Old School Scoreboard

The final seconds tick off Sanford Stadium's old scoreboard of a 29-28 victory over Georgia Tech in 1978, while a Bulldog brandishing a board with a nail keeps watch.

I was checking out what Sanford Stadium's new H-D scoreboard is going to look like and I instantly recalled an article I read not too long ago.  The piece, written just prior to the Bulldogs' home opener of the 1980 season, was on stadium improvements made in anticipation of the venue's expansion for 1981.      

The most "obvious change in the appearance of the stadium," the article stated, was the relocation of the scoreboard from the east to the west end zone overlooking Sanford Bridge.  It seems the old scoreboard was going to get in the way of an additional 18,000 seats. 

In addition, no longer would "Georgia" and "Visitors" be painted on the scoreboard.  Instead, each team's name would be featured "in lights" - an innovative improvement at the time but seems somewhat humorous when compared to today's "high-def."

I'm too young to remember the old Sanford Stadium scoreboard that was perched in the east end zone but have certainly heard the legend of its board-toting Bulldog.  There have been several accounts on how the Bulldog-and-board emblem came about, including a good post by Bill King just prior to the 2009 LSU game.  Here is what I know:

A near-perfect LSU Tiger team came to Athens in mid-November of 1935 along with 2,000 of its supporters (a total of 20,000 would be in attendance for the game), 1,200 of which were ROTC cadets from the school.

The visiting throng would not be disappointed as LSU blanked the Bulldogs 13-0; the first touchdown scored on a 95-yard run by Jess Fatherree "on a variation of the old 'Statue of Liberty' play." Reportedly, the margin should have been much worse as the Tigers had a 358-61 advantage in total yardage and 15-2 in first downs.

As the legend goes, more than 1,000 LSU cadets stormed the field as soon as the game ended with intent to tear down one, maybe even both, of the goal posts. This action was certainly not welcomed nor anticipated by Sanford Stadium.  When the stadium had been built more than six years earlier, based on good behavior by spectators in the past, expensive metal goal posts were constructed instead of ones made of wood, assuming they would not soon be destroyed and needing to be replaced.

Nonetheless, the UGA students protected their uprights and chased the cadets all the way to the train station on College Avenue. Legend has it that the Bulldog backers grabbed boards from a nearby construction site in defense of the goal posts... thus, the logo of a Bulldog holding a board atop of the old scoreboard.

However, UGA icon and historian Dan Magill has written that the unruly Tigers were chased to the station with not boards, but miniature Hanna baseball bats given away at the game. Magill adds that he, at 14 years old, was even along for the chase, brandishing a bat himself.

Personally, I like the version featuring the boards better; it seems a little more "blue collar."

I found that soon after the skirmish, LSU's student newspaper - The Daily Ravielle - declared that not only had some of its cadets suffered "split open" heads, but it was also evident UGA students had "used knives" in the fight.

I certainly don't doubt Magill's version of the story, but I wonder if those "knives" were actually nails protruding from boards carried by some Bulldog students, who were only doing what most of us would in similar circumstances - protecting their "house"...and its goal posts.

It only takes One or Two...

On the eve of only the 11th NCAA Tournament appearance (and just the 9th that is actually acknowledged) in Georgia history, I thought I'd compose a rare historical-based basketball post, looking forward to what a portion of Bulldog basketball fans seemingly fear: the future.

After Georgia, yet again, lost another big lead and, in the process, lost another big game in its loss to Alabama in the SEC Tourney, the majority of our fan base was up in arms...and understandably so. 

However, some seemed to take their criticism a little too far, questioning the coaching of Mark Fox and stressing that if one cannot win with this year's edition (a team that only goes seven deep, I'd like to emphasize), you likely won't win in the future, especially if Trey Thompkins and/or Travis Leslie decide to go pro early.

As one disgruntled fan posted at another blog: Honestly, Mark Fox might-as-well be fired on the court...This will be the most talented UGA team he will ever have...and he may not make the tourney.

I really hope that "fan" was exaggerating for surely he understands one of college basketball's most prominent tendencies: unlike football, just one or two exceptional incoming players can vastly improve or even completely turnaround a basketball program.  One season, you might struggle to win 10 games; however, soon thereafter, you could find yourself in the Final Four.  Case in point: LSU a couple times the last decade or so and - a little closer to home - Georgia upon the arrival of Hugh Durham in the late 1970s. 

