'13 Defense: Actually Better than Before?

Grantham and Garrison are pumped for 2013 
... and based on the Bulldogs' inexperienced 
defensive past, they should be.

One of my writing assignments for the newly-released DAWGTIME preseason magazine was to preview Georgia's upcoming defense—a unit deeply depleted from a year ago (as we are all fully aware).  Still, the Bulldogs' school-record seven defenders drafted into the NFL did not seem to daunt my four interviewees for the article—Garrison Smith, Ray Drew, Damian Swann, and Todd Grantham.

 

"We actually have eight guys on this year’s team who have started on defense before," Grantham was quick to point out when I brought up the fact Georgia returns just four starters from last year's unit (and really just three if you consider the top 11 defenders as far as their number of starts in 2012).  Yes, the coach is correct—eight guys return who have starting experience on the defensive side of the ball.  However, that includes Devin Bowman (1 career start), Connor Norman (2), and Malcolm Mitchell, who started three games at cornerback last year, but will presumably play only wide receiver in 2013.  

 

The bottom line is that Georgia returns just 59 career defensive starts, and from what I discovered, that is the Bulldogs' lowest returning total in 35 years since the 1978 team.

 

An additional telling statistic measuring a team's returning experience on defense, and another which is Georgia's lowest since 1978, is one utilized by the acclaimed Phil Steele in his forecasting: percentage of the returning number of tackles from the previous year.  In returning tackles from 2011, Georgia ranks 126th in the FBS, or dead last, returning players who totaled just 34.0 percent of the team's tackles a year ago.

 

How indicative is a team's percentage of tackles returning?  Well, in the FBS from 2011 to 2012, rather revealing.  I found that 16 FBS schools entered 2012 returning 48 percent or less of their tackles from the previous season.  Of these 16 teams, 10 would allow more points in 2012 than 2011, 11 yielded more offensive yards, and most importantly, just three of the 16 bettered their record from 2011.  Makes sense to me: the less tackles a team has returning, the less tacklers are coming back, rendering a more inexperienced defense which causes most defenses to be in decline from the previous season.  However, as I've presented on this blog a number of times before, Georgia is not like most teams, and its historical trending patterns seem to often go against the norm.

 

No longer the Junkyard Dogs, the inexperienced 
Wonderdog defense of '78 seemingly improved
from Georgia's defensive unit the year before.  

I soon recalled Georgia's 1978 team returning just three defensive starters from the year before, and then calculated that only 31.9 percent of the team's tackles from '77 returned.  Defensively, things looked bleak for the Bulldogs entering that season and such despair was following a losing 5-6 campaign the year before.  However, as a preseason forecast stated, "Defensive Coach Erk Russell has been known to work miracles," and miracles were indeed worked that year.  Led by an opportune defense, which allowed less than 15 points per game, the '78 "Wonderdogs" shocked the nation with a 9-1-1 regular-season mark.

 

Entering the last 38 seasons beginning in 1976, I discovered just seven instances, including 1978 and 2013, the Bulldogs returned roughly 50 percent or less of their number of tackles from the year before:

 

1978- 31.9 percent

2013- 34.0

1989- 46.1

1992- 47.1

2007- 48.3

2002- 49.5

2010- 50.6

 

Interestingly, four of the six listed campaigns above (excluding 2013) were outstanding years at Georgia—four top-11 finishes in the final AP regular-season poll.  And, for all six seasons, the Bulldogs had admirable defensive units.  I compared these six—the 1978, 1989, 1992, 2002, 2007, and 2010 at-or-less-than-50-percent-returning-tackles seasons—to their previous campaigns, and both sets averaged the exact same number of yards yielded per game (324).  Curiously, Georgia's at-or-less-than-50-percent-returning-tackles set allowed nearly 2½ less points per game (17.0 to 19.4) and most significant, averaged a better record of more than a one-game increase from the previous season (6½ games better for the six seasons combined).

 

In short, most college football defenses go into a decline in seasons when the unit would be regarded as inexperienced compared to its previous year, and rightfully so.  However, on the whole, this hasn't been the case at Georgia.  In fact, the Bulldogs' defense, and the team's overall record, tends to actually get better than before when featuring a depleted defensive unit. 

 

Historical trends aside, the Bulldogs' talent-filled defense allowed nearly 20 points and 360 yards per game last year.  Against the run specifically, Georgia gave up a staggering 182.1 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry—both the highest averages for a Bulldog defense since 1994.  Therefore, one could argue Georgia's NFL-laden defense of 2012 was actually the most yielding of the Coach Richt era.

"A year ago, there was some talent playing behind that NFL talent; it's just that some of us didn't get to play a whole lot," Drew told me.  "Considering that, plus the depth we'll have this season, I think our defense will be just fine." 

Considering that—what Drew says—plus the fact the Bulldogs tend to buck certain trends which inhibit other teams, instead of inexperienced, Georgia's defense may very well be distinguished by another "I" word in 2013—improved.

Diary of a Dawg Night Wait-lister

As I've mentioned here a number of times before, I have limited interest in high school football recruiting.  I tend to follow a player upon him becoming a Georgia Bulldog, and not before so.  Nevertheless, I found myself intrigued a week ago with UGA's "Dawg Night," and the desire of a young man -- a Dawg Night "wait-lister," so to speak -- to perhaps become one of the fortunate ones to eventually sign with Georgia.

 

Last week, I knew little regarding UGA's Dawg Night, but was interested in what exactly a prospect experienced at the event.  The articles I discovered primarily dealt with which recruits committed to Georgia during the night, but not what they actually encountered.  I did discover a few articles with supposed inside information on some recruits' thoughts on Dawg Night, but those particular pay-site pieces were for "insiders" only -- no pay, no insight.   

 

As fate would have it, I was put in touch with the father of Shiloh High School's Cameron Stewart a few days following Dawg Night.  Cameron and his father didn't know it, but I was quite familiar with the soon-to-be junior wide receiver.  I lived in Snellville from 2003 to 2012, including covering high school sports as a correspondent for the Gwinnett Daily Post for several years.  I might know little about high school recruiting, but I still follow football in Gwinnett County rather closely.

