UGA “Record Watches” Despite Season of Setbacks

During the upcoming Liberty Bowl, pay attention to the performances by ISAIAH McKENZIE, JACOB EASON, DOMINICK SANDERS, and even GREYSON LAMBERT as those Bulldogs, plus several others, will be on "record watch."

Despite what seems like a slew of disappointments suffered this season by the Georgia football team, perhaps some solace is that the Bulldogs are going bowling for the 20th consecutive campaign, which is the third-longest active postseason streak, and the seventh-longest in the history of college football. What’s more—and I give credit to my friend, Aaron, for drawing this to my attention—Georgia has played in 51 consecutive bowl games where it has scored. In other words, the Bulldogs have never been held scoreless in post-season play, which is the sport’s all-time longest bowl streak,whereby Georgia hopes to extend to 52 games come December 30.

Speaking of the Liberty Bowl, with the contest versus the Horned Frogs looming, I discovered a season or career school record/feat which could be in jeopardy of being surpassed/matched for each of the main school-record categories. For what they’re worth, especially considering a few of these are rather obscure to say the least, Georgia’s top individual “record watches” for the Liberty Bowl against TCU:

Opinion: They Would Want Them to Count**

Glimpses of the 1943 and 1944 Georgia-Georgia Tech games...
They look like "true"teams/games to me.

Happy Thanksgiving! If you've been following this blog for some time, you may recall my annual posting during Thanksgiving/Tech week on why I believe—and, this is rather difficult for me to admit—UGA should erase the two asterisks, so to speak, and recognized its losses to the Jackets in 1943 and 1944 in the rivalry's series record.

For my new and updated opinion piece on this matter, please check it out here at UGASports.com... 

Defying the Odds as Double-Digit Dawgs

This Saturday, Georgia will attempt to repeat what it achieved versus Auburn in (L to R) 1986--which brought out the Jordan-Hare hoses; 1970, when the Dogs brought down Auburn QB Pat Sullivan; a decade ago in 2006, and on two other occasions: defeat the Tigers when double-digit underdogs.

Checkout every Tuesday at UGASports.com during this football season whereby I post "Point Spread Tuesday." This week's...

UGA-UF not the FIRST “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”?

From long ago, spectators at The Carolina Cup or, perhaps,
the first World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party? 

This we know: In the late 1950s, the annual event that is Georgia-Florida first came to be known by its distinguished title—the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”—from Bill Kastelz, the editor of The Florida Times-Union. Kastelz supposedly created the moniker, but would use it just once in a column. Regardless, the nickname was said to have been picked up by other writers, yet I cannot find routine use of it by the media until the late 1960s (although perhaps there was widespread use by fans and the like).

Set in Camden, South Carolina, The Carolina Cup (also once referred to as “The Camden Cup”) is a huge steeplechase horse race occurring in the spring. Beginning in the 1930s, the racing spectacle has been as much as a social function as it is a sporting event and, at one time, was billed by the press as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” From what I discovered, the moniker was used routinely by the media for The Carolina Cup beginning in the mid-1960s, or just before the press started commonly using the label for Georgia-Florida. It was also during the mid-1960s that the event was recognized as having been “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” for “many years.” During the 1970s, or when the use of “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” had become widespread in Jacksonville, the use of the title for the event in Camden dwindled as the state of South Carolina increased activity in enforcing liquor laws.

No Pass, No Problem

Whether (L to R) against Cincinnati in 1976 (or a few other games that season), Notre Dame in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, Tennessee in 1988, or South Carolina yesterday, among many others, Georgia has a history of routinely winning when hardly passing.

Checkout every Monday at UGASports.com during this football season whereby I post "Pat's Weekly Stat (you likely won't see anywhere else)." This week's...

Swatted wasps, spilled Coke, & Herschel hurdling

Checkout every week at UGASports.com during this football season whereby I long to hear the voice of the late, legendary Larry Munson. I recently was fortunate enough to have gained access to many Munson radio-called games spanning a couple of decades or so. Therefore, I am posting highlights I compiled from a Munson broadcast of a Georgia game from yesteryear. Adding only photos taken from the particular game, and some commentary, each video will be associated with the Bulldogs' upcoming opponent, or the date for which it is posted.

