia reveals in its records. However, upon attempting to reach out to him is when I was informed he had been placed in assisted living.  My research in discovering the history of Magill's nicknames would likely have to be conducted without the assistance of the "king of nicknames" himself.

Coach Magill in 1950

A discovery: In 1950, or a year after returning to UGA to begin his long tenure as sports publicity director, among his many, many other duties, Coach Magill served as an "encyclopedia and almanac," providing assistance to The Red and Black. In August of that year, he also wrote a piece for the newspaper—the only article he'd write for The Red and Black over a long period of time—featuring a particular Bulldog quarterback, and with it, bestowing one of his first—if not the first—UGA football nicknames.

Third-year quarterback Billy Grant of Valdosta had starred on Georgia's freshman Bullpups' team in 1948, but then broke a finger prior to the '49 season and was held out of competition.  Entering 1950, Grant appeared to be the varsity's No. 3 quarterback behind Mal Cook and Ray Prosperi, who combined to pass for over 1,000 yards the year before.  

Only a couple of weeks prior to Magill's article, a writer for The Red and Black declared Cook and Prosperi "a notch" ahead of Grant at quarterback when highly-touted Maryland would be arriving to Athens in late September.  Yet, Magill would claim, "Grant is one of those 'game' players...when the chips are down you can depend on him."  The chips would likely be down facing the favored Terrapins, but similarly to how I questioned Moreno playing in the 2007 season opener, one might have questioned Magill on whether Grant could conceivably see the field in the opening game of 1950.

Coach Magill must have believed Billy Grant would do much more than just see the field as he dubbed the quarterback, "the Valdosta Volcano."  And, similarly to his prognosis of Moreno 57 years later, Magill ended his article with, "You'll be hearing a lot about the Valdosta Volcano this fall."

Long story short, not only did the reserve Grant inexplicably start against Maryland—forecasted as a two-to-three touchdown favorite—but, in the end, the Bulldogs reportedly "whipped the turtle shells from off their backs" in a shocking 27 to 7 victory. Grant's statistics weren't flashy, passing for a single touchdown, but he indeed was a dependable "game" player, who demonstrated "generalship and command" of the team like few had ever seen from a quarterback, according to one of Grant's teammates recently. When Grant was lost for the season with a knee injury the following game, and his Georgia career essentially over, "it took the wind out of our sails," the same teammate informed me, "and we could never really recover."

Like the immortal Dodd calling Trippi the greatest all-round player ever, the Bulldog Nation regards Coach Magill as the greatest all-round Bulldog ever. And, I concur.  If I could add, when the greatest Bulldog ever spoke, whether out loud or via his typewriter, it was beneficial for all to listen up.  I was fortunate enough to learn this lesson first hand; I was fortunate enough to get to know Coach Magill. 

Rest in Peace, Coach.  To the audience that awaits you in that Better Place, you've probably heard a lot about Dan Magill already; however, if I could stress, when he speaks, I'd listen up if I were you.  Simply put, the man knows what he's talking about.   

Don't Get Left Outside...

You only have one week remaining!

 

This a reminder that Athens Football Rentals has the solution to what many of us are still facing and there's only one week until the Georgia-Clemson weekend: no place to stay come August 29th.

 

Please visit their site!  Athens Football Rentals still has great rates for quality rentals within walking distance of Sanford Stadium.  Booking will soon close for the Clemson game.  Also, checkout their partner site, University Football Rentals, for when the Dawgs play on the road.

 

For when the Dawgs play at home, don't be like Uga III in the photo from the late 1970s and get left outside, or worse, in some hole in the ground.  Checkout Athens Football Rentals...

Much More Than a "Little" Recovery

Raise a hand for each season you
were a first-team All-American...

Two weeks prior to the season opener against Clemson, I reached out to a former UGA football player—a Bulldog hero of mine as a kid—who had two notable games against the Tigers; one of which was rather memorable to me, the other apparently forgettable for him. 