 

I was first familiarized with the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Stewart following his defender's-hand-under-facemask, leaping catch against Meadowcreek as a mere sophomore a year ago (photo).  Cameron finished the 2012 season with 26 catches for 615 yards and 9 touchdowns.  His receiving yards were nearly half that of his entire team's; the rest of the Shiloh squad combined for less than half (four) his number of receiving touchdowns.  Nicknamed "Calvin Johnson Jr.," Stewart also runs a 4.5 in the 40, and maintains a 3.0 GPA.

 

Some sophomore highlights of Cameron:
 

 

A number of schools have come calling for Stewart, including Auburn, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech.  The receiver, who still has two years remaining of high school ball, has been given offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Louisville.  But, so far, nothing has come from Georgia -- a school located less than an hour from his home.

This summer, Cameron has been invited to his fair share of collegiate football camps.  At one camp just prior to Dawg Night, Kipp Adams of ESPN/Dawg Nation felt compelled to tweet, "Remember this name Cameron Stewart 6'3" WR Shiloh HS."  Regardless, a few days later as far as an invite to Dawg Night, again, nothing came from Georgia.

Cameron's father, Randy, visited Georgia's "2013 Coach Richt's Football Camps" webpage and was confronted with the following: 2013 Dawg Night registration has met capacity. If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list for this camp, please call 706-542-1515 for details.  Randy called for details and was greeted with an automated message, declaring Dawg Night was filled, but if the recruit's contact information was given, he'd be placed on a waiting list.  If spots came available, Georgia would reach out to the most deserving recruits. 

A spot must have become available rather quickly because Georgia was soon in touch with Cameron, asking him to attend its Dawg Night.  The wait-lister had turned invitee in less than two hours.

Regardless of the rain and the fact one could tell which recruits were the highly anticipated, and which were the last accepted (by the jerseys the players wore -- evidently, there was a slight difference in the jersey appearance between the recruits Georgia had been expecting for some time compared to the last-minute wait-listers), Cameron had a "great time" at Dawg Night.  Prospects were first weighed and their heights measured.  After being informed about the UGA football program, the players were then divided into groups, where they underwent drills.

I just had to ask what was Cameron's favorite part of Dawg Night...  Apparently, during the drills, Stewart's performance turned the heads of both assistant Tony Ball and Mark Richt.  This wait-lister was taken aside and given unanticipated "special attention" from one who would be his position coach and the head Bulldog of them all.  Not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the event to begin with...

Again, I might know little about high school football recruiting, but I do know my UGA football history and am quite aware of the numerous local players -- those that would turn out to be standouts for other schools -- the Bulldogs have let slip through their fingers over time.  Of course, with the abundance of talented recruits available seemingly from all over, such unawareness will inevitably result and obviously occurs at every major program. 

As I was ending my call with Randy, I asked if Georgia happened to show Cameron some interest in the near future would the star receiver suddenly be attracted to becoming a Bulldog.  "Then, UGA would definitely be in the mix!" he confirmed.  Randy then bided me farewell speaking from a restaurant in Nashville, where his son had just finished his stay as an invitee to Vanderbilt's Elite Camp IV.

Following the conversation, I was reminded of one of the reasons why I don't follow recruiting closely: it's difficult for me to comprehend why a recruit is considered a wait-lister by some, but an A-lister by others.  Regardless, and as tweeted, remember this name -- Cameron Stewart.  And, it would likely be in Georgia's best interest to remember it as well when the Bulldogs extend their initial invites next time they hold camp. 

Pulpwood (Candidly) Spoke

I wanted to announce that my newest UGA football book -- GAME OF MY LIFE Georgia Bulldogs -- has recently been printed and released by my publisher in New York.  For what it's worth, I can honestly say it is my favorite of the six book projects I have completed. 

 

As mentioned here before, I was granted permission to co-author the book with my father, and that made the project extra special.  Also, I was fortunate enough to sit down and interview 25 standout Bulldog players from the past, whose ages span from 22 to 91 years old, and not only hear about the "game of their life," so to speak, but also simply their life experiences in general, on and off the UGA campus, and on and off the football field.  

Notably, a conscious effort was made by us for the book to be different from the dozens of previous ones on UGA football by revealing the untold stories of a number of great players.  There have been many standout players in history to don the red and black, but unfortunately only a select number of them have been featured in a book.  As I asked my father at the beginning of the project, "Surely, even a punter has a game of his life, right?"   

These stories entertained us, and some made us laugh, while even a couple made us tear up.  Above all, the stories we were told educated and enlightened my father and I.  Our hope is that we were able to convey these accounts in the pages of the manuscript, giving each player their due.

Over the last few months, I've been asked several times which of the 25 interviews was my favorite.  Honestly, they were all so pleasing, but different, it's impossible for me to answer that.  However, thumbing through the book, I just caught a glimpse of what I believe was my favorite and perhaps the most meaningful quote from a player.

Pulpwood today -- no longer
with gasoline drawers on

Speaking of "different," I've blogged about Andre "Pulpwood" Smith before, including just after I interviewed him for the book.  He certainly gave a one-of-a-kind interview, especially in regards to his up-and-down life since flunking out of UGA following his one-hit wonder season of 1984.  Pulpwood was more than straightforward with me, including in explaining his circumstances while recovering in a hospital in 1997 after being shot in the back: "I had been through hell with gasoline drawers on and thought I might die," he declared.

Like the other two dozen accounts, Pulpwood's story has a happy ending.  He became a Christian, escaping his life of crime and drugs, while discovering there were people "out there from my past that really loved me."  Still, he admits, "I've actually had people, including some teammates, recently tell me, 'I thought you were dead!'"

The book is titled "Game of My Life," but it's just as much about the life experiences of those we once cheered for.  Some of these players still remain in the spotlight, whereas you may have not heard the names of others for years.  The experiences they share in the book span from one extreme to the other -- from the customary encounters to going to hell wearing gasoline drawers.