Entering Georgia's game at Ole Miss in 1981, the once-beaten Bulldogs were favored by only just over a touchdown in a road affair which was supposed to be rather contested. Instead, during a dreary day 35 years ago--so dreary that planes could not fly into Oxford--Georgia and Ole Miss featured the killing of wasps and spilled Coke in the broadcast booth and, on the gridiron, one of his best collegiate performances by the legendary Herschel Walker (and, the greatest 6-yard run in the history of the sport), resulting in a 30-point blowout by the Bulldogs over their host:

One is the Loneliest Number...

"One" is for (L to R) DAVE O'BRIEN, Larry Munson's lone replacement for a 41-season stretch; KNOWSHON MORENO's 1-yard celebratory TD vs. Florida in 2007; and, the one time brothers faced off against one another in a bowl game--a historical moment which nearly didn't occur.

Only one day remains until Georgia kicks off the season against North Carolina. Stats guru Dave McMahon and I demonstrate six ways why "1" is relative and unique to UGA football. Check us out everyday at UGASports.com...

Only a Dozen Days...

We're down to 12... Everyday leading up to Georgia's season opener against North Carolina, stats guru Dave McMahon and I demonstrate six ways each number is relative and unique to UGA football. Check us out everyday at UGASports.com...

Rest In Peace, Jack Davis...

Jack Davis, perhaps best known for his depictions of Southeastern Conference mascots that have appeared on University of Georgia merchandise for many years, passed away yesterday at the age of 91. One of the founding editors of Mad Magazine, Davis had an immediately recognizable style and an influence that extends far beyond Georgia. 

With Davis' passing, the Bulldog Nation mourns. Rest In Peace, Jack.

The Spirit of '76

For what it's worth, perhaps my favorite UGA football team of all time is the 1976 SEC title squad, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this fall. With that being said, it was recently Christmas in July at my house. Santa Dawg, or, more like two very good friends, who both deeply appreciate, while wanting to preserve, Georgia football's rich tradition and history every bit as much as I do, generously delivered me gifts from the Bulldogs' championship season of '76. 

From the Georgia-Clemson game that year, a snippet from one of my new presents:



Called by the late and legendary Larry Munson, I am now in possession of the Georgia Bulldog Network's radio recordings from a number of games in 1976. But wait, there's more, like recordings of Munson calling games—and, most of them in their entirety—from the 1975 and 1977 through 1982 campaigns, as well. 

I'm in absolute heaven, and I want to help share the wealth. If you're interested in obtaining any of these recently-unveiled Munson games from 1975 through 1982; you just happen to possess a vintage Georgia football radio broadcast of your own; and, you might be interested in a trade, please shoot me an email at patrick@patrickgarbin.com.

So, whether its the 1976 Florida game, featuring below the unearthed call of Munson on "Fourth and Dumb," please help, if you possibly can, my friends and I keep alive the spirit of the greatest football announcer of all time:

80 and Counting...

"80" is for (L to R) a No. 80 and his second chance for a great play; an unsurpassed success rate; and, the late and legendary Coach Russell.

We're down to 80... Everyday leading up to Georgia's season opener against North Carolina, stats guru Dave McMahon and I demonstrate six ways each number is relative and unique to UGA football. Check us out everyday at UGASports.com...

100 Days and Counting...

"100" is for (L to R) the one-time cost of a program at Sanford Stadium; Todd Gurley on a few occasions; and what few UGA quarterbacks have been able to accomplish the last 40 years--the last being Quincy Carter at Kentucky in '98.

Beginning today and starting at "100," and everyday leading up to Georgia's season opener against North Carolina, stats guru Dave McMahon and I demonstrate six ways each number is relative and unique to UGA football. Check us out everyday at UGASports.com...

Always Happy to Beat Tech

CLIFF KIMSEY (1921-2016)

Rest In Peace, Mr. Kimsey.

A couple of days ago, CLIFF KIMSEY, Georgia's oldest living football letterman, died at his home in Cornelia, Ga., at the age of 94.

A few years ago, I had the honor of interviewing Mr. Kimsey from his home, primarily in regards to his memories of the Bulldogs’ 21-19 win over Georgia Tech in 1941—what he considered the “game of his life”—which earned Georgia a spot in the Orange Bowl. A lasting memory of mine from that interview was more so than the extraordinary game he played against the Jackets was, simply, how proud Mr. Kimsey was to have been a part of defeating rival Georgia Tech—and, Mr. Kimsey absolutely loved it when Georgia beat Tech.