I grew up on Hugh Durham basketball at Georgia and have always held the coach in rather high regard.  Consider that in the 27 seasons of the three combined coaching regimes prior to Durham, the Bulldogs won more than 14 games just once (in 27 seasons!) and had an overall winning percentage of only .363.

Upon his arrival to Athens in 1978, Durham inherited the worst basketball program in the SEC and one of the more dreadful in the nation.  Nevertheless, Durham's Dogs earned the school's first postseason basketball appearance within three years and miraculously reached the Final Four in just season five.

One of the primary reasons why Coach Durham was able to completely turn around a dismal basketball program was because he immediately attracted a handful of the best-of-the-best recruits in the entire nation, namely McDonald's All-Americans. 

Since their inception in 1977, McDonald's All-Americans have been considered, for the most part, the annual top 20-to-24 high school basketball seniors. 

Want to know which college basketball programs had the most McDonald's All-Americans over a certain stretch of time?  Just take a look at the most successful programs over the same period.

Most of these top-notch recruits are can't-miss quality players; there are very few that turn out to be complete "busts" while approximately 70 percent of them go on to play in the NBA.

From 1979-1982, Durham signed five of these first-rate talents: Terry Fair and Dominique Wilkins in 1979, James Banks and Vern Fleming a year later, and Donald Hartry in 1982.  During that same four-year period - and this absolutely blows my mind - only four schools had as many or more McDonald's All-Americans than Georgia: powerhouses North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, and Notre Dame.  (Remember, this was a Bulldog basketball program that had won only about one-third of its games for more than a quarter-century.)

Wilkins is still considered likely the greatest basketball player ever at Georgia.  Fair, Banks, and Fleming were three of the five starters on the '83 Final Four team.  And Hartry, as a true freshman, was one of the 1982-83 team's top reserves and would finish his Bulldog career with the second-most assists in school history.

In the 10 years from 1983-1992, Durham signed five more McDonald's All-Americans, although just two succeeded as Bulldogs.  Melvin "Hollywood" Howard (1983) was regarded as a defensive specialist in a reserve role for two-and-a-half years before transferring and starting at Georgia State.  Elmore Spencer (1987) averaged about 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks as a redshirt freshman during the first half of the 1988-89 season before breaking his foot.  He transferred to UNLV and would eventually be a first-round pick in the '92 NBA Draft.

Litterial Green (1989) became one the greatest Bulldog basketball players of all time and one of the few to play in the NBA.  Shaun Golden followed Green a year later and never quite lived up to the hype, playing as a reserve his entire career.  Durham's final McDonald's All-American, Athens' own Carlos Strong (1992), was a four-year starter, departed Georgia as the school's 10th all-time leading scorer and 7th in career rebounds, and played on the Bulldogs' second (and last) Sweet Sixteen team as a senior.

With the firing of Durham came Georgia's apparent inability to recruit the best-of-the-best talent.  Until Coach Fox lured Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (photo) this year, the Bulldogs had not signed a McDonald's All-American in nearly two entire decades (although Damien Wilkins, a 1999 McDonald's All-American, transferred from NC State and ended his collegiate career at Georgia).

To go from landing 10 of the country's very best players in a 14-year span to none over the next 18 years is hard to comprehend.  Even more difficult to understand is that after signing 4 of the 5 McDonald's All-Americans from the state of Georgia from 1979-1983 (while Georgia Tech signed none of the 5), and 6 of the 14 from the state from 1979-1992 (Tech 2 of 14), the Bulldogs did not sign a single one of the state's 16 from 1993-2010 (Tech 4 of 16). 

Whether Georgia wins tomorrow against Washington in the opening round or loses, or keeps Thompkins and Leslie or loses them early to the NBA, to assume this year's team is the most talented Fox will have is near senseless (assuming the coach doesn't bolt for another school anytime soon).  

The Bulldog Basketball Nation should be thrilled we finally got a coach who, like Durham, can evidently recruit top talent.  I realize that the signing of merely one McDonald's All-American shouldn't completely sway the opinions of those that feel Fox is in for an up-hill battle beginning with next season. 