The book can be found at local bookstores and via online dealers, but your best bet, avoiding paying sales tax and inflated shipping charges, is to purchase the book directly from me at my online bookstore -- PatrickGarbin.org.  I sell my books at retail price and will ship all orders, whether you buy 1 or say 1,000 books, for 99 cents.  Plus, my co-author and I will happily throw in our complimentary signatures (especially if you were to purchase 1,000...).

Wrong Call! Wrong Call!

 If not for a couple of "gifts," (pictured L to R in '47 Sugar Bowl) Charley Trippi, Joe Geri,
"Rabbit" Smith, and their teammates perhaps would've been withheld from a perfect 1946 season.

I hope everyone had a Happy July 4th!  My holiday began yesterday with an unexpected, mid-morning phone call from an 85-year-old gentleman from Dacula, whom I'd never spoken with before.  The man said he hated to bother me on the holiday morning, but he was wondering where he could get a copy of my newest book on UGA football. (Well, with that being said, you're no bother at all, and for anyone else interested, the book can be purchased at a discount directly from me beginning early next week, but more on that, well, early next week...)

 

During our conversation, I inquired with my new friend what I often ask from those I meet who have been following the Bulldogs for many moons: What are some of your greatest memories of Georgia football?

 

The man was filled with a number of compelling stories from yesteryear, including one of assistant coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan serving as his instructor for a P.E. class at UGA during the late-40s.  "But one in particular really sticks out in my mind after all these years," he told me.  "You know, Patrick, we really got outplayed by UNC in Charley Trippi's last game for Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.  We won 20-10, but it seemed the officials were really on our side.  Afterwards, UNC raised Cain!"

 

My friend detailed the 1947 Sugar Bowl between the undefeated Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels, featuring Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice, and two questionable rulings by officials, which made a drastic difference in the bowl's scoring.  I had never heard or read of such lore, so I was all ears as the man recalled himself listening to the radio while distressing over what had been a rather one-sided affair.  That is, until Georgia caught a break, or two.

 

Midway through the third quarter, UNC led 7-0 and was looking for more before Georgia's Joe Tereshinski intercepted a pass, lateraled the ball to Dick McPhee, who sprinted more than 60 yards, nearly scoring a touchdown.  "Wrong call!  Wrong call!" evidently the unbiased national radio announcer proclaimed.  Apparently, Tereshinski's pitch was an illegal forward lateral and instead of Georgia possessing the ball deep in UNC territory, the Bulldogs should have taken over deep inside their own.  Georgia tied the score three plays later.  

 

In the fourth quarter, UNC's Ken Powell caught a 20-yard touchdown before falling into Georgia's Charles "Rabbit" Smith in the end zone.  Curiously, Powell was called for pass interference and the touchdown was negated.  With that, and for a second time, the radio announcer declared, "Wrong call!  Wrong call!"  and the Tar Heels would come away with no points.  To this day, there are a handful of UNC old timers who still wonder how a receiver can interfere with a defender, when he is in front of the defender while facing the oncoming ball.

 

The man's story of how Georgia apparently was on the "good" side of a couple of bad calls, which helped the Bulldogs capture the Sugar Bowl and, thus, complete a perfect 11-0 season, compelled me to list my opinion (and gather a few video clips) of Georgia's all-time most questionable game-deciding rulings -- official calls, whether they went against the Bulldogs or in their favor,  that likely wouldn't be made today because of instant replay or other rule changes.  

1947 Sugar Bowl: On Tereshinski's forward lateral, an official actually ran to the spot of the toss, standing there for a moment, but didn't call the return back.  On the second call in question, Powell not only caught the touchdown in front of Smith, but was then knocked out cold by the "Rabbit" and had to be removed from the field, yet the receiver was called for the interference. 

 

1965 Alabama: Trailing by a touchdown, Georgia executes one of the greatest plays in school history -- the Moore-to-Hodgson-to-Taylor famous 73-yard flea-flicker.  As noted before, common belief is that the Bulldogs got away with one because Hodgson's knees appeared to be touching the ground when he pitched the lateral to Moore.  However, the officials would claim the Georgia end never had complete control of the ball, therefore Hodgson's lateral was more like a batted ball to Taylor (therefore, his knees were allowed to touch).  Still, to some examiners of the play, Hodgson not only appears to have both knees grounded, but also seems to be in control of the ball...  

 

1968 Tennessee: Losing by eight points, Tennessee completes a 20-yard touchdown on the game's final play, and then passes for two points to "defeat" Georgia, 17-17.  The touchdown pass caught by Gary Kreis, who appeared to trap the football as he rolled over the Bulldogs' goal line, was later examined by the media, which "conclusively" decided Kreis never had control of the scoring pass. 

1984 Cotton Bowl: Quarterback John Lastinger runs for a 17-yard, game-winning touchdown against second-ranked Texas in the 1984 Cotton Bowl.  Lastinger, who was driven out of bounds while crossing the goal line, informed me for my latest book, "Honestly, I think by today's standards with instant replay, I would have been ruled out just short of the goal line."  Notably, even possessing the ball on the 1-yard line, a touchdown was no certainty for a running game, which had been dismal the entire contest, pitted against arguably the greatest defense in the history of college football.

1992 Auburn: Down by four points, Auburn attempts a running play inside Georgia's 1-yard line, but is stopped short of the goal line.  Chaos ensues as some Bulldog defenders argue for possession, others lay on top of Tiger players, all while officials somehow allow the final 19 valuable seconds to tick off the clock.  In today's sport, the Tigers undoubtedly get to run another play, maybe two.

1993 Florida: Known as "The Timeout," with five seconds remaining, Eric Zeier completes a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jerman, pulling Georgia within a point of Florida, 33-32.  But, the head linesman rules a Gators' cornerback had called timeout just prior to the snap of the ball.  The Bulldogs wind up losing the game.  Head coach Ray Goff travels to Birmingham to complain at SEC headquarters, where it is explained that as soon as an official sees a player calling timeout, as soon as he "receives it in his mind" (huh?), it's a dead play.