It all started in August of 1938, when Mr. Kimsey was hoping to earn a scholarship to attend and play football in college.  Georgia Tech’s head coach, Bill Alexander, was coaching the South team in the state’s GACA North-South All-Star Game. Mr. Kimsey was playing for the North coached by UGA’s head coach, Joel Hunt. During a week of practice leading up to the game, out of the blue, Alexander approached Mr. Kimsey, who had recently turned 17 years old. The Tech coach informed the youngster that he would actually be a better fit for the Jackets’ backfield than the boy he was recruiting at the time. But, Alexander then curiously added, “You can’t make it at Tech!” 

Mr. Kimsey told me, “Now, I’m not sure if he meant I couldn’t make it academically or football-wise, but either way, it looked like I wasn’t going to Tech.”

In what was the first annual high school all-star football game in the state, the North defeated the South 25-6 in front of 6,000 spectators at Tech’s Grant Field. Much to Hunt’s delight, and Alexander’s chagrin, Mr. Kimsey was recognized as a “star” in the North’s victory, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter.

“And, beginning with that all-star game,” Mr. Kimsey informed me with a chuckle, “I’ve always been happy to beat Tech.” 

In closing my interview with Mr. Kimsey, I referred to the Bulldogs’ recent dominance over the Yellow Jackets in football. “I’ve really enjoyed it,” he stated. “And, any win over Tech is a good win!”

Only 125 and counting...

Rest In Peace, ZIPPY.

Only 125 days until kickoff... And, from the late ZIPPY MOROCCO to the "BULLDOG BIGFOOT," see how "125" is significant in UGA football lore HERE.

Bulldog Bargains & Busts in the NFL Draft

From Bulldog "bargains," like (L to R) Terrell Davis and Len Hauss, to "busts," err, those first-rounders who unfortunately didn’t pan out, like a giant lineman/kick-blocking extraordinaire, and perhaps the greatest UGA quarterback of all time...

Click for Bulldogs who became draft “bargains,” and, let's just say, those first-rounders who unfortunately didn’t pan out...

Making Things Right, AGAIN

As the players "who most strained their potential" during the spring, CONGRATULATIONS to offensive linemen Brandon Kublanow and Isaiah Wynn, and defensive lineman John Atkins for receiving the HUGH HENDRIX AWARD--an honor that's been very close to my heart.

G-DAY: By the Names

From LEWIS Grizzard to LINDSAY Scott, the top individual performers and personalities in G-Day's 75-year history...

Quotable G-Day

Carson in '53

With the 73rd G-Day game this weekend, I thought I'd post 10 notable and historical quotes regarding the annual intrasquad spring contest. If anything, the following should exhibit how G-Day has gone from a highly-contested affair—one in which the local media and assistant coaches used to actually place odds on the game—to more of a simple, glorified scrimmage:

1953: During a 25-to-25 draw between the Red and White in 1953—a rare tie in the spring series—Red starting quarterback and All-American Zeke Bratkowski appeared to have thrown the ball too hard, and thus was dropped, on a couple of occasions to teammate John Carson—passes which, if completed, could have been the difference in a Red victory. Contrary to it being his fault, Bratkowski explained the misconnections following the contest:

John had just taken his military shots, and his left arm was still swollen.

Stoll in '57

1957: Although the teams were seemingly divided up evenly by the assistant coaches, resulting in a 48-0 rout by the White over the Red, the 1957 G-Day game is the most lopsided in the history of the annual spring game. After the blowout, Georgia coaches were absolutely bewildered over the result, including head coach Wally Butts, who remarked, "I just don't understand it. We thought we had it divided as evenly as possible." When first-year interior line coach Cal Stoll, who would eventually be the head coach at Wake Forest followed by Minnesota, was asked what he thought of the one-sided affair, he thought he'd offer up a joke regarding his defensive coaching habits during that spring:

I just want everybody to know, I've only been coaching the Whites' defense. 

