This Program Needs Another “Hit Man”

Image of the Hit Man's card from the 
Anti-Orange Page's Gallery

I recall around this time 25 years ago, or entering the 1989 football season, when I was handed by my father the first few of the many packs of the "Georgia's Finest" football cards I'd collect.  For those of you old enough, do you remember those?  I'll never forget opening what may have been my very first pack, thumbing through Georgia's best football players, only then coming across an individual I had barely heard of before (and at 14 years old, I knew my UGA football history pretty well back then too)—flanker Butch Box. 

The "Finest" cards had the players' yearly statistics on the back, and when I flipped Box's card over and observed some rather meager receiving statistics, I remember asking my dad something on the order of "how can a guy with six catches and just one touchdown for his entire career be one of 'Georgia's Finest'?  Who is this guy?"

 

That's when this admittedly football stat geek was taught for the first time in his life that often in sports, statistics don't tell the whole story.  And, when it came to the tough-as-nails Butch Box, arguably the greatest special teams coverage man in the history of UGA football, the saying couldn't be more true.  

 

Before arriving at UGA, Box had been a blue-chip wide receiver—one of the greatest in the annals of Alabama high school football.  In fact, his 51 career touchdown receptions from 1970 to 1972 at Tarrant High School, located just North of Birmingham, was an Alabama state record until the late 1990s, and still remains tied for the third-most ahead of notables Ozzie Newsome (49) and Julio Jones (43).

 

At Georgia in 1973, Box actually played back when you had to be extra special to see the field as a mere true freshman on head coach Vince Dooley's varsity squad.  Box returned kicks, held on placekicks, played a little at wide receiver, and was eventually even tried out at defensive back.  Returning a kickoff in the Tennessee game, Box broke his leg, but Dooley still allowed him to travel with the team for the rest of the season, including to the Peach Bowl in win over Maryland.  By season's end, Box had earned a letter.  He was one of just three, along with placekicker Allan Leavitt and receiver Gene Washington, to eventually become the first Georgia players to earn varsity letters in four seasons (1973-74-75-76) after freshmen became eligible to play college football in 1972. 

 

In the season opener of 1974 against Oregon State, Box scored his aforementioned lone touchdown—a 28-yard scoring reception on a halfback pass from Horace King.  However, standing at just 5-foot-9, weighing 170-something pounds, and with the Bulldogs loaded in depth at wide receiver, where Box could be utilized was the question.  The answer came in his uncanny ability on special teams coverage, especially on kickoffs.

"Coach [Erk] Russell was in charge of the kickoff coverage team, and he’d let me lineup anywhere," Box informed me this past week from his home in Birmingham.  "When Allan Leavitt was about to kickoff, I’d lineup anywhere—far left, far right, in the middle, wherever. ... We had a bunch of good guys on special teams then.  We weren't all that big, but we were fast and always fired up."

 

As this video of Box on a couple of kickoffs against Vanderbilt in 1975 demonstrates, he was indeed fast, routinely beating all his teammates down the field on coverage: 

 

 
"I don’t know if I was necessarily better than anyone else, I just hustled down there full speed and always wanted to hit somebody," Box responded after being asked how he stood out from everybody on coverage.  "Even when Allan would kick it out of the end zone or a guy would call fair catch on a punt, I'd just hit the closest guy to me.  Back then, you could do that.  Nowadays, you'd get penalized.  Even on offense (playing wide receiver), we ran the ball a lot, so often a defender was just standing there [as the play was ending] and I’d come up to him and jack ‘em!"

By his later years at Georgia, Box had become such a nuisance for opposing teams on kick coverage, he started to actually get double teamed at times (yes, on special teams!).  "But, that left one of our men not blocked, so they could make the tackle," he added.

This is according to a fellow wide receiver and coverage man of the time for the Bulldogs, Steve Davis.  You'll notice Davis (No. 80) on the first clip of the video, assisting Box with the tackle:

Butch was the best special teams player at Georgia the entire time I was there, and ever since from what I've seen.  He was always the first guy down the field on kickoff coverage even though not the fastest player.  He had no regard for his body, throwing himself into harms way, and was a great tackler.  Butch just had a knack like no other when it came to special teams play.

Although he wouldn't tell you so, Box was a fan favorite while at Georgia, as well, and was given a number of nicknames by the Bulldog Nation and the media, including the one mentioned on the back of his "Finest" card—the "Hit Man."

"We played back when the stadium wasn't enclosed and there were the track fans," Box recalled.  "We’d get off the bus [prior to entering the locker room before the game], and all those people on the railroad tracks would holler. I don’t know why, but some would specifically holler at me.  That’d really fire me up!  They'd call out my nicknames to me.  From the fans, or maybe a newspaper article, I was also nicknamed the "Wild Card" because you never knew where I'd lineup on kickoffs."

Box celebrates with a fellow special
teamer in 1975.  See those black stars
on his helmet's white stripe? Those
were given out each game to the top
UGA player on special teams... and
Box starred often.

I just had to ask the "Wild Card" what did he think was the problem with Georgia's recent coverage units.  The expert on kickoff/punt coverage remained humble, prefacing his answer by calling himself "only a couch coach." 

"All I know is that you need speed to get down there; size doesn’t matter.  A speedster doesn’t have to fight a block; he can dodge blocks.  You see what happened in that Auburn-Alabama game when ‘Bama tried that field goal with all them hogs out there (referring to Auburn's game-winning return of a missed field goal for a touchdown last season when Alabama's special teams unit consisted of primarily big, slow linemen)."