The 1986 Georgia-Clemson game was supposed to be a little different than the close, nail-biting defensive affairs which had preceded it in the rivalry.  The Bulldogs, which had routed Duke in their opener, were nearly a double-digit favorite over the Tigers, which had been upset by Virginia Tech at home the week before.  Instead, Clemson inexplicably rolled through the Bulldogs seemingly at will, gaining nearly 300 rushing yards while averaging almost five yards per carry.  The poor-passing Tigers even found success through the air, and at the end, found themselves ahead on the scoreboard after their placekicker, David Treadwell, won the game with a 46-yard field goal with no time remaining.

The Georgia defense would get called out following the loss, especially its senior leader and team captain—one who entered the Clemson game considered perhaps the best and most important player on the field.

"I must have had a bad game because I don't remember much from it," John Little informed me with a slight chuckle regarding the '86 Clemson game.  Little had been a first-team All-American defensive back the season before as a junior.  "Honestly, I don't remember if I had a bad game, an okay game, or what—I really don't.  What was even the score?"

Clemson 31, Georgia 28, marking the first time in nearly 40 years since a 41-28 loss to Texas in the 1949 Orange Bowl that a Bulldog team scored more than 24 points and did not win.

I had asked Little about the '86 Clemson game because of the aftermath that followed, when a team's head coach uncharacteristically named names and pointed the finger.  This was especially uncharacteristic of this particular coach, who exemplified the "the team is much greater than the individual" principle.

"You just don't inherit a job," Vince Dooley said following the setback.  "You earn it based on your performance and [Little] has not performed."  The head coach would add Little did have "a lot of company" (teammates) as far as those who had also played poorly on defense.

How the mighty had fallen, especially considering the memorable performance Little had against Clemson in 1985, then highlighting a brilliant Bulldog career which had been successful as soon as he finally set foot on the field.

Little, an All-State high school quarterback from Lynn Haven, FL, had decided to attend college six hours north of home because of a closeness he developed with assistant Ray Goff after being largely ignored by the major nearby programs during the recruiting process.  Soon after arriving in Athens, the signal caller was making another transformation—this time, to the other side of the ball.

"I remember looking at a depth chart [in the summer of 1982] and I was about the ninth quarterback out of 10," Little recalled.  "I was moved to defense pretty soon after that—maybe the third practice."  To assist him in making a smooth transition, Little was redshirted as a true freshman—according to him, "a great move for me."  Turns out, yes, it was indeed.

 

Little was placed at the roverback spot—a position which is essentially a combination of a safety and linebacker, and occupied by a player capable to sniff out running plays, help out in pass coverage, while simply making big plays.  Georgia had started utilizing the "rover" approximately a decade before in the early 1970s upon moving from a six to a five-man defensive front.  "It might have been the best position on the defense, in that if you put yourself in the right position, you made a lot of plays," Little added.

 

Against Clemson in '85, Little (bottom on ground)
stopped the run as well as the pass, tripping up
Clemson's Kenny Flowers (No. 48) on this play.
 

Entering the 1983 season, the Bulldogs had their smartest, hardest-working, and biggest play-making defender starting at roverback in senior Terry Hoage.  The year before, Hoage had tallied an NCAA-leading and UGA-record 12 interceptions while earning consensus All-American recognition.  For 1983, it appeared Little would likely have to wait an entire season as Hoage's understudy until seeing significant playing time.

 

An injury to safety Charlie Dean in the third game of the season shifted Hoage to Dean's position while moving Little into the starting rover slot.  Making his first collegiate start the next week against Mississippi State, the freshman had what would be his finest performance of the season, recording 15 tackles, including one for loss, and breaking up a pass.  Little finished the campaign starting six games, or actually one more than Hoage, becoming just the second freshman defensive back in the Coach Dooley era to be considered a season starter.

 

As a sophomore in 1984, Little closed the regular season by making 25 tackles against Georgia Tech; no Bulldog defender has tallied as many in a single game since then.  And, it was during this time the young roverback started to be compared to his legendary predecessor.  From both being unheralded, out-of-state former high school quarterbacks to having tremendous success academically to developing into standout roverbacks, Hoage and Little's experience at UGA was becoming eerily similar.  Entering the 1985 campaign, Little was even "in the same class with Terry Hoage," according to defensive coordinator Bill Lewis.