Dooley in '68

1968: For the longest time, Georgia's roster was divided into two teams for G-Day—not according to who played on the first-team offense, first-team defense, second-team offense, etc.—but, by two assistant coaches, serving as the game's head coaches, and their assistants and, as mentioned, divided as evenly as possible. In 1968, the Red was head coached by assistant John Donaldson, whose staff included Billy Kinard, Ken Cooper, Doc Ayers, and Sam Mrvos, whereas the Black was head coached by Frank Inman, who was assisted by Jim Pyburn, Jim Wood, and Mike Castronis. And, what players belonged to which team was serious business. According to head coach Vince Dooley, who would be simply acting as a fan for the game:

I had trouble finding out the starters. These coaches take this game so seriously that I had to pledge secrecy before they'd give me a list of the starters.

Goff sacked by Zambiasi
during '76 G-Day

1976: Beginning in 1976, and for the next 15 years or so, notables in the media were chosen as honorary guest head coaches for G-Day. The first of such games pitted Jesse Outlar of the Atlanta Constitution coaching the Black, who benefited by having the services of No. 1 quarterback Ray Goff, against Harley Bowers of the Macon Telegraph coaching the Red, who was stuck starting the Bulldogs' No. 3 signal-caller, Anthony Flanagan (No. 2 quarterback Matt Robinson was injured). At halftime of what would be a notable upset—a 19-13 victory for the underdog Black—Outlar declared to his quarterback that if he didn't lead the Black to a couple of quick scores, he'd be fired as head coach. Goff wasn't amused:

To heck with the coach! Did you see what the other quarterback is doing? I'm the one who may get fired.

In '78, Grizzard, Dooley,
and Black QB Randy Cook

1978: For the 1978 G-Day game, the honorary coaches were the legendary Lewis Grizzard for the Black and WSB Radio's Phil Schaefer for the Red. Behind tailback Willie McClendon, the Black throttled the Red, 24-0, including scoring a touchdown on the final play of the game. Afterwards, Grizzard was jokingly asked why he didn't go for two points following the final touchdown and really run the score up. Grizzard quipped he had been too busy hugging the cheerleaders to realize he had scored—and, it was the only mistake he made the entire contest. Schaefer was then not too complimentary of the game's officials, whereby Grizzard joked again:

I thought my Uncle Charley called a good game!

Dooley and Schaefer

1982: Four years after Grizzard and Schaefer squared off on G-Day, head coach Vince Dooley was still telling the story of how much the latter media member endured in a losing effort:

That's the way it is when you lose. The year broadcaster Phil Schaefer coached a losing team, everyone ran off and left him, and he had to walk back to the Coliseum. 

Griffith

1984: More than twenty years removed since serving as head football coach at Georgia, Johnny Griffith reportedly still contributed to the Bulldog Club, attended games, was friends with then-head coach Vince Dooley and, between himself and his business as the executive vice president of a stone-crushing company, bought more than 20 season tickets. However, as the Bulldogs' head coach from 1961 through 1963, when he won just 10 games in three seasons between the legendary tenures of Wally Butts and Dooley, Griffith was regarded as Georgia's "forgotten coach"—and, how! In 1984, G-Day was to not feature a customary intrasquad game for the first time, but a game pitting the then-current players against an Alumni team. Overseen by executive secretary of the Bulldog Club, Loran Smith, hundreds of invitations were mailed to Georgia alumni, asking for them to participate in some manner in the annual G-Day game. Curiously, Griffith did not receive an invitation, although Smith had a logical explanation for the omission of the Bulldogs' former head coach:

A processing error.

1984: Leading up to the Team-Alumni G-Day game of '84, worthy of mention was the fact Leroy Dukes—a starting linebacker on Coach Dooley's first team 20 years before, who had gained roughly 50 pounds since his 190-pound playing weight—would be playing opposite of his son, redshirt freshman quarterback David Dukes. According to the elder Dukes, who worked as manager of the Ramada Inn Hotel in Athens:

I want to get [into the game for] just one play—a blitz in the split 60 [defensive formation]—so I can tackle David.  

In the second quarter, it was reported Leroy "waddled on the field, blitzed before the ball was snapped and grabbed" David, but couldn't bring his son down. Having appeared for the one play, as he promised, Leroy "puffed back to the sideline," whereupon he removed his No. 42 jersey, giving it to teammate Bill Krug (1975-1977), and then put on a specially made "I Survived" t-shirt.