After graduating from UGA, Box quite appropriately, eventually became a firefighter for nearly 30 years.  He made an attempt at retirement but "just couldn't stay still," according to his wife, Freida.  Butch and Freida will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this December.  They were married during Butch's sophomore season and, get this, had their honeymoon in Orlando during Georgia's trip to the 1974 Tangerine Bowl.  Currently, Box works for Jay Electric Co., an industrial service and manufacturing business headquartered in Birmingham, in its mining market.  For a time, he—and again, appropriately—had the responsibility of going down into mines more than 1,500 feet deep and eight miles wide.

When it comes to Georgia football, Box still bleeds red and black.  "My whole family are big Dawg fans here [in Alabama]—my wife, my daughters and son," said Box, who is especially proud of his family.  "I got a great daughter-in-law too, and she and my son have one child, Ashlyn.  My granddaughter is very special to me.  Of course we all have to deal with those Alabama fans, and some Auburn fans that turned up this past year (laughing)."

 

Box has two daughters, Fran and Beth.  His son, Jody, was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens during Box's senior year.  Jody is married to Lorie, and their daughter, Ashlyn, is seven years old.

 

As we closed our conversation, the special teams great, who is even more so a great man, commented that it was "real sad"—sad that several players he had played with had passed away, including Jeff Sanders fairly recently.  He added, "But, I had a real good time seeing old friends at this past G-Day, and we're planning on coming to the Troy game for the lettermen's reunion on September 20th."

 

I'd like to add maybe in the meantime, Coach Richt can check to see if Butch has any remaining eligibility.  Playing when simply being "always fired up"  and really hustling—aspects perhaps missing from Georgia's coverage units of late—and not necessarily featuring defensive starters, made for special special teams play, Box was absolutely one of "Georgia's Finest," and he remains so—so much, I believe on kickoffs, the "Hit Man" could still jack 'em if need be. 

Finally, Got It Covered?

Coach Richt looks to his defenders, and their 
coaches, to finally get some coverage on a long-
time team strength that has turned dismal.

I recently interviewed Mark Richt and asked him what seemingly everyone else who has had the chance to speak to the UGA head coach has inquired about: the Bulldogs' recent not-so-special special teams. 

 

Beginning in 2011, Georgia's special teams unit went from subpar overall to downright dreadful a year ago.  However, during the three-season stretch, there was actually just one facet of special teams play, albeit a mighty important one, which remained horrific all along: I'll call it ST coverage, representing coverage on opposing kickoff returns and coverage on punt returns, which includes keeping the opposition from blocking punts.  Yet, I soon discovered what was originally believed to be only a three-year terrible trend had actually been going on for eight seasons at Georgia.

 

In 2006, or ironically the season Richt stop calling the offensive plays to evidently start concentrating more on other coaching duties, the Bulldogs' ST coverage began to show signs of decline, and has remained unsatisfactory ever since, especially the last three seasons.  Starting in 1970 through 2013, I gathered Georgia's ST coverage statistics, discovering the program actually allowed the same number of, or even more blocked punts, punt returns for touchdowns, and kickoff returns for touchdowns in just the last eight seasons (2006-2013) or less compared to the 36-season period before (1970-2005).  The staggering details regarding the Bulldogs' ST coverage:

• Had SEVEN punts blocked the last eight seasons; just 6 punts blocked from 1970-2005 (4½ times the number of punts during 1970-2005 than 2006-2013) 
• Allowed SIX touchdowns via a punt return or a blocked punt the last eight seasons, including FIVE the last three seasons; just 5 touchdowns from punt returns/punts blocked from 1970-2005 (plus, yielded a 9.1 punt return average from 2006-2013; 7.0 average from 1970-2005)
• Allowed FOUR touchdowns via kickoff return the last eight seasons, including THREE the last three seasons; just 4 touchdowns from kickoff returns from 1970-2005 

When interviewing Richt, I asked besides the addition of co-coordinators—John Lilly (offensive special teams) and Mike Ekeler (defensive)—what else was being done to improve the special teams, specifically the coverage units?

 

"...When your defensive coordinator (Jeremy Pruitt) is excited about coaching the special teams, it usually means that there is going to be a bunch of defensive starters that are going to start on the special teams, as well.  That in itself, is a good sign and something new..."—Coach Richt

 

Yes, having "a bunch" of starters on ST coverage would indeed be something new at Georgia.  From what I recall, the Bulldogs' recent coverage teams have consisted of primarily reserve players and players who otherwise likely wouldn't see the field, plus maybe a defensive starter or two sprinkled in here and there.  

 

Going way back, according to a Georgia player from the 1970s I contacted who played on coverage teams during the decade, "[ST coverage] was a mixture of backups and starters back then, but primarily backups."

 

Led by special teamers like Will Muschamp, UGA's

coverage units excelled, comparatively speaking,

until the mid-2000s.  From 1991-1994, the Bulldog-

now-Gator Muschamp, who was primarily a reserve 

safety, tallied an unofficial school-record 36 career

special teams tackles while playing on units which 

never allowed a kickoff or punt returned for a TD.

Starting in 1982 and for nearly the next two decades, Georgia annually featured separate individual special teams tackles statistics instead of including them as part of the normal defensive statistics, or what has been customary beginning in the 2000s.  Notably, from 1982 through 1999, of the 97 instances a Bulldog recorded five or more tackles on special teams in a season—a player  I'd consider a major contributor on ST coverage—only four (of 97!) standout special teamers were starting offensive or defensive players, as well:

 

Carlo Butler: starting OLB and seven ST tkls in '91

Randall Godfrey: starting WLB and five ST tkls in '92

Larry Brown: starting TE and five ST tkls in '95

Champ Bailey: starting CB and five ST tkls in '97

 

Therefore, from what I can determine, Georgia's ST coverage unit, like probably most major-college teams', has had more or less the same type of player "arrangement" for at least four decades: mostly backups and some players who otherwise would hardly play, if at all, mixed in with an occasional starter, maybe two.  Accordingly, if this type of arrangement solidly performed for 36 years as the Bulldogs' ST coverage did from 1970 through 2005, why has the same arrangement struggled beginning in 2006?