However, history has shown that the signing of one top-notch recruit often leads to enticing even more, while the foundation of a reputable basketball program is built. 

On March 30th, you might want to watch this year's McDonald's All-American Game and checkout soon-to-be Bulldog - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.  I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of him in 2011-12... 

Happy Belated...

...Birthday to the greatest college football player of all time.  Checking out the latest blog posts, I was reminded by Bernie that Herschel's birthday was a couple of days ago, and I thought I'd acknowledge the Goal Line Stalker's special day.

Although I was only seven years old when Herschel played his final game as a Bulldog, I'm rather confident that I've researched, written, and blogged enough on him to have a good idea of what he meant to UGA football; simply put, his impact was immeasurable.

Following an all-out recruiting war, like none ever before (or maybe since) in college football, and Georgia landing the big-time recruit, all Herschel did for UGA was be the Bulldogs' primary contributor to a national title, three straight SEC championship seasons, and give the school just its second Heisman Trophy. 

And, if it wasn't for the award's ballots having to be submitted prematurely in 1980 and a 2,300-yard season by Southern Cal's Marcus Allen the following year, Herschel would have most likely walked away from Athens with three Heismans.

However, what is as intriguing as his distinguished Bulldog football career and one of the more underappreciated stints in professional football was what Herschel could do off the field.  Even today, at nearly 50 years old, Walker continues to demonstrate his non-football related skills.

Add MMA fighting to a long list that includes a two-time All-American in track, an Olympic bobsledder, a successful businessman, a black belt in karate, his high school's valedictorian, a poet (From more than 30 years ago: I wish they could see, The real person in me), and - one of my favorites - quite a dancer. 

The night before the '81 Sugar Bowl - a game where Herschel nearly single-handedly defeated Notre Dame for the national championship - the freshman phenom won a disco contest staged by bowl officials.

"They tell me that he jumped up in the air and came down and did splits," said Coach Dooley about the contest following the Sugar Bowl win.  "Splits! With boots on!" 

The man could do seemingly everything. 

According to Auburn fans, Herschel also ate quiche.  I agree with Bill Hartman...I don't know if he indeed ate quiche, but I bet Herschel could make a pretty good one. 

He did win a blue ribbon for a chef's salad made in high school as a Future Homemaker of America...

Injury-Bitten Bulldogs from Yesteryear

My delayed reaction to the news that Aaron Murray's injury should be nothing to fret over is (like I'm sure everyone else's) a huge relief.  When I first heard that our quarterback was on crutches - after I suffered a minor stroke - I couldn't help but to think back to a little over 15 years ago when another young Bulldog signal caller was on the mend.

For the Winter Quarter of 1996 at the University of Georgia, I was in a marketing class with Mike Bobo.  The times Bobo would show up for class, which wasn't very often, he'd normally be late and hobble up the steps of the "classroom" (it was one of those 300-student classes in an auditorium) to a seat with the aid of crutches. 

Every time I saw the wounded quarterback, I (like I'm sure many other students in the class) was reminded of a 1995 football season that could have been a success if injuries to skilled players hadn't decimated the team.  Instead, the end result was a bunch of crippled canines, a fired head coach, and a .500 record.

Georgia's parade of injuries during that time actually first began in the 1994 season finale against Georgia Tech, when quarterback Eric Zeier went down with a sprained knee.  Bobo filled in admirably in a 48-10 Bulldogs' romp; however, with the All-American Zeier going down, Georgia was suddenly less attractive to the bowl scouts and the Bulldogs were forced to sit home during the postseason despite a respectable 6-4-1 record.

Rumor had it that if Zeier had been healthy, Georgia, not South Carolina, would have been extended a bid from the Carquest Bowl.  Instead, the Gamecocks, who had a worse record (6-5) than the Bulldogs and had lost to Georgia in the season opener, went bowling.

Projected starting defensive end Derrick Byrd tore an ACL in spring practice of 1995.  Next, Georgia football endured arguably one of its most devastating injuries in its history when scatback Robert Edwards (photo) broke his foot in the second game of the season against Tennessee.  In just 1 1/2 games, Edwards had rushed for 325 yards and scored seven touchdowns, but he was lost for the rest of the season.