Ray (L) and Scott (R) Rissmiller

1989: Five years after the first Team-Alumni G-Day game, Georgia featured the second—and, likely the last game—of its kind. Like the initial one, the second Team-Alumni game featured a father-son pair squaring off: lineman Ray Rissmiller, an All-American in 1964, against freshman guard, and son, Scott Rissmiller. And, like the game from five years before, according to the elder Rissmiller, the father and son had a close confrontation on the gridiron:

One time [in the game] this [opposing] guard spun me off, and I was waiting for him to finish me off, but he went by me. After the play, I heard, "Are you all right, Daddy?"

Donnan in '96

1996: From a competitive contest, to one coached by media members, to an affair featuring an Alumni squad, G-Day drastically changed over time to more so a scrimmage structured solely for evaluation purposes by exhibiting multiple units and player combinations. By the 1990s, how the Red and the Black squads actually performed on the field was fairly insignificant as evident just prior to the 1996 G-Day game according to Georgia's then-new head coach, Jim Donnan:

If we look like an outhouse or penthouse [at G-Day], I'm not going to worry about. I hope people are still going to come see us play next year.

Counting Down the Days (Day 150)

150 days until the Dawgs kickoff their 2016 season... And, how is "150" significant to UGA football lore? Dave McMahon and I of UGASports.com explain HERE.

Use your knowledge of The Classic City...

From my blog's sponsor: We know you know Athens. Now we're hoping to use your knowledge to figure out out the best places to go and things to do in one of America's most iconic college towns. Share some of your favorites by helping us answer the questions at this link!

Albeit for a single play, Georgia's all-time "Wonders"

(L to R): From LITTLE HANKS to LITTLE BILLY (No. 22), resulting in quarterback Preston Ridlehuber's (No. 12) touchdown run vs. UNC to DAVID ARCHER's heroics vs. Georgia Tech, GEORGIA's all-time "One-Play Wonders"...

After a conversation with Coach Dooley, and his fondness for the play executed by "Little Billy," my updated all-time "One-Play Wonders" in UGA football history...

Oh, Muddy Waters...

Checkout my UGASports.com Q&A with mid-1980s pass-rush specialist Greg "Muddy" Waters HERE...

It's the Individuals that are the Essence

(L to R): Georgia's Brendan Douglas; Pat Douglas at Georgia, at
Georgia Southern; and Erk Russell at Georgia, at Georgia Southern.

I was planning on writing a post about the 1892 Georgia-Auburn game since today is the 124th anniversary of the first contest played in the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry." However, within an hour of me figuring for work that Brendan Douglas needs 285 rushing yards in 2016 to become the 50th Georgia player in history to total 1,000 for a career, I ironically had a phone conversation with Pat Douglas, Brendan's father, prompting me to totally switch gears, so to speak.

First off, in speaking with Pat, I see why Brendan is such a courteous and likable young man; as they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And, like his son currently, Pat was once a Georgia football player, as well. Still, by having had a relationship with one of the greatest Bulldogs of all time, Pat holds a distinction that no one else can claim.

Pat was a walk-on, scout-team defensive back at Georgia from 1978 to 1980. When the Bulldogs' acclaimed defensive coordinator Erk Russell accepted the head coaching job at Georgia Southern College to build a program from scratch after the school had not played football for 40 years, Pat followed Coach Russell to Statesboro.

In just 14 career games at Georgia Southern from 1981 to 1982, including a three-game exhibition/scrimmage schedule which comprised the entire '81 season, Pat remarkably made 12 interceptions and returned a punt for a touchdown. The only individual to play under Russell at both Georgia and Georgia Southern, Pat would then be an assistant under the legendary coach for three seasons, culminating with the Eagles capturing a I-AA national championship in 1985—their first of four titles over the next six years. 

Like my post on how the Georgia-Georgia Southern series originally unfolded, this piece may seem a better fit around the time the schools play one another. However, concerned with more so than simply the teams' rivalry, this post is meant to convey just one of countless examples of how one of the greatest Bulldogs of them all greatly impacted—for the second time—a college program, as told by one of the individuals who knew him best.

"'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'—Coach Russell had that saying on his office wall," Pat informed me. "That was his attitude, his demeanor."