 

Late-90s GA Tech: The final three meetings of the 1990s between Georgia and Tech feature controversial, game-deciding plays -- two of which go in the Yellow Jackets' favor: A pass interference against Georgia Tech, leading to Georgia's game-winning touchdown in '97; Joe Hamilton's "non-fumble" in 1998; Jasper Sanks' "phantom fumble" in 1999.  Replays of the worst ruling -- Sanks' fumble -- undeniably show the Georgia back down prior to fumbling the football.  The '99 game’s officials, regarded as the best in the conference, were scheduled to officiate the following week’s SEC Championship Game until their blunder; they were suspended by the conference for their mistake.



A few others of note:

• Florida's stolen "fumble recovery" by Jack Youngblood in 1970, totally turning around a game Georgia appeared to have clinched, coming a year after a tie in '69 when the Gators were granted an additional play resulting in a field goal as officials accused photographers  of being too close to the field. 
• The Bulldogs' 14-13 lead over 19-point and third-ranked Alabama in '73 with less than three minutes remaining (and Georgia had the ball!) quickly turns for the worse when what should have been pass interference and then roughing the punter are not called on consecutive plays, whereupon the Tide score two touchdowns in the game's final two minutes.
• Trailing BYU by a touchdown late in '82, a John Lastinger-to-Herschel Walker-to-Mike Weaver maneuver of pushing the ball forward under the pile after the play, barely picking up a critical first down for the Bulldogs, directly leads to a 14-14 tie and later a 17-14 victory for Georgia. 

As indicated, Georgia has certainly experienced a number of game-deciding, curious calls over the years -- some turned out good for the Bulldogs, others bad, and one from 1999 that's difficult to even think about.  Regardless, what's done is done -- "wrong call" or not.  And, as Coach Dooley said while heated debate continued days after his Georgia team was tied by Tennessee in '68 on evidently an incomplete pass, "You don't win college football games on Sunday."

The Name Game

Morocco was a two-sport star at 
UGA with a unique name perhaps 
unequaled by any other Bulldog  

You know it's the college football offseason when...

 

I was thumbing through my recently arrived Phil Steele College Football Preview, checking out Georgia's competition for the upcoming season, when I noticed a "Pig" is slated to start at one of Tennessee's wide receiver positions.

 

Sophomore Alton "Pig" Howard played some for the Vols as a freshman a year ago, including having a couple of touches at Georgia.  However, I must have missed the Pig's performance against the Bulldogs.  Surely, what has to be one of the sport's most unusual nicknames, which was given to Howard by his family when he was little because he was "fat and fast," would have caught my attention back in late September.  Nevertheless, "Pig" recently made me ponder about Georgia's Puss, Pulpwood, and the other great nicknames in the history of Bulldogs' football.

 

There have been a number of well-thought-out UGA football all-time "name" teams posted over the last several years (which seem to always be highlighted by Wycliffe Lovelace of the mid to late 1980s).  However, I've made an attempt to post Georgia football's all-time top nicknames, like Tennessee's Pig, which essentially were or became more so the players' first names.

 

The following top-10 listing was compiled from off the top of my head, so I probably omitted a few other worthy nicknames.  Please comment if you can think of any others I missed.   

1. (ZIPPY) Anthony Morocco: The Georgia halfback from 1949 to 1951 with the intriguing name would be recognized as the state's first collegiate basketball All-American and remains the only Bulldog chosen in both the NFL and NBA drafts.  The name "Zippy Morocco" was so locally acclaimed, it became the title of a song in the early 2000s by the late and distinguished folk rock singer, Vic Chesnutt.  In 2005, a book on UGA football declared Zippy got his name from his "stop and go style" on a basketball court.  Curiously, however, he recently told me for my upcoming book that he was named "Zippy" while he was a youngster, hustling to sell newspapers in Youngstown, Ohio.  "I ran around and then would sometimes jump up and hit parking signs, zipping from one place to another," he informed me.   

2. (PUSS) Hugh Whelchel: A nickname of "Puss" certainly must have signified something different during the 1920s as it does today because ineffectual and timid Whelchel was not.  From 1919 to 1922, the standout guard blocked 19 career kicks, including two which were returned for touchdowns in Georgia's celebrated victory over Alabama in 1920.  Also known as the "Dashing Douglas Blonde," the Douglas native was a two-time All-Southern selection, captain of Georgia's 1922 team, and far from what we regard today as a "puss."  Against Vanderbilt as a senior, Whelchel played much of a 12-0 defeat so "battered into semi-consciousness" that he was not aware his Bulldogs actually lost the game until well after the contest had finished.   

3. (PULPWOOD) Andre Smith: At 12 years old, Smith was asked by a recreation department coach, Walter Huckaby, how was it he could be so strong to hit towering home runs into the tops of some trees behind an outfield fence at Wheeler Park in Douglas.  Smith, who helped his father log pulpwood trees, responded with one word -- Pulpwood.  "Mr. Huckaby started calling me that, and the nickname stuck," Pulpwood informed me for my recent book.  Even Smith's two brothers' nicknames, Chainsaw and Sawdust, were derived from his logging-related nickname.  Although Pulpwood's UGA varsity career consisted of just 13 games, his sophomore campaign of 1984 (team-high 655 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, and 12 receptions) remains arguably the greatest single season ever by a Bulldog who solely played the fullback position.

4. (WAR EAGLE) Harold Ketron: Lineman "War Eagle" Ketron of the early 1900s was one of the school's first star athletes.  The rugged and hard-nosed Ketron earned the nickname as a youngster as the phrase was often his battle cry with his brothers heard throughout the valleys of Habersham County.  Ketron lettered from 1901 to 1903, captaining the ’03 squad, before returning to UGA to play again in 1906 after a two-season hiatus to join his younger brother on the team -- a fellow lineman also with a unique name, Grover Cleveland Ketron.  War Eagle, who was said to spit tobacco juice on occasion in his opponent’s eye before making a tackle, would become a Georgia assistant coach and later was primarily responsible for enticing and luring one of the greatest Bulldogs of them all from the hills of Pennsylvania to Athens -- Charley Trippi.