Edwards' injury was only the beginning of a rash of ailments suffered by the Bulldogs at their scatback position.  Hines Ward started the third game but sustained a bruised thigh and ribs and, two games later, Larry Bowie got the starting nod against Alabama but would pull a groin in the third quarter after gaining nearly 100 yards against the Tide.

Not even halfway through the season and the starting scatback position was already on a game-time-decision basis.  "It wouldn't surprise me if [true freshman] Torin (Kirtsey) started back there," Coach Ray Goff declared before the sixth game at Clemson.

Kirtsey did start and rushed for 195 yards on 38 carries in a 19-17 upset over the Tigers.  However, a week later at Vanderbilt, Kirtsey sprained an ankle on the third play of the game and would be out for two weeks.  In game number eight against Kentucky, another true freshman - Robert Arnuad, who had carried the ball just seven times all season - started at scatback and rushed 37 times for 120 yards in a win over the Wildcats.

In Georgia's first eight games of the season, the Bulldogs started six different scatbacks.  In addition, the low point of the scatback injury epidemic occurred when reserve Odell Collins pulled a hamstring in late October while doing his laundry and missed the remainder of the year.

Other fallen Dogs included the aforementioned Bobo, who fractured his knee early in the second quarter of the fourth game and was finished for the year.  Ward, playing his third different position in three games, started at quarterback for the first time since high school against Alabama and it was evident in a 31-0 Bulldog loss - the last time Georgia was shutout in a game to date.

Brian Smith started under center for three consecutive wins - Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky - but he too was lost for the year with a separated shoulder against the Wildcats.  Ward was back at quarterback for the Florida game, aggravated a fractured wrist against the Gators, and would play hurt with a broken bone in his wrist in a near upset versus Auburn and a upset victory at Georgia Tech.

By the way, the Bulldogs had their fair share of injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well.  Besides Byrd, All-SEC candidate nose guard Travis Stroud endured a hyperextended elbow in the third game of the year and played sparingly the rest of the season.  Most damaging, senior Randall Godfrey suffered a strained hamstring early in the Alabama game; one of the greatest linebackers in school history would hardly play the final seven games of his last season at Georgia.

Whew!  There you have it...a decade's worth of injuries all rolled into one season for the ill-fated Bulldogs of 1995. 

Five days prior to Georgia's game against Georgia Tech and with the Bulldogs' record at 5-5, Goff gave his "negotiated resignation" and was finished as head coach.  Although many questioned the timing of the forced resignation by Vince Dooley, who had given Goff a mandate of "significant improvement" prior to the season, few challenged the athletic director's decision.  

I, for one, remember being all for the resignation and, looking back on it, definitely believe it was for the good of the program.  In all honesty, Goff was in way over his head to begin with when he was hired in 1989.  Even Ray himself might admit to that today...

However, whether Pop Warner or Bear Bryant (or even Vince Dooley), any coach would have had a difficult time coaching that Georgia team to "significant improvement" from an 11-10-1 combined record in 1993 and 1994.  All poor Goff was able to do was win six games, two coming as a road  underdog (Clemson, Georgia Tech), while having a few near upsets against much superior competition (Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia).

An injury or two (or nearly a dozen, like in '95) can ruin a team's football season; they certainly devastated Georgia's 1995 campaign. 

Come to think of it, I'm reminded that the Coach Richt regime has had the good fortune of hardly having to deal with major injuries, particularly during the recent three-season slide. 

Whereas it is evident Coach Goff had a legitimate reason for a mere six-win season, what was Coach Richt's excuse for one 15 years later?

A Former Tradition Not Forgotten

I've been absolutely swamped at work recently, thus, the reason why this is my first post in more than two weeks.  Nevertheless, a friend sent me a site featuring an old photo of Sanford Stadium's The Track People (also check out the letter from the late great Erk Russell), and I couldn't resist posting my somewhat "experience" with the one-time tradition. 

When Sanford Stadium's east end zone was enclosed prior to the 1981 season, enlarging the stadium from around 60,000 to just under 80,000, it certainly was unfortunate for those that once watched free of charge from the railroad tracks and an end to a tradition. 

However, with the stadium's new addition, came the option for some faculty members, like my father, to order four season tickets instead of just two like previous seasons.  So, when the defending national champion Bulldogs kicked off their '81 season against Tennessee 30 years ago come this September, they did so in front of nearly 20