 

"Before the game, we were on the field stretching and the Clemson players first rubbed that rock, and then ran down the hill," Little recalled of the Clemson game that year.  "Plus, it was really hot if I remember correctly.  So, playing at Clemson was pretty intimidating.  We played at LSU the next season, and that was tough, but Clemson was probably the toughest place to play in my opinion."

 

For the first nationally-televised football game at Clemson, Georgia faced the Tigers in Death Valley for the third game of its 1985 season.  With the Bulldogs leading the Tigers 17 to 13 midway through the fourth quarter and Clemson approaching midfield, Little intercepted a Randy Anderson pass, prompting CBS-TV's Brent Musburger to erupt, "It's Little—the roverback has done it for Georgia!  It is the most glamorous position on that Georgia team!...The number-one man in Georgia that the fans want to know about is, who's going to play rover..."

 

With just over a minute remaining and Georgia having added a field goal to lead Clemson by a touchdown, Anderson heaved a pass into the end zone from the Bulldogs' 36-yard line.  Little dove in the air literally over the intended Tiger receiver, making a spectacular interception and clinching a 20-13 victory for the Bulldogs—Georgia's first win at Clemson in nine years.  Little's memorable two-interception performance earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors; it would be more than two years later before another Bulldogs' defensive back received the same recognition.

 

Whether having a performance which earns conference defensive player of the week honors in one season, or the head coach declaring the All-American roverback in jeopardy of being demoted to a second-teamer the next, Little doesn't remember much in regards to individual play from either of his distinguished performances against the Tigers.  Instead, what stands out the most regarding the Georgia-Clemson rivalry came when he was merely standing on the sidelines.

 

"Honestly, the time we played Clemson on Labor Day night the year I was redshirted sticks out the most for me," Little said referring to the 1982 meeting and that season's opener.  "We were down [7 to 0] but then [Dale Carver] blocked a punt for a touchdown to tie it, and Sanford Stadium went nuts.  I didn't play, but that was my first game experience at the University of Georgia, and [the 13-7 victory] was phenomenal!" 

 

Although he likely wouldn't acknowledge it, what was also phenomenal, but not all that surprising, was Little's recovery from his game against Clemson four years later as a senior.  Just a week following the loss, he made a critical second-quarter interception at South Carolina, leading to a touchdown in an eventual five-point victory.  Against Kentucky, Little scored his only touchdown while at Georgia, intercepting a Wildcat pass and returning it 46 yards for a score—what would be the only interception return for a touchdown by a UGA player over a span of 64 consecutive regular-season games (September 1983 to November 1988).  Moving positions for similar reasons why Hoage was moved from roverback three seasons before, Little played most of the 1986 season at safety, ending the campaign with an interception against Boston College in the Hall of Fame Bowl.

 

Little (extreme right) is mobbed by teammates (L to R)
Tony Mangram, Calvin Ruff, and Gary Moss following
his diving, game-winning interception vs. the Tigers.

In 1985, Little had been recognized as a first-team All-American by the Football News.  By season's end a year later, he had received the same honor from the same magazine, in addition to being selected by the Walter Camp Foundation.  To date, Little remains one of just approximately a dozen Bulldogs to be recognized at the end of two seasons as a first-team All-American. 

 

Just a couple of months before the end of the 1986 season, Dooley had claimed Little had to "earn" his starting job.  I'm guessing the head coach would be the first to declare it was a job absolutely well earned by one of the greatest defenders in UGA football history.

 

At the end of his tenure at Georgia, Little's 381 career tackles, 18 passes broken up, 5 forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions ranked 5th, 3rd, 3rd, and 10th, respectively, all time at UGA.  Invited to play in the 1987 Senior Bowl, Little helped the South to a victory over the North by intercepting a pass thrown by then-Michigan quarterback, now-49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.