An excellent defender against both the pass and
run, Happy sacks Kentucky's QB for a safety in '66

5. (HAPPY) Robert Dicks: Although the legend it is linked to is not completely accurate, the complete name Happy Dicks has to be one of the most fascinating and amusing in all of college football.  Besides legendary Bill Stanfill, Happy was the only other sophomore to start at least four games for Georgia's 1966 SEC championship defense.  That season, the linebacker tallied a team second-best four interceptions.  In 1968, Happy ended his playing days as a Bulldog with a total of seven career interceptions, as an integral part of a second conference title, and as a second-team All-SEC member.  Nicknamed ''Happy'' because he almost always had a smile on his face as a boy, Dicks would become a prominent and award-winning neurologist.

6. (BUM) Ashel Day: Like teammate "Puss" Whelchel, Day's nickname was nearly an injustice to the Bulldog's play on the gridiron.  The outstanding lineman on both offense and defense was certainly no bum, earning all-conference honors in 1920 and 1921.  Bum, who is also likely UGA's all-time transfer, first enrolled at Georgia Tech (since Georgia did not field a football team during World War I), where he was an All-American in 1918 and would be inducted into Tech's Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.

7. (CATFISH) Vernon Smith: Smith received his hard-earned nickname a year before entering UGA, grabbing a catfish after a classmate jokingly dared him to bite its head off.  Smith then jerked its whiskers a couple times, and with one snap, bit the fish's head clear off, including the gills.  Catfish, an end from 1929 to 1931, is still considered one of the best players in school history, becoming the second Bulldog to earn consensus All-American honors, third to be a three-time all-conference selection, and was the fourth UGA player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. 

8. The 1927 team: Members of Georgia's "Dream and Wonder" championship team of '27 included Ivy "Chick" Shiver, Gene "Jug Head" Smith, and Robert "Bear" Morris.  Chick and Jug Head were recognized as first-team All-Southern, while Chick was also a first-team All-American.  All three players were seniors, prominent starters, and known more so by their nicknames than their first names as members of a team named national champions by both the Boand and Poling polls.  

 

Besides "Buzy," Rosenberg was also known
as "Super Frog"... just ask Coach Dooley.

9. (BUZY) Leman Rosenberg: In his first two seasons on Georgia's varsity (1970-1971), all Buzy "Don't Call Me Leman" Rosenberg tallied was eight interceptions from his right cornerback position and four punt returns for touchdowns, while being named first-team All-SEC for both campaigns.  Besides the great Scott Woerner, Buzy is the only other Bulldog to total 900+ yards on punt returns and 10+ interceptions for a career.  His 40.4 punt return average against Oregon State in 1971 (5 returns for 202 yards) remains one of the best single-game punt return averages in NCAA history, trailing leader Golden Richards of BYU (5 for 219 vs. North Texas in 1971) by less than 3.5 yards. 

10. (CHAMP and BOSS) Roland and Rodney Bailey: Separated by approximately 16 months, cornerback Champ and linebacker Boss, the two youngest of a trio of brothers who played for the Bulldogs,  are each considered one of the best at their respective positions in UGA history.  Roland was nicknamed "Champ" when he was two years old because he was an energetic child; Rodney was called "Boss" because it was the nickname of his grandfather's favorite uncle.   Besides Matt and Jon Stinchcomb, the Baileys are the only other Bulldog brother duo to both be named first-team All-American at Georgia.  Before Jarvis Jones in 2012, Champ had been the last Bulldog to finish in the top 10 of a Heisman Trophy voting (7th in 1998).
  

Honorable Mention- (OLD TUB) Lewis Green: Old Tub, a blind African-American man regarded as a "landmark" of Athens during the late 1800s, is worthy of honorable mention because he was once considered the mascot of the University and nearly represented Georgia in 1892, instead of the acclaimed goat, for the school's second football game against Auburn.  Legend had it that Green acquired the nickname when protesting his love for a "dusky maiden named Jane."  However, instead of pouring her love onto Green, Jane poured a kettle of hot water onto his head.  In desperation, Green jumped head first into a nearby tub of cold water, whereupon a young boy, Bill Christy, spotting only two large feet protruding from the tub as volumes of steam filled the air, yelled, "Hello, Uncle Tub, whose been setting you on fire?"  UGA students started using the nickname "Tub," and "Old" was later added as Green started to get up there in age.  In 1901, Old Tub passed away at 88 years old.  You can read more on Old Tub at the UGA Nickname & Mascot History page at my website.

"Terrible Terry" Was First Class

R.I.P., Joe T

I'm currently with my family on vacation, where I had sworn off posting for a week or so unless I really felt compelled to do so.  Needless to say, I instantly felt obligated to do so after hearing of the recent passing of 89-year-old Joe Tereshinski -- an All-SEC end at Georgia during the 1940s.

 

Most Bulldog followers of today are familiar with Tereshinski as the first of three generations of Georgia football players; sons Joe Jr. and Wally played during the mid-1970s, and grandson, Joe Tereshinski III, played during the mid-2000s.  Notably, each of the four Tereshinskis were members of at least one SEC championship team.  

 

Like many of Coach Wally Butts' early recruits, Tereshinski hailed from up North.  Upon his arrival to UGA in 1941, the Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania native was greeted by the southern football program with, of all things, a name change.  According to a recent article, historian Dan Magill says Tereshinski's name was changed to "Joe Terry" in game programs and nearly in university records because Butts curiously "received grief about recruiting players with long last names instead of boys from Georgia."  Nevertheless, by midseason of his sophomore campaign of 1942, Joe was back to rightfully being acknowledged as Tereshinski, although his temporary last name left a nickname lasting throughout his Bulldog playing days.

 

Deemed "Terrible Terry" because of the smashing end's outstanding blocking and tackling skills, Tereshinski was a top substitute in 1942 and upon his return from military service in 1945.  However, soon after the start of his junior year, Tereshinski became a full-time starter at right end, where he remained through Georgia's 1946 championship season.  All-Americans John Rauch, Herb St. John, Dan Edwards, and most prominently, Charley Trippi, might be the names mostly associated with Georgia's undefeated campaign of 1946.  However, if it wasn't for "Terrible Terry," the Bulldogs' perfect season might have ceased in just the third game of the year.