Like a lot of people, I have always had a strong admiration for Erk Russell, and his capability of "turning lemons into lemonade," whether involving individuals, or defensive units, like at Georgia in 1975 and the Junkyard Dogs defense, or even entire football programs, like at Georgia Southern during the early 1980s. Pat Douglas was there to witness the entire transformation of the latter.

I was curious how a single individual could be primarily responsible for the miracle of developing a program from a three-game club team one year to a national champion, playing in only its second season at the I-AA level, just four years later.

"Simply, how could one individual—Coach Russell—be responsible for a lot of what Georgia Southern was able to achieve so fast?" I asked Pat.

"You said 'a lot of that' was Coach Russell, I say 'nearly all of that' was Coach Russell," Pat replied. "Besides Coach Russell, nobody in the world could have developed a team that fast to a national championship at a program which didn't even own a football at its inception."

Pat was not joking...

Minutes away from Georgia Southern holding a press conference announcing Erk Russell as its head football coach in May of 1981 in front of a gathering of college and town people, the school's athletic director and president agreed that maybe something football-related, like a football, should be on display. 

But, there was a problem: there wasn't a football in sight, in fact, the college didn't even own one at the time.

"They got somebody to run across to K-Mart and buy a football," Pat recalled. "He ran back over, and tossed the football to the athletic director just in time to start the press conference."

Pat concluded, "That's what you call 'starting from scratch.'"

And I'll add, that's what you call making lemonade when you didn't even own a lemon four years before.

From the prominent, like UGA-Auburn, to the much lesser, like UGA-Georgia Southern, rivalries certainly are a part of the great tradition and lore of University of Georgia football. Still, it's more so the individuals both past and present, like Erk Russell and the Douglas', and their stories, which are the essence of college football in its entirety. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Jasper Sanks

The good folks at Rivals made my interview with Jasper Sanks available for FREE at UGASports.com. Check it out HERE. 

Curious Moves from the Past

From Blake Barnes to Aaron Murray to Jacob Park, Coach Richt 
had a tendency to land out-of-state quarterbacks, all while 
curiously signing an insufficient total number of signal callers.

Looking through an overload of historical data while preparing for the upcoming National Signing Day, something regarding Georgia's quarterback signees from the last decade or so really grabbed my attention: 

Beginning with Blake Barnes (Baldwyn, MS) in 2004 and including Jacob Eason (Lake Stevens, WA) this year, nine of the Bulldogs' 12 quarterback signees the last 13 years hailed from outside the state of Georgia. 

Wondering if the Bulldogs' desire for out-of-state quarterbacks during the Coach Richt era was an unusual tendency compared to previous coaching regimes at the school, I began with 1977—or, the first season the NCAA limited scholarships—discovering every Georgia quarterback signee, and the hometown of each. 

Comparatively speaking, I found the out-of-state trend regarding Bulldog signal callers has indeed been rather unusual (the percent of QB signees being from out of state is followed by the Georgia head coach and his measured seasons):

25 percent (10 of 40)—Vince Dooley, 1977-1988

15 percent (2 of 13)—Ray Goff, 1989-1995

22 percent (2 of 9)—Jim Donnan, 1996-2000

62 percent (8 of 13)—Mark Richt, 2001-2015

Still, I would become even more so bewildered...

Coming on the heels of discovering Georgia's average signing class consisted of nearly one-and-a-half fewer offensive linemen from 2008 through 2015 (averaged 3.6 OL signees per class) compared to 2001 through 2007 (averaged 4.9 OL signees per class), I was first taken aback when noticing as many quarterbacks were signed during the Goff era as Richt's (13)—and, Goff's regime lasted less than half as long as that of the recently departed. 

Never mind their hometowns—again, comparatively speaking—why did Coach Richt sign so few quarterbacks? (the annual average number of QB signees followed by the Georgia head coach):

3.33 (40 QB signees in 12 seasons)—Dooley

1.86 (13 QB signees in 7 seasons)—Goff

1.80 (9 QB signees in 5 seasons)—Donnan

0.87 (13 QB signees in 15 seasons)—Richt

So, maybe times had changed; no longer needed was an average of nearly two quarterbacks signed on an annual basis, and certainly not more than three as was the case during the last half of the Dooley era. In this age of college football, perhaps it was quite normal for a major program to average less than one quarterback signee per year.

Not really.