 

After not being chosen in the NFL Draft, Little was invited for a tryout with the Miami Dolphins.  Eventually earning a free agent contract, he was a member of the team for nearly four months until leaving the squad only a few weeks prior to the Dolphins' regular-season opener.  

 

For 25 years, Little has worked for Georgia Crown Distributing.  He lives in the Columbus, GA, area and in his spare time, he's very involved with his two teenage boys' travel baseball teams.  Therefore, Little might see the Bulldogs in person once or twice each fall.  "I don't miss them on TV though; I still love my Dawgs!" he added. 

 

And, there's no way he'll miss his beloved Dawgs come August 30th against Clemson.

 

"You know, when I was at Georgia, to a lot of us, the rivalry with Clemson was as big as Georgia-Florida, if not bigger," Little said towards the end of our conversation.  "They had a lot of players from the state of Georgia, but we had about four or five standouts from South Carolina: Clarence Kay, Tron Jackson, Kenny Sims, Norris Brown... (who all together happened to be members of only the 1982 Georgia team)."  He continued, "There was so much atmosphere and electricity for that game in 1982—the previous two national champions playing against one another, on ABC-TV on Labor Day night, under newly-installed lights...  it was like it was the 'Game of the Decade.'"

 

By way of the Georgia-Clemson rivalry, John Little was not only proof that after apparently a poor outing, one can recover and perform as well as before, if not better, but evidence that Georgia's big "TEAM"-little "me" philosophy instilled into him more than 30 years ago is still obvious today.

Say Cheese!

Picture Day was a little easier back when Quincy
commanded a crowd in '98, and especially when
the likes of DAWG! and Rusty Gillespie roamed
the practice fields in '84.

Yesterday, I was given details regarding Georgia's annual picture day or "Fan Day," or "Fans' Picture Day," if you prefer, happening a week from tomorrow. 

 

I surprise some people when I inform them I've been to only one picture day in my life, and that was 30 years ago.  Therefore, I'm rather unaccustomed to some of the current event's specifics.  For example, for access to Coach Richt and Uga IX, special ticket coupons are required—and just 150 of those are even available.  From the time the ticket coupons are handed out until Richt is actually accessible to those select few is a span of, oh, only six hours.  Also, as far as getting memorabilia signed by players, coaches, etc., fans are limited to two items per person.  And, UGA actually provides those two items in the form of 2014 Football Schedule posters; no other memorabilia can be brought inside picture day.

 

This all is likely not news to a lot of you, but it certainly was to me.  Apparently, besides being a big UGA football devotee, a requirement for attending a picture day of late is having a lot of patience. 

 

The event's modern-day guidelines got me thinking back to a time when picture day was, well, simpler.  A lasting image I have in my head is one of Quincy Carter in 1998, being mobbed by fans while signing much more than football schedule posters.  I also think back to my lone picture day when there were hardly any lines, and absolutely no wait at all if you found the right player, or Dawg.

When my sister and I were let free to roam the Woodruff practice fields in August 1984, my plan for the two-hour event was to first seek out those standing by their lonesome (I guess I didn't have much patience back then either.).  I first came across "Fluffie" or "Fluffie Dawg."  For you older Dog fans, do you remember UGA football's first costumed mascot, preceding the renowned Hairy Dawg by several years?  Although the first, Fluffie had become a distant second to Hairy in popularity by 1984, and would soon disappear altogether.  Nevertheless, on picture day 30 years ago, he signed the cover of a media guide I had brought into the event with simply, "DAWG!"

I next turned to a player standing alone that I didn't recognize.  I'll never forget, the player took my media guide, mumbled something on the order of, "I think I'm in here somewhere," and found and then signed his bio photo.  Senior Rusty Gillespie, a walk-on second-stringer at both placekicker and punter, was indeed featured in the media guide, but was actually the only one listed without a jersey number.  Regardless, Gillespie was a standout JV kicker for UGA, and would defeat Georgia Tech just over three months later with a game-winning field goal to capture the 50th annual Bullpups-Baby Jackets game.  Last I heard, Gillespie was an assistant coach at Kell High in Marietta, appropriately coaching kickers and punters.