 

I'm not sure if playing "a bunch" of starters on ST coverage in 2014 is  necessarily "a good sign," as the head coach said.  I do know that a bad sign is when a particular system works for so long, like for at least 36 years, but it then suddenly begins to fail and steadily worsen.  The system's problem lies not in its player arrangement, but what individual(s) oversaw those players beginning in 2006, led their direction and execution, or lack thereof, and implemented their schemes.  However, that's where Coach Ekeler, who now will oversee the ST coverage, can make a difference in 2014.

Coach Richt confidently concluded his answer to my special teams question with "...we’ll be better on special teams than we were a year ago."  As far as the ST coverage being better this season, there's really nowhere for Ekeler's covering crew to go but up.  But ultimately, regardless of its player arrangement, it'd be nice to see Georgia's ST coverage return to back when it consistently shined, and not steadily declined.  

It's A Wonder...

There's a new deputy sheriff in town, and
he's all about embracing championships,
not personalities.

Although the likelihood Shaq Wiggins will be heading 500 miles North to join the two other prominent Bulldog departees is not surprising, it remains somewhat of a wonder to me exactly why the would-be sophomore cornerback decided to leave the program in the first place.  Whether Wiggins' departure primarily centers around a different defensive scheme, a change in general coaching philosophy, the idea that he was not going to play as much as when he was a freshman, and/or that his "free spirit" clashed with our new defensive coordinator, Wiggins becomes one of the top first-year Bulldog players ever, who unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) promptly left the program following his noteworthy freshman campaign.

 

More than four years ago, I ranked the Bulldogs' top five "One-Hit Wonders" of all time; I've done similar below but with a significant twist.  Excluding the number of Georgia freshman players who departed school to enter WWII, here's my ranking of the top UGA newcomers who willingly, or not so much, left the Bulldogs just prior to a second season in Athens—my top five Freshmen Wonders-turned-Wanderers:  

 

5) JOE DUPREE (1990)

Joe Dupree wasn't much of a drop-back
passer, but in his short time at UGA, he 
achieved a rushing feat equaled by just
one other Bulldog QB the last 37 seasons.

Considered the "top drop-back passer in the state" coming out of SW Macon High, Dupree stood on the sidelines for the majority of his true freshman season of 1990 as the Bulldogs struggled through arguably their worst campaign of the modern era.  Finally, in the seventh game of the year and after quarterbacks Greg Talley and Preston Jones had proved ineffective, Dupree came into relief against Vanderbilt, passing for a touchdown and rushing for another.  Four weeks later at Auburn, he rushed for 119 yards, which notably remains one of only two 100-yard rushing performances by a Georgia quarterback since 1976.  However, Dupree was 1-of-14 throwing the ball in the 33-10 loss to the Tigers, and a combined 4-of-29 since the Vanderbilt game.  Still, the "drop-back passer," who was evidently more like a run-no pass quarterback, was given the starting nod in the season finale against Georgia Tech.  Despite a loss to the Yellow Jackets, where Dupree was sacked six times before being injured and taken out in the third quarter, the freshman signal caller was No. 1 on the depth chart entering the spring of '91.  However, with the emergence of who had been the ensuing top drop-back passer in the state, true freshman Eric Zeier, and a brand new offense, Dupree had slipped to fourth string by the end of the summer and was asked to redshirt.  Instead of redshirting, just two days prior to the 1991 season opener, Dupree decided to transfer to Georgia Southern.       

 

4) SHAQ WIGGINS (2013)

After sub-par play from another true freshman, Brendan Langley, through the first four games of the 2013 season, Wiggins stepped in at a cornerback position, starting each of the eight games he would appear in for the rest of the year.  His eight starts were the most by a Bulldog freshman defensive back in more than 30 years (Tony Flack, 1982).  And, although Wiggins totaled just two interceptions, he toted one back 39 yards for a touchdown at Vanderbilt, and he actually led the Bulldogs in the category—the first true freshman in Georgia's modern era to lead the team in annual interceptions.  Entering this past spring, Wiggins appeared to be maybe the only Bulldog in the secondary to have a starting position secured.

 

3) ARMIN LOVE (1995)

After redshirting in 1994, Love started all but two games for the Bulldogs at strong safety as a redshirt freshman.  In 1995, the prep All-American from the Houston, TX area tallied 61 tackles and was named to the SEC's All-Freshman team.  In addition, after recording no sacks during the regular season, Love had 1½ against Virginia in the Peach Bowl.  However, by the end of the season, he was beginning to demonstrate character issues both on and off the field which would eventually lead to his demise.  In the spring, Love landed in first-year head coach Jim Donnan's doghouse for a poor attitude and was demoted to fourth string; however, he was battling for his old starting safety spot by the end of summer camp.  Love, who by this time was recognized as having a  history of discipline problems, was practicing with the team through the first few games of 1996 but never played.  In mid-October, he was suspended indefinitely for violating unspecified team rules and was dismissed about a week later after being charged with battery for hitting a bouncer at the club Oxygen in Athens.  Love transferred to Stephen F. Austin, where he lettered in 1997 and 1998.