Knowing Georgia had ranked sixth among current big-5 conference schools in overall winning percentage during the Richt era, for a sampling, I looked up the number of quarterback signees from 2001 through 2015 of the five schools which ranked ahead of the Bulldogs in winning percentage: 1) Ohio State, 2) Oklahoma, 3) LSU, 4) TCU, and 5) Oregon.

Compared to Georgia's total of 13 QB signees the previous 15 years, or 0.87 annually, the five other programs averaged exactly 17 QB signees from 2001 to 2015, or 1.21 annually. The difference isn't necessarily significant like when compared to Georgia's previous coaching regimes; still, it's inconsistent enough to mention. 

Therefore, why do I even make mention?

Honestly, it's in no attempt whatsoever to "pile on" our previous coaching and support staff—to "hate" on a head coach who left the school two months ago. Georgia has a new head coach, the old one is now in Miami, and I hope only the best for Mark Richt.

Still, I'm left to wonder how a former quarterback, and a coach of quarterbacks for years, who just said last May, "I think I'd always feel better with four or five [quarterbacks] on scholarship, quite frankly, just as a normal practice," did not sign an adequate number of quarterbacks as "normal practice"? More so, at the same time for nearly a decade, he signed an insufficient number of offensive linemen, as well?

And, Georgia sure could have used some extra offensive linemen and another quarterback or two this past season—we can all agree to that.

The previous coaching regime undoubtedly did some wonderful things for the University of Georgia and its football program for a lengthy, 15-year period. However, it made some rather curious maneuvers as well. Some of these questionable moves finally caught up with the program last year—that was evident. 

Unfortunately, such actions from the previous leadership will seemingly impact the current staff. The question is, how long will it take the current leadership to stop the bleeding?

A Good Solution?

Georgia's A.O. Halsey

Facing Mercer at Alumni Athletic Field in front of 1,500 spectators, the UGA football program played its initial game on this date 124 years ago today. I've blogged about this momentous and historical event on several occasions, including mentioning how the end result should not have been what the record books indicate: Georgia 50, Mercer 0.

Instead, exactly why should the Red and Black have prevailed by a 60-0 score that afternoon on what would be renamed "Herty Field"?

According to A.O. Halsey, Georgia's starting right tackle for the contest, "the official scorer had made two trips across to the dispensary during the game," missing two Red and Black touchdowns, counting four points each, and an extra point, worth two points at the time.

I have always been intrigued with Halsey's claim ever since first reading it in John Stegeman's The Ghosts of Herty Field. Similarly to how someone nowadays would walk from North Campus, cross Broad Street, and walked into, say, Blue Sky, I have pictured the official scorer leaving the field early with the score 50 to 0, crossing Broad Street (while maybe watching out for passing horse-and-buggies), and entering the Broad Street Dispensary.

Yet, turns out, the Broad Street Dispensary was not your run-of-the-mill, well-established bar but rather, despite "dispensing" alcohol, what was considered a new "solution to the alcohol problem in Clarke County."

Years before foot-ball came to the UGA campus, Athens attempted to implement a city-wide prohibition, only to discover it produced black market liquor. In turn, the corruption caused more drunkenness, crime, and health issues in the city. A "dispensary" was believed to be a solution, guaranteeing only high quality liquor would be sold in Clarke County while bringing in new revenue to Athens.

A few months prior to the Dispensary's grand opening in late September of 1891, The Athens Banner outlined "the dispensary plan," or "A Good Solution," which included the elimination of "blind tigers":

I'm reminded of a t-shirt I recall occasionally seeing on campus when I was a student during the 1990s, declaring that Athens was "a drinking town with a college problem." Apparently, the same was true a century before in the 1890s as the Dispensary provided little "solution" at all. You could say, the Auburn and Clemson teams weren't the only "tigers" Athens had to contend with as "blind tigers," or illegal bars, would prevail in and around the city. In time, the controlled liquor sales of the Dispensary, which was also believed to be a "corrupting influence" on Athens politics, was just as much frowned upon by many residents as their disdain for illegal liquor. 

Alas, the Broad Street Dispensary, or the reason why Georgia wasn't credited with 10 points it had earned against Mercer in 1892, finally closed its doors on New Year's Eve, 1907, the day before state-wide prohibition went into effect.