I don't remember much from picture day of 1984, except for my memorable autographs from DAWG! and Gillespie, I only had to wait—a short wait—in a line, maybe two, and above all, everything seemed rather laidback and easy.

Georgia's annual "Picture Day" was even more so effortless, yet perhaps more eventful, when it began to become popular during the 1970s, or when the media first started covering the event. 

At Picture Day in 1975, the greatest defensive coordinator
and mascot in football were both easily accessible.  And,
apparently, Uga III was even available for doggie rides.

In 1975, the Bulldogs were coming off a disappointing 6-6 season the year before, and were actually supposed to be even worse in the upcoming campaign.  The preseason predictions for '75 were said to be the "worst ever in Dooley's regime."  Yet, at picture day that year held literally on the field at Sanford Stadium, Georgia's head coach seemed to know something few others were aware of.  The always-pessimistic Dooley was unusually upbeat and optimistic, prompting a photographer to say, "Usually Dooley is down.  I never heard him say such good things [about his team]."  Picked to finish towards the bottom of the SEC, Dooley and his "Junkyard Dogs" would soon embark on a nine-win regular season resulting with a major bowl appearance.

Five years later on August 16, 1980, Georgia held what was believed to be the then-most attended Picture Day ever with approximately 2,000 fans.  Dooley unveiled the new pants his squad would be sporting that season—silver britches—while Leroy Dukes, a member of the last Georgia team to wear silver britches in 1963, was present passing out hats and bumper stickers declaring, "Go You Silver Britches."  Still, the day's biggest attraction was a true freshman tailback and wearer of those britches—Herschel Walker.

"I sure wasn’t expecting this," Walker said of the '80 Picture Day. "But I’m having a good time even though I’ve never held so many babies in my life."

After a young boy got Walker’s autograph, he asserted, "He’s the greatest football player in the country," and like Dooley had in 1975, the boy seemingly knew of something few others were aware of: "[Herschel's] going to make Georgia the best football team in the country."  And, we all know how the 1980 season transpired.

 

In 1986, the annual summer event essentially resulted in a noteworthy moment in the history of UGA athletics.  Henry King Stanford, who had been appointed the school's Interim President just a few months before, was seemingly unaware of the team's racial makeup until attending picture day.  There, he noticed "about half" the team was black, yet there were no African Americans serving on the Georgia Athletic Association Board of Directors at the time.  What soon followed was, according to Stanford, "I appointed two black colleagues to that board."

 

By the late 1990s, the spectacle Herschel "wasn't expecting" had grown even bigger.  In 1999, picture day attracted 5,000 fans and included representatives from every UGA team for the first time.  In 2000, it moved from the practice fields to inside for the first time at Stegeman Coliseum.  The next year—Coach Richt's first at UGA—the event moved again to the Classic Center.  For the first time, fans were asked to limit photographs, but the event still had a taste of the old by lasting just two hours.

 

By the mid-2000s, Picture Day had become a grand
event for many in the Bulldog Nation... if one was
willing to wait and try to find room to breath. 

It was a few years into the Richt era when UGA's picture day, or "Fan Day" as it was being called by then, began being distinguished not necessarily by foretelling coaches and fans, quotable players, or notable moments like in the past, but more so its sheer numbers of attending fans and how long they all waited in lines.

 

By 2003, picture day had increased to a four-hour event.  The next year, an estimated record 7,500 fans attended, including those that were in line by 7 a.m., or six hours before the doors opened.  

 

Over the last 10 years, Picture Day's location has changed again, but its number of attendees remain high, the lines long, while the guidelines and restrictions persist.  The event is now held at the Reed Plaza area of Sanford Stadium, while from the time the special coupon tickets are distributed until the affair officially ends is a span of a whopping eight hours.