 

In an era when it wasn't unusual for Georgia to host early-season opponents on a Friday night, the Bulldogs welcomed 19th-ranked and undefeated Kentucky and its 32-year-old head coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant, to Sanford Stadium for a weekday night affair in mid-October.  The Wildcats, who were considered only slight underdogs, scored a touchdown on the game's opening drive and then promptly blocked a Trippi punt.  Possessing the ball 1st and 10 on Georgia's 22-yard line, Kentucky looked to take an early two-touchdown lead before encountering arguably the greatest defensive series by an individual player in UGA football history.

 

Action from the '46 Kentucky game, where "Terrible Terry"
and his teammates broke the hearts of the 'Cats and their "Bear." 
 

The Wildcats ran four plays, and on every one, Tereshinski made a "smashing" tackle at the line of scrimmage, netting a combined loss of two yards.  A few plays later, Tereshinski came through on the offensive end, catching a pass from Rauch for a gain of more than 20 yards inside the Kentucky 10-yard line.  Soon afterwards, Georgia tied the game, 7-7.  Resulting just mere minutes into the contest, Tereshinski's four consecutive defensive stops were considered what likely "turned the ballgame around" of an eventual 28-13 Georgia victory, keeping the Bulldogs' winning streak intact at eight games of what would eventually extend to 17 consecutive victories. 

The day after what was called "the best game of his career," Tereshinski made "it a full weekend," reported The Red and Black, by marrying college sweetheart and cheerleader Martha Walraven.  Following the season, he would begin an eight-year NFL career, playing offensive end, defensive end, and linebacker for the Washington Redskins.  Notably, of the first 45 Bulldogs, including Tereshinski, to play in the NFL from the mid-1920s to the mid-1950s, only one -- Hall-of-Famer Charley Trippi -- played in the league (9 seasons) longer than "Terrible Terry."

I just got off the phone with a former Bulldog player, who informed me that the terror on the field was all heart and as first class as they come off the field.  This player, who played for Georgia in the mid-1970s with Joe Jr. and Wally, was chosen in the NFL Draft following his senior year, but would be cut by the team that selected him.  A year later, believing his chances for a professional football career had already been dashed, the player received a phone call that the Redskins wanted to give him a tryout.

"'Mr. T' (Tereshinski) set up a meeting where I met Washington's GM, Bobby Bethard," the player says.  "Bethard said I would have to time 4.5 in the 40 to get signed.  I ran only a 4.65, which wasn't good enough to get invited to camp." 

A month later, this same player unexpectedly received another phone call from the Redskins, inviting him back for a second tryout.  "Mr. T was the ONLY reason the Redskins gave me a second chance to get timed," he says.  "Mr. T stuck his neck out and put in a good word for me.  He obviously had some clout with Bethard, and I will always appreciate him for trying to help me out."

The former Bulldog concludes, "Mr. T was a first class gentleman, while his two sons, Joe and Wally, are a testimony to the type of man he was for they both have always been first-class people, as well."

Perhaps more so than his play on the field while at Georgia and for the Redskins, Tereshinski will be remembered for being a first-class individual, continuing to give his loyalty and heart to a program and its players long after his playing days had finished.   

Painting the Town Red



Staying with a thorough-thrashing-of-Clemson theme...

 

I was looking through some old photos on my PC over the weekend and discovered the above sent to me by Ken Helms several months ago.  The photo depicts some offensive line play during Georgia's 35-7 rout of Clemson in 1975.  Playing center for the Bulldogs, Helms (No. 53) is joined by guard Hugh Hendrix (No. 64) and tackle Steve Wilson (No. 75).     

 

Upon receiving the photo, I recalled a story I once read regarding the lead up to the '75 Clemson game.  The Wednesday night prior to the contest, a group of UGA students ventured to Clemson and painted a good portion of the campus red.  Not to be outdone, several Tiger students returned the next night and retaliated -- and how. 

 

Tiger paws, "Clemson," and "Tigers" were painted in orange all across our beautiful campus.  The orange paint job was so thorough, UGA's Physical Plant had to resort to sandblasting the paint off instead of using customary steaming equipment.  The plant estimated it would take a whopping 200 man hours to remove all the paint.

 

On the field, the game was won by the Bulldogs primarily because of their play in the trenches.  Georgia's offensive line paved the way for 366 rushing yards, including rare 100-yard individual performances by teammates.  Bulldog backs Kevin McLee (23-103) and Glynn Harrison (16-107) each passed the century mark on the ground.  Sophomore McLee, who tied a school single-game record with four touchdowns in just his fourth varsity game, declared, "You got to give 100 percent credit to those lineman."

 

Georgia's big guys up front were handed the ultimate compliment when offensive line coach Jimmy Vickers was given the game ball following the victory.  Pessimistic Coach Dooley added, "I was honestly surprised at the way our offensive line handled Clemson."

 

As far as the painting efforts by the students of the two schools, the Bulldogs would prevail in that aspect, as well.  The UGA students who painted the Clemson campus red were never caught.  On the contrary, the Tiger painters -- four males between the ages of 20 and 22 -- would eventually be arrested for not only criminal damage to property, but also defacing an auto tag. 

 

Following their painting, the Clemson quartet was apparently heading out of town back home, when they were stopped at a road block on the edge of Athens for the tape which remain covered over their car's license plate.  Ah, the value of a good Clemson education...

You Never Forget Your First Time



Chas McCarthy, Threatt Moore, Richard Von Gammon,
and the rest of the 1897 Red and Black had an easy time
with Clemson the first time the two schools ever faced off.

First off, Happy Memorial Day!  Secondly, I apologize for the infrequent posts of late, but I recently started on a new endeavor, which has taken up a good portion of my time.  For what it's worth, my new project could very well eventually involve you -- the readers of this blog -- and should launch by the end of July.  More on that at a later date...

 

Besides what's important, like remembering the men and women who served and sacrificed for our country, Memorial Day is also an annual reminder to me that the opening of another college football season is just around the corner.  Reminded early this morning, I began thinking of Georgia's upcoming season opener while pondering the series history with the team the Bulldogs will be facing. 