 

2) W.F. McCLELLAND (1910)

In 1910, UGA's incoming freshman class consisted of 145 students: 138 Georgians, four Floridians, one Californian, Hsung-ting Hwang from China, and W.F. McClelland from Freeville, New York.  The unique northerner went out for the school's football squad and starred on what I consider one of Georgia's greatest teams of all time.  As the Red and Black's starting fullback, freshman McClelland scored eight touchdowns in the team's first three games; only legendary Bob McWhorter scored more (13).  The quick and at times unstoppable back also had quite an arm, passing for a 30-yard touchdown against Mercer during the season's fifth game.  However, following the next contest and with three games still remaining on the schedule, McClelland was dismissed from the University "for conditions in his studies," thus becoming the first in a somewhat substantial line of standout Bulldogs whose poor grades abruptly halted an aspiring athletic career.      

 

1) ISAIAH CROWELL (2011)

Crowell, one of the most highly-touted recruits the Bulldogs have ever landed, began his Georgia career with a bang, rushing for more than 100 yards in three of his first five games.  However, after the freshman tailback scored two touchdowns at Tennessee, his disciplinary issues really began to surface.  Crowell was benched for the beginning of the Vanderbilt game and suspended altogether two games later for reportedly failing a drug test.  He reemerged to rush for 132 yards on 24 carries against Auburn, but totaled just 29 yards on 15 carries in the final four games of the 2011 season while hampered by a so-called ankle injury.  Two days after being booed by Georgia fans as he limped off the field during the SEC title game loss to LSU, Crowell was named the conference's freshman of the year.  Finally, the one-time 5-star recruit's problems as a Bulldog came to a head, and an end, that summer when he was arrested on weapon charges.  Crowell was promptly dismissed from the team and transferred to Alabama State within a week of his arrest.

 

A Few Others Worthy of Mention:

CLEVELAND GARY (1984): transferred to Miami (Fla) because of lack of playing time; All-American running back for the Hurricanes in 1988, a 1st round pick, and a 1,000-yard rusher for the LA Rams in 1992.

 

ANDRE WASHINGTON (1990): after playing extensively as a freshman and slated to start in 1991, left program reportedly to be closer to home in Florida; following time at Florida Community College, efforts to graduate in order to play for the University of Florida beginning in 1992 failed.

 

TYRONE ROBERTSON (1999): after 26 tackles, 5½ for loss, 1½ sacks, and 9 hurries as a backup, the highly-touted defensive lineman was dismissed for academic reasons; attended Hinds Community College and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, where he played for one season. 

 

MONTEZ ROBINSON (2009): the Freshman All-SEC defensive lineman was dismissed in the spring 2010 after a few arrests; currently plays in the Indoor Football League.

 

The main point of this post isn't to simply recall the what-could've-been careers of the top one-and-done Bulldog freshmen.  Rather, I find it intriguing when comparing the most recent "Freshman Wonder-turned-Wanderer" when compared to the others.

 

Why would a standout player transfer from a major program after just a single season?  It's rather clear: disciplinary issues, flunking out, desiring more playing time, and maybe a case of homesickness here and there.  However, in the case of Shaq Wiggins, none of these is solely the case. 

 

It's truly a wonder Wiggins is leaving Georgia because his departure is the first of its kind in the program's history.  Whereas W.F. McClelland's circumstances of being a standout-turned-academic casualty more than a century ago was a first in UGA football history, Wiggins leaving Georgia for a team who'll "embrace [his] personality" is also a program first, resulting after the school has played football for more than 120 years. 

At least defensively, a change in discipline and direction is seemingly taking place.  And, it appears new DC Jeremy Pruitt is primarily responsible for the much-needed transformation.  To me, what's clear is the no-nonsense Pruitt has already started to make a tremendous impact on UGA football, not tolerating players who believe they're above the program—not conforming to any individual wanting his personality embraced. 

One Tough Hombre/Draftee

Basketball standout-turned-NFL draftee
Jeffords was someone you wouldn't
want to fool with.

There's been the notion for some time that the Atlanta Falcons don't draft Georgia Bulldogs, although if you check out one of the most recent posts on my UGA Football Facebook page, I somewhat dispel the idea.  Nevertheless, whether the state of Georgia's lone NFL organization has avoided picking players from the state's flagship university or not, one of the league's most unusual draft selections of all time happened to be when the Falcons did indeed draft a Bulldog—Mr. Bulldog, to be exact. 

 

In the eighth round of the 1968 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons chose Georgia's Ray Jeffords.  Jeffords, the 194th overall selection in late January of that year, was taken nearly 100 spots earlier than Bulldog Jimmy Orr, an eventual two-time Pro Bowler, in the 1957 draft, and even higher than UGA's Terrell Davis, a Hall of Fame semi-finalist the last eight years, would be picked in 1995.  Notwithstanding, where Jeffords was picked wasn't the most unusual aspect of his selection, but the fact that he was picked in the first place, considering he didn't play a down of football at UGA.

 

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Jeffords had played basketball at Georgia, and basketball only.  Still, the Falcons selected him as a tight end and because of his "good hands," which he possessed on the gridiron, but more than six years earlier, or the last time he had played organized football as a first-team all-state end for Ware County High School.

 

After lettering in four sports at Ware County, Jeffords earned a basketball scholarship to UGA, where he would go on to become one of the Bulldogs' greatest roundball players of the 1960s.  In three seasons on Georgia's varsity, Jeffords averaged 10.6 career points per game and 8.4 rebounds, which remains the sixth-best career average in school history.  Known for his defensive and competitive play, Jeffords was recognized as an honorable mention All-SEC player as a junior in 1965-66.  The following year, he was chosen captain of the 1966-67 squad, but suffered a knee injury, forcing him to sit out the entire season. 