 

In 2000, new offensive line coach Doug Marrone was astonished with the event, exclaiming, "I've never seen anything like this at a Picture Day.  This is really incredible."  You may question his judgement since the current head coach of the Buffalo Bills had just spent four seasons at Georgia Tech. Still, Marrone was witnessing around the time when UGA's Picture Day began its quick but drastic transformation to what it has become today: an event where patience is a virtue for many, and where there would even be a wait for a distant second-string kicker, and a forgotten second-string mascot.

           

The Dogs' "Flaming Hogs"

Seeing Red: An 85-year redheaded transition, of  
sorts, from (top) Leathers and Maddox to (bottom)
Theus, Kublanow, and Pyke. 

I'll warn you in advance: this week's post is rather random...   Nevertheless, shortly after reading another article indicating that redheads could become extinct (I thought that theory was put to rest a few years ago?), it dawned on me that this season's Red and Black squad is certainly and remarkably represented by redheaded players.

Redheads, which are thought to make up only between 2 and 8 percent of the American population, are represented at Georgia by John Theus, Brandon Kublanow, and Greg Pyke—all of whom are offensive lineman, and all of whom may very well start in 2014.  What are the chances?  Well, I decided to figure it out using some rough—very rough—math.

Considering the population of redheads in our country, plus a couple of other factors which I won't bore you by explaining their details, I eventually figured that the probability of a major college team featuring at least three redheads of its starting five offensive linemen is roughly 1 in 15,000.  In other words, the entirety of FBS football should average having a team with a trio of starting redheaded offensive linemen about once every 120 years.  Phenomenal!  I thought to myself, because of such rarity, this Bulldog threesome is most deserving of a nickname of some kind.

The first nickname which popped in my head was one given to a group of Bulldogs from 85 years ago: the "Flaming Sophs of '29."  There were 12 members of the Flaming Sophs, eight of whom were starters (of just 11 positions) on Georgia's 1929 team.  Led by this distinguished dozen, the Bulldogs compiled a respectable 21-8-1 record in three seasons, including a 12-0 combined mark vs. Georgia Tech, Auburn, Yale, and UNC.  In October of this group's initial season, it dedicated Sanford Stadium with an upset over Yale; and in October of its final season, it was recognized by some in the media as college football's best team of 1931.

The Flaming Sophs featured a redheaded pair regarded as one of the best guard tandems in football, each of whom was even nicknamed for their hair color: Milton "Red" Leathers and Ralph "Red" Maddox.  Both were All-Southern linemen; Maddox was also a first-team All-American in 1930, while Leathers eventually became the first Athenian to play in the NFL.  

According to another UGA football historian, it was the hair color of the two Reds why the entire group was nicknamed the "Flaming Sophs" in the first place.  However, I personally haven't found any evidence of such, believing the nickname was actually given in retrospect, while the sophomores were regarded as "flaming" not because two of the 12 members had red hair, but likely because the dozen instantly became an integral part of the Georgia program as mere sophomores.  Still, led by Red Leathers and Red Maddox, the Flaming Sophs were appropriately nicknamed.    

 

As for the current three Reds—Theus, Kublanow, and Pyke—the nickname "Flaming Sophs II" wouldn't work; although Kublanow and Pyke are sophomores, Theus is a junior.  And, the "Flaming Linemen" just doesn't have a good ring to it.

Since I'm high on the hog—that is, a big fan of the Hog Index, which comparatively measures the strength of a team's offensive line—Georgia's "hogs" have performed rather well the last two seasons (ranking 2nd in 2013 and 5th in 2012 of the Bulldogs' annual offensive lines the last 19 seasons), and Georgia will likely look to Theus, Kublanow, and Pyke to be three of the team's lead hogs in 2014, I thought it was appropriate to consider the moniker the "Flaming Hogs" for the Dogs' 1-in-15,000-chance redheaded threesome.

 

Whether nicknamed or not, and perhaps we should wait to see if the trio is actually deserving of one beyond their rarity, Georgia's three flaming linemen have a tough act to follow in 2014 behind the two famed Reds who spearheaded the Flaming Sophs of '29.