 

About five weeks ago, I discussed Georgia's favorable-turned-equal-turned-favorable-again series with Clemson over the last century.  Although I detailed the single game which would forever change the rivalry, I didn't mention arguably the most historic game between the two schools -- the teams' very first meeting in 1897. 

 

In a time when the Bulldogs were simply known as the "Red and Black" and the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina had formerly opened just four years earlier, Georgia and Clemson's initial meeting on a gridiron was a "first" which should be distinguished and celebrated (especially since we absolutely whipped "the Clemsons" as labeled by the Atlanta Constitution).

 

By both teams' season opener 116 years ago, football was still very much in its infancy at the two schools.  Still, having completed only five football seasons, Georgia was fresh off an S.I.A.A. championship the year before and a two-year tenure of eventual coaching legend, Glenn "Pop" Warner. 

Clemson had played in only three football games in its history and didn't even have a home field to play on.  In fact, the Tigers would not host their first game until more than a year later.  Additionally, they would host just two opponents -- perennial powers Bingham and Davidson -- in their first 23 games through 1900.  On the contrary, Georgia had what was regarded as one of the best athletic fields in the South -- Alumni Athletic Field, also known as Herty Field.  And, because they had little alternative to play elsewhere, the two teams met there for the 1897 season opener on October 10th in front of what was described as one of the city of Athens' largest gathered crowds, which primarily sat in the field's newly erected bleachers. 

Around 4 p.m., the Georgia-Clemson series commenced with the Red and Black's Richard Von Gammon kicking off to the visitors.  From there, the game would unfold much like the rivalry has over the last century-plus -- rather one-sided.  On a 110-yard field, for a game lasting just two 15-minute halves, in a sport featuring no passing, and the scoring team not kicking off, but actually receiving the kickoff, Georgia ran rampant over Clemson.  The Red and Black were victorious over the Tigers, 24-0, scoring four touchdowns (worth four points each at the time) while converting all four conversions (worth two points).

Looking more like Dracula than a football coach,
McCarthy had been one of the nation's best fullbacks 
before becoming an undervalued UGA head coach. 

In the initial Georgia-Clemson game, a number of notable firsts resulted worthy of mention.  First, with the return of "Pop" Warner to his alma mater of Cornell, the 1897 Clemson game announced the arrival of Charles (or Chas) McCarthy to UGA.  McCarthy had been a standout fullback for four seasons and a one-year assistant at Brown University before becoming Georgia's head coach at just 24 years of age.  The northerner from Brockton, Mass., quickly won over the Georgia people, who promptly moved on with their fondness of Warner.  It was reported that "of the numerous coaches that [UGA has] had in the past, there has been none to win, so easily, the student-body" as McCarthy.

Initially, McCarthy planned to stay at UGA for just one season while attending law school before enrolling at Johns Hopkins University.  Instead, he coached the Red and Black for two years, compiling a 6-3 overall record.  Notably, McCarthy's two seasons and .667 winning percentage rank tied for first and third, respectively, amongst Georgia's first 13 head coaches during a time when the program had a difficult time winning consistently while keeping its coach.  McCarthy would eventually enroll at the University of Wisconsin and would experience probably the most intriguing non-football, post-coaching career of any Bulldog head coach in history.

The 1897 Clemson game also signified, at least from the evidence I've discovered, Georgia's first individual 200-yard rushing performance in history.  Halfback Jonathan "Threatt" Moore carried the ball only nine times against the Tigers, however, it was good enough to gain 212 yards, including 70 and 40-yard touchdown jaunts.  What makes Moore's unofficial 200-yard rushing game even more impressive is that McCarthy gave him (and the Clemson defense) a rest with seven minutes remaining in the game.  In other words, Moore's 212 yards resulted in only 23 minutes of game play.

In a day when a skirmish would often, if not always, break out during a football game, the first contest versus Clemson might have also been the first time the two sides involved in a Georgia game were actually civil to one another (which seems ironic when speaking of the Georgia-Clemson rivalry).  "No case of slugging being noted," declared a newspaper the day following the game.   

 

Finally, I mentioned Richard Von Gammon...  He and George Price scored the game's other two touchdowns.  For fullback Gammon, who had been the starting quarterback on the 1896 championship team, it was his first touchdown at Georgia, and would be his last.  As many of you are likely aware, Gammon would be tragically killed three weeks later against Virginia, ending Georgia's 1897 season and nearly the sport permanently in the state.

Sandwiched between the initial Clemson game and the fatal Virginia contest was another noteworthy first in UGA football history: the first victory ever against what would become another hated rival, Georgia Tech.  Like the Clemson game before, the victory over Tech was also a shutout (28-0) at Herty Field.  And, just like the meeting with the Tigers, Georgia and its intrastate opponent established in 1897 a series that too would transpire over time into a rather one-sided rivalry.

UGA Should Retire a 5th Football Jersey



Bob McWhorter -- my opinion of UGA's
most valuable football player of all time.

Unless its fully warranted, I'm not a big fan of the retirement of jersey numbers.  I personally feel a particular player should have been the best of the very best during his time in order for a college program or professional organization to retire his number.

 

Primarily because of a single drought-breaking performance against Georgia Tech in 1957, Theron Sapp's jersey No. 40 was retired by Georgia a few months following the end of a respectable collegiate career.  However, besides Sapp's curious retirement, the Bulldogs have upheld a tradition of retiring the jerseys of only the very best players in their storied history: Frank Sinkwich (No. 21), Charley Trippi (No. 62), and Herschel Walker (No. 34).  

Fairly recently, even the jerseys of the NCAA's all-time winningest quarterback (David Greene) and Georgia's most decorated defensive player of all time (David Pollack) have remained active, and rightfully so in accordance to the program's seemingly lofty standard for retirement.  Still, there is a jersey from long ago that has been wrongly omitted from joining the program's elite, although no player was likely more valuable to a Georgia team before or has been since.

A number of years ago, I only knew of halfback Bob McWhorter as Georgia's first All-American, the first UGA player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (along with Sinkwich in 1954), and the would-be career record holder for touchdowns scored at Georgia if the school considered statistics prior to the 1940s as official.  However, upon conducting research for my first book, I soon discovered the extraordinary back whose value to Georgia, as a sportswriter declared a century ago, "cannot be fully expressed in mere words or even figures."  But, I'm going to make an attempt at it.