 

Believing Georgia's basketball squad was finally on the verge of a winning year after 16 consecutive losing campaigns, Jeffords decided to return for the 1967-68 season back when it was routine for players to not come back for a fifth year.  Good thing for Jeffords' return.  Elected team captain for a second time, he was an integral part of a remarkable 17-8 season, which included an improbable victory over 5th-ranked Tennessee, snapping the Bulldogs' 11-game losing streak to ranked opponents.  Averaging 12.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, "Mr. Bulldog," as he was known by some on campus, was a consensus second-team All-SEC forward.

 

On January 29th of his final season, or the day before the NFL's annual draft, Jeffords broke his nose in a blowout win over Alabama.  Two days later, or the day he was chosen by the Falcons, Jeffords not only played at Auburn with a broken nose, but led the Bulldogs with 14 points.

 

Jeffords, who was apparently just as rugged off
the court as on, hits the deck during a victory
over Auburn in 1966.

"Ray Jeffords was one tough hombre," a UGA football player of that time informed me in an interview a couple of years ago.  "He was someone you wouldn't want to fool with."

 

Maintaining to have no first-hand knowledge, the former football player continued to describe Jefford's ruggedness.  The player claimed that dorm life at UGA back then could involve literally paying off certain athletes not to "fool with" you, or paying certain athletes for protection from those who did the foolin'.  "He was one of those," stated the former player while not indicating which specific group Jeffords was a part of.  "He was an enforcer on the basketball court and in the dormitory."

 

The Falcons and their rough and tough Bulldog enforcer, who would fail to survive the first week of training camp, will forever be linked for one of the most bizarre transactions in the history of sports.  But, for the selector, was it really all that unusual at the time to pick a basketball player?

 

In the 1967 draft, or the year prior to Jeffords being chosen, the Falcons picked Texas A&M's Randy Matson in the 5th round with the 120th overall selection.  Matson, who had been on the track and field team at A&M, and the track and field team only, had not played football since the 11th grade.  Matson had won a silver metal in the shot put at the 1964 Olympics, and would capture gold in 1968, but as for football, he wouldn't even report to camp for the Falcons.

 

As for Jeffords, was it really all that bizarre for Mr. Bulldog to be considered a football player?  Evidently not, as for the very next season in 1969, the tough hombre earned another NFL tryout with the old St. Louis Cardinals.

Well, the Stadium Fell Down

Photo from the 1934 Georgia-Furman game, 
presumably prior to the most chaotic moment
in UGA football history. 

Similarly to what I'm sure some of you experienced Wednesday, my house just outside of Athens that morning seemed like it was going to completely fall in at any moment as it rained and 40-mile-per-hour winds rattled the windows.  Soon, I was informed on the radio that a wet ground increases the chances of a tree being uprooted in a storm, whereupon I noticed the extremely tall and swaying pine trees in my backyard.  If one of them was to fall the wrong way, I thought to myself, it could come crashing through the very window I was staring out of, taking me out as well.

 

A semi-chaotic scene, especially since I had to get two kids ready for school with the power out, and my son asking if our house's "girders are bending," made me reflect upon perhaps the biggest clamor in UGA football history, resulting 80 years ago this season.

On the eve of Georgia's meeting at Furman in early October 1934, head coach Harry Mehre nearly foretold of what was to result the next afternoon.  Although the Purple Hurricane, or Hurricane, as Furman was nicknamed back then, had suffered just one loss in their previous 17 games while Georgia would be missing six key players because of injuries, Furman was still, well, Furman.  The Bulldogs were substantial favorites.  Nevertheless, as the sound of a tumultuous storm outside could easily be heard inside a Greenville, SC hotel, the witty Mehre remarked to reporters, "I'm not at all a selfish man and now that it has started raining, I'd be delighted to win by a safety and go on back to Athens."

In front of approximately 3,000 spectators braving the elements at Furman's Manly Field, Georgia was seemingly dominating the Hurricane on a surface that had been transformed to a muddy quagmire.  However, primarily because of the Bulldogs losing their footing to the lousy field conditions, the game was scoreless late in the second quarter.  Finally, just before halftime, Georgia quarterback Jack Griffith scored a touchdown on a short sneak. 

Leading 7-0 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs had possession of the ball following a 79-yard Furman punt downed at Georgia's 1-yard line.  Back when football was certainly a game of field position, the Bulldogs elected to immediately punt the ball back to the opposition.  Cy Grant's punt was blocked in the end zone, whereupon the punter fell on the ball, scoring Mehre's desired safety not for his team, but for host Furman.

Then, just after the safety making the score 7 to 2, it happened—Manly's "girders" bending, then breaking.

Furman's Manly Field--with all stands intact

Like wet-rooted trees, timber supporting wooden stands in rain-soaked ground can become unstable, as well.  Suddenly, two sections of stands containing 16 rows of people folded "like an accordion," as it was described.  Six hundred spectators, some falling as high as 20 feet above ground, tumbled to the field in a big scrambling heap.

Forty feet above the field, the press box also trembled and swayed.  Several writers literally grabbed their typewriters and were prepared to jump before their seats stopped rocking.  Fortunately for the media, Manly's press box was supported by extra braces. 

Despite the chaos, some in the media continued to report.  "Screaming women and cries of men urging them to be calm turned the section into a bedlam," declared the Atlanta Constitution.  "As this is written, the spectators are lifting one another out of the debris and hunting for purses and valuables under the stands."

Despite a bedlam, the game was never halted.  Georgia finished with a 15-3 advantage in first downs and 285-80 in total yards, but barely escaped with a 7-2 victory.  As far as the fallen spectators and shaken media, all were lucky to escape with their lives.  Although six fans were hospitalized, including one with internal injuries, there were no casualties.  In regards to Mehre, he was indeed delighted to win and go on back to Athens, but not before being shaken himself.  "I thought I was having an attack of delirium tremens and seeing things," the head coach recalled upon the stands collapsing.

In Jacksonville's Gator Bowl in 1980, legendary Larry Munson famously blurted, "The stadium... well the stadium fell down, now they do have to renovate this place... they'll have to rebuild it now."  Forty-six years before the Belue-to-Scott miracle which defeated the Gators, the Bulldogs had appeared in a game where the stadium literally did fall down.  Also against Furman in 1934, Georgia learned a valuable lesson: don't overlook the Hurricane, especially while playing in Hurricane-like conditions.  As far as the Hurricane, they learned against Georgia that "they'll have to rebuild it now" as Furman trustees would vote that year to begin seeking funds to build a new stadium.

Big Man on Campus

While my young son was on spring break fairly recently, we decided to make a trip to one of his favorite places to visit—the Butts-Mehre, particularly its "museum" section, I guess it would be defined as.  As he was checking out one of the plexiglass murals arranged along the walls, he abruptly asked me, and rather loudly I might add, if Georgia had "a daddy and his son" play on one of its football teams long ago.  He then pointed to an image along the back wall of a rather large player and a sidekick that could indeed pass as, well, the giant's son (photo).

Whether there in the museum or somewhere printed in the past, I had observed the image before, but had no clue of its background.  To my knowledge, the big fellow wasn't mentioned in the bible of pre-WWI UGA football, The Ghosts of Herty Field by John Stegeman.  Come to find out, the same photo is featured on the cover of Loran Smith's Between the Hedges: 100 Years of Georgia Football, but there's no description of the image inside or outside the book.  And, wouldn't you know, of all the murals at the Butts-Mehre, it's the one without a caption.  Therefore, I was curious...  What's the story behind this unusual player pairing?  And, actually how big was "big daddy"?

When UGA started classes for the 1903-04 academic year on Wednesday, September 16th, little Harry Woodruff and big Girard Allen "G.A." Moore were two of 76 incoming freshmen to the school.  With the beginning of classes, it was reported there was "the revival in football interest" as the season opener against Clemson in Athens loomed less than three weeks later.  And, with the arrival of Woodruff—a highly-touted quarterback from Columbus, Ga.—and Moore—already considered the largest individual ever on a UGA football team, and perhaps ever enrolled at the school—there was a revival of even bigger interest.

There were plenty of differences between the two newcomers, most glaring of which was obviously their size.  Weighing 120 pounds, Woodruff was elusive and speedy, and seemed likely to become Georgia's starting quarterback without even having taken a collegiate snap.  In addition, he was already quite involved in his social fraternity on campus.  On the other hand, Moore was nearly two-and-a-half times the size of his fellow freshman, weighing a staggering 275 pounds (VERY large for the time).  As far as the social scene, the Greensboro, Ga. native had little time for it since he was an aspiring pharmacy student.  Regarding his place on the Red and Black squad, although Moore would "easily make the team" simply because of his massive size according to a preseason report, his role would be a rather small one because of evidently a limited skill set.

Entering the Clemson game, it was reported not only was the diminutive Woodruff one of the "best tacklers ever" on campus, but he supplanted Julian Hartridge, a law student, as the team's starting quarterback, as well.  As far as the giant Moore, there was hardly a mention of him leading up to the season opener.

275-pound Girard Moore

Speaking of Moore's giant size, what would a 275-pounder back then be equivalent to 110 years later?  Such assessment might be like apples and oranges; however, considering the average weight of the 1903 starters was 155 pounds, Moore's weight as it relates to his teammates would be something on the order of an estimated 400 to 425 pounds today.

Two games into the 1903 campaign, Georgia stood at 0-2, having been outscored by Clemson and South Carolina by a combined 46 to 0.  Something had to give, and for the Red and Black, it was giving the starting left guard position to the massive Moore for the all-important annual meeting with Georgia Tech.

In front of a crowd of 1,200 at Piedmont Park, Georgia ran through Tech to the tune of around 450 yards back when rushing was the only method to advance the ball offensively; it wound be another three years before passing was legalized.  With Moore assuredly opening large holes for the quarterback, Woodruff was the star of Georgia's 38-0 rout, gaining 180 yards on only nine carries, including a 75-yard touchdown for the contest's first score.  Because of his effort against the Blacksmiths, as Tech was nicknamed then, Moore would start again at left guard for the next three games.

Entering the season finale against Auburn on Thanksgiving, Georgia had a disappointing 2-4 mark and was a rather heavy underdog to its heated rival.  Three days prior to the battle at Atlanta's Brisbane Park, The Atlanta Constitution ran a story regarding the new bleachers that would be erected for the game, bringing the park's capacity to 5,000 spectators.  And it was there, published with the article, the curious image of Woodruff and Moore together, or "prominent members of the Georgia team" it stated.

The Red and Black upset Auburn 22-13 to end its year on a winning note.  At the end of the campaign, when it came to awarding letters, or "wearers of the football 'G'," just 11 of 17 team members lettered.  Keep in mind, this was back when you had to see playing time—significant playing time—to be a letterman, unlike today where it's common to have walk-ons and even trainers and managers earn letters although never sniffing the field of play.  