To help understand Bob McWhorter's impact, you first have to be somewhat aware of the state of UGA football prior to his arrival.  From 1899 through 1909, the Red and Black won only about one-third of their games (26 of 76).  As horrifying, during the same 11-season span, Georgia averaged just 7.2 points per game.  However, UGA hired the Gordon Institute's Alex Cunningham in 1910, and the head coach brought with him from Barnesville to Athens his star halfback.  And, just like that, a struggling football program instantly turned into one of the more prominent ones in the South.

With McWhorter lining up at right halfback from 1910 through 1913, Georgia achieved a remarkable 25-6-3 combined record while averaging 24.2 points per game.  In 1914, with McWhorter having departed, the Red and Black relapsed, recording just a 3-5-1 mark while being shutout in four of nine games.

As I pointed out in October of 2010, McWhorter should be the school's single-game record holder for the most touchdowns scored...and the second-most, and the fourth-most.  For his career, crossing the opposition's goal line in nearly every conceivable way offensively, defensively, and returning kicks, McWhorter tallied 61 touchdowns in 34 games (he was also regarded as the team's best passer and threw for a number of touchdowns).  Herschel Walker, Georgia's official touchdown record holder, scored four fewer touchdowns playing in two additional games. 

Notably, during their legendary careers, McWhorter and Walker both scored 45.2 percent of their teams' total touchdowns, which rank as the highest amongst Georgia players to have their jerseys retired:

Pct. of Team Touchdowns (Career TDs of # of Teams' TDs)*
45.2- Walker (57 of 126)

45.2- McWhorter (61 of 135)

23.4- Trippi (32 of 137)**

22.6- Sinkwich (30 of 133)

13.7- Sapp (7 of 51)
* Number of touchdowns include those from bowl games played in by Walker, Trippi and Sinkwich, and their teams. 
**Since Trippi missed first four games of '45 season because of military service, touchdowns scored by Georgia in those games aren't figured into team touchdown total. 

Carrying the ball, which is circled, and wearing the jersey
which should be retired, McWhorter runs vs. Auburn
in Atlanta in 1913 during his final game at Georgia.

Besides scoring records, McWhorter would undoubtedly also hold school rushing marks if sufficient documentation was available.  In the season opener of 1913 against Alabama Presbyterian, it was reported he had SIX rushes of 50 yards or more.  Besides likely gaining more like 400, if not 500 yards, what makes McWhorter's individual 300-yard rushing performance—the would-be only one in the history of UGA football—even more astonishing is that it was achieved with him playing in only two quarters of the game.

In all but a few of his 34 games, McWhorter played the entire 60 minutes of each contest.  This included the 1912 season opener against Chattanooga when McWhorter scored three touchdowns while playing the entire game despite suffering with a heavy cold, and get this, malaria!   Including the '13 Alabama Presbyterian game, McWhorter was taken out on occasion during a Red and Black blowout victory; however, just once in four seasons was he relieved during a game because of injury (Alabama, 1912).

To cap a brilliant career, McWhorter was named first-team All-American in 1913 by Parke H. Davis, selecting for The New York Herald.  In an era when southern football and its players were hardly recognized by the mainstream media, the recognition was much more of an accomplishment than simply becoming Georgia's first All-American.  Consider the following: McWhorter was only the third first-team All-American ever selected from a southern school and, of the 54 players in 1913 named first, second, or third-team All-American by recognized selectors, remarkably, 53—all but McWhorter—played for schools in the Northeast or Midwest.

In 1913, McWhorter was also selected first-team all-conference for the fourth consecutive season—the only Georgia player to accomplish such a feat—back in a time when only 11 players were picked to a squad and more than 20 schools were part of the Red and Black's "conference" (the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association).  McWhorter, who was also an All-Southern center fielder, nearly signed a contract out of college to play for the Class-C Augusta Tourists before spurning baseball to attend law school at the University of Virginia.  McWhorter eventually made his way back to Athens, where he entered business, taught at UGA's Law School, and later served as the city's mayor.

In 1960, McWhorter passed away at 68 years of age on what was called "one of Athens' saddest days."

I've read before there is no way to actually retire Bob McWhorter's Georgia football jersey number because players didn't have numbers on their jerseys in McWhorter's day.  However, UGA football doesn't retire numbers; the program retires "jerseys." 

There are plenty examples of retired jerseys in sports where the retiree didn't actually wear his retired number.  Examples include number "85" for Gussie Busch of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club, which retired that particular number since the former owner was 85 years old when his retirement ceremony was held.  Also, the NBA's New York Knicks have retired "613" for Red Holzman because that's the number of games he won as a head coach.  And, several jerseys have been retired honoring athletes who predated uniform numbers, but were given the equivalent of a retired number ceremony.  Something similar should have been done, or should be, to honor Georgia's McWhorter.

I recently brought this subject up to a fellow enthusiast of Georgia football history, who responded with "But, McWhorter is already inducted into UGA's Circle of Honor."  Yes, he most certainly is along with more than 20 other Bulldog football players, including Sinkwich and Trippi.  The Circle of Honor is obviously quite an honor; however, Bob McWhorter also belongs amongst the best of the very best of Georgia football. 

The Bulldogs have retired the No. 21 jersey for their first Heisman winner, No. 62 for the school's greatest athlete, No. 34 for its all-time most outstanding player, and even No. 40 for an individual performance during about an eight-minute span of time in the third quarter of the '57 Tech game.  Accordingly, Georgia should also retire the football jersey of the most valuable player in the program's history.

As far as an actual Bob McWhorter-worn jersey that could be displayed during a retirement ceremony, I assume that particular piece of uniform  would be rather difficult to locate after a century.  However, as far as what numbered jersey should be retired in his honor, I have a suggestion.  McWhorter's number "100" could be retired during this upcoming season, signifying how many years since the completion of a brilliant Georgia football career, and how long it actually took to recognize someone who should have been honored so much longer ago.