For whatever reason, "big Moore," as he was called, was curiously not one of the lettering 11 in 1903, which included sidekick Woodruff.  Was it size prejudice, or was the decision maker of bestowing letters stricken with short man's syndrome?  How in the heck could a "prominent" player who had started most of his team's games that season not be awarded a letter?

The following football season of 1904 for UGA was much like the one before.  In what would be his final football campaign, the pint-sized Woodruff again starred at quarterback for a struggling team, which won just one of six games (but it was a big one).  In the aforementioned book by Stegeman, Woodruff would be named by the author as second-team quarterback on Georgia's all-pre-WWI team.  Along with his brother, George, he would be the namesake for UGA's Woodruff Hall—the school's basketball arena just prior to the present Georgia-turned-Stegeman Coliseum.

As far as big Moore in 1904, he again started for the Red and Black along the line.  However, unlike the season before when something he deserved was kept from him, Moore was finally awarded a letter.  That academic year, he was also a first-year pharmacy student.  Moore's whereabouts from then on is unknown, except for his passing in 1943 at 60 years old, and his burial at the Greensboro City Cemetery.

Also unknown is the individual, who—at some point, likely after Moore had already passed—rightfully amended the status of the freshman football player from 1903.  Although not even identified in the UGA football book or UGA athletics museum which bear his large image, Moore's prominence was fully and finally recognized by somebody at UGA along the way.  You can see for yourself.  Checkout Georgia's all-time lettermen in its football records, where it's listed that the University's original "Big Man on Campus" not only earned a letter in 1904, but was also deservedly given one in retrospect for the season before.

Finally Making Things Right

Hugh in action vs. Clemson in 1975

Yesterday, I was informed that a 19-month pursuit of mine was finally realized last Thursday night after an interruption of only 22 years.  If you have followed this blog for some time, you might be aware of such pursuit—my attempt to have the Hugh Hendrix Memorial Award reestablished—which was accomplished at Thursday's annual spring football awards with the honors going to Hutson Mason on offense and Leonard Floyd on defense.

To recap, I first blogged about Hugh Hendrix about two years ago and how his life, and death, inspired the 1976 Georgia football team to win an SEC championship.  Coincidentally and unexpectedly, I met with Hugh's parents at their home in Carrollton five months later.  There, I was reminded of the old Hugh Hendrix Memorial Award—an honor I was primarily aware of because of the number of years it had not been bestowed according to my recollection of previous years' media guides.  While standing over Hugh's grave, I decided to try anything I could to rightfully restore the honor.  Less than three months later, surprisingly, a prominent member of the athletic department told me, "We are going to reestablish Hugh’s award. We are in the process of getting this done."  More than a year later, and after the process apparently took some time, the UGA football program indeed got it done.

My first reaction to the good news was to call Hugh's parents, Carolyn and Harvey.  I won't go all into it, but obviously our conversation was a joyous and emotionally-filled one.  The next thing I did was dig up old emails from readers of this blog in response to when I first mentioned reestablishing the award in September 2012.  I received all kinds of emails from readers—ones in support, those wanting to help, a couple saying I was wasting my time, and even a few willing to donate money to the cause (which I graciously declined).

A particular old email caught my eye; we'll just say it was from a "UGA employee."  Simply put, this guy went off on the football program, questioning how it could possibly and erroneously interrupt an award which "should mean so much to so many people" twice (the award was given out from 1976 through 1989, not so in 1990 and 1991, then again in 1992 for the final time).  For what it's worth, I was later told by someone in the know during the 1990s that the award was interrupted because of a simple mistake: the person in charge of the awards ceremony then simply forgot to ask the decision maker, "Who should be given the Hugh Hendrix Award this year?"  Once the award was left off the list, it was left off for good.  Of course, this doesn't fully explain why the honor was interrupted a second time, but who's counting?  Anyway, the UGA employee ended his email stating, "Regardless, hopefully [the football program] will eventually make things right."

At Picture Day in '74, Hugh poses with Connecticut
native David Wolfe a few decades prior to him
becoming the famed Atlanta defense attorney. 

The next thing that caught my attention yesterday was an article on Jeremy Pruitt and his opinion that Georgia's defenders weren't award worthy this spring.  Pruitt didn't want to give any awards, and didn't notice any player who deserved one, adding, "It's kind of like, nowadays everybody’s playing t-ball and everybody gets a trophy. ... It's not a big deal really."

Personally, from what I've heard of him thus far, I like our new defensive coordinator.  He's a desired change of pace for this program as seemingly not one to put up with what has plagued it for years—complacency and a sense of entitlement.  And, if he feels a need to pipe up and declare a standout might not play or no one deserved a spring award, and it can effectively motivate, I'm all for it.  However, and with all due respect, when it comes to the recent Hugh Hendrix spring award, I side with one of Hugh's former friends and teammates, commenting to me in an email yesterday on the award and Mason and Floyd receiving it: "Two great recipients to bring it back in style..."

It just so happens that I'll see Coach Pruitt next week at the Butts-Mehre for an interview I'm conducting for a magazine article.  Time permitting and if appropriate, I may ask him about his linebacker Floyd receiving the Hugh Hendrix Award as "the player who most strains his potential."  I can't speak of the other spring awards, but I can brief Pruitt about the namesake of the award I'm familiar with, mentioning what Hugh stood for on and off the field, while conveying that an award meaning "so much to so many people" is far from a t-ball trophy, is a big deal really, and therefore if no one really deserves it, it shouldn't be given out.

After speaking with Coach Pruitt, I may stop by the Sports Communications department in the building and offer up my assistance with the 2014 media guide with an updated and edited section from the past and a must for the upcoming edition:

Lastly, I should visit the prominent member of the athletic department who ultimately got the award reestablished, and thank him for assisting the football program after nearly a quarter-century in finally "making things right." 

34 years ago today...

Herschel 's signature: one sought-after autograph
from Wrightsville to Athens for both the young
and old, beginning 34 years ago and ever since.

Posted is an edited and updated version of a story I wrote several years ago, recognizing that 34 years ago today the most famous No. 34 in the history of sports became a Georgia Bulldog  (although he first requested to wear No. 43):

During the winter of 1980, like most college football programs in the country, Georgia desperately recruited a particular player from Wrightsville, Georgia—Herschel Walker.  At Johnson County High School, Walker had rushed for a remarkable 6,137 career yards, averaged 7.8 yards per carry, and scored 86 touchdowns.

 

Georgia was one of many schools that ventured to Wrightsville on a regular basis to pursue the heralded Walker.  Head coach Vince Dooley humorously appointed assistant Mike Cavan to be “Vice President in Charge of Herschel” because of his frequent trips to the small town. In fact, Cavan spent so much time in Wrightsville recruiting Walker, some residents joked he should have been forced to pay taxes.

 

February’s national letter of intent signing date for recruits came and went and Walker still had not signed with a school. Herschel seemed to be delaying his signing, for whatever reason, and the postponement was taking its toll on his family.  Herschel’s mother, Christine, was sick and tired of all the recruiters coming by the house, the numerous phone calls, and her son’s delay.

 

“Why don’t you make up your mind?” she asked Herschel. “Make a decision! Don’t you ever get tired of having to meet with all these people?”

 

By late March, Walker still had not made his decision. However, he indicated to his high school coach and acting spokesman, Gary Phillips, he had narrowed his choices to five schools, including Georgia.  There are various accounts indicating how Herschel ultimately made up his mind.  This is my favorite—if Walker's own mama said this is how he made his decision, in my opinion, this is how it must have happened:

 

On Easter Sunday morning of 1980, Herschel told his mother he was about to make a decision on where he was going. He cut up scraps of paper and asked her to write "Alabama," "Clemson," "USC," or "Georgia" on each piece. Herschel then dropped the scraps into a paper bag and shook it. Mother and son agreed that the first school selected three times would be where Herschel would attend.

 

"[Herschel] picked Georgia more times than any of the other three," Christine said. She also suggested that a coin be flipped. "If the coin turned up heads," she said, "that would be the lucky school…So we did that—and every time it came out Georgia!"

 

Walker had finally decided to attend and play football at the University of Georgia. Christine telephoned Coach Phillips, who notified Cavan. Phillips later indicated that Herschel did not decide right away where he would go because he had a "really hard time saying 'no' to people."

 

At the time of Herschel’s decision, Cavan was with his family at an Easter egg hunt in Lawrenceville, Georgia. When Cavan was told of Herschel’s decision, he reportedly "let out a wild delirious scream. His family thought he’d been shot."

 

As Herschel prepared to make it official he would attend Georgia, people began arriving at the Walker home to witness his signing. Freddy Jones, a writer for the Macon Telegraph, was hurrying towards the house in his car when he was pulled over by a state patrolman. Jones explained to the officer he was only speeding to observe the signing of the acclaimed Herschel Walker.

 

"Where’s he goin’ to school?" the patrolman asked. "Georgia," answered Jones. "Alllll, right! You go on ahead!" the jubilant officer and apparent Bulldog fan said without writing Jones a ticket.

 

Doug Hall of the Dublin Courier-Herald later asked Herschel why it took so long for him to make a decision. "Herschel looked at me and said, ‘I knew what I was gonna do all along.'"

 

After signing, Herschel told the Atlanta Constitution: "I felt real nice at Georgia [during recruiting visits]. And I didn’t want to go too far from home. I wanted my family to be able to come and see me play. It’s only about ninety-four miles from my house to Athens."

While Walker was now ready to make the 94-mile trek to the University of Georgia, it seemed the school was merely happy the indecisive Walker had finally made up his mind.  Approximately a week prior to Herschel's signing, a writer for The Red and Black had declared, "I'm just about fed up with the whole situation. The whole thing is a joke...Come on Herschel, make up your mind."

Two days following the signing, another writer asserted: "Many of the alumni of this institution have a warped sense of priorities. They spend days worrying if an 18-year-old from Wrightsville is going to attend the University of Georgia...They would rather talk about how many yards Walker will run for while he is at Georgia than if the regents exam is doing any good."

I laugh. I guess the regents exam is important and all, but it appears some folks, including ones at the University of Georgia, simply had no idea what was soon to be in store for their football team.

 

As the story goes, the students and writers weren't the only ones with no clue.

Leading up to the start of the Bulldogs' 1980 season, Coach Dooley said he did not expect Herschel as a freshman to be the team's main tailback. For one, Walker had played in only Class A high school football, where, according to Dooley, "the schools are smaller and the players are smaller."

"I really don’t see him giving us a whole lot of help [this] year," Dooley added.

 

In a fairly recent interview for a magazine article, I asked Coach Dooley if what he said back in 1980 was entirely true—did he really not believe Herschel would be of much help?

 

"I tried to temper [the hype surrounding Herschel] some," Dooley responded.  And, similarly to when Herschel told the writer, "I knew what I was gonna do all along," the hall-of-fame head coach told this writer he knew Herschel would be really good all along.

 

"However, although I knew Herschel would be really good," Dooley informed me with a chuckle, "I was not sure how soon he’d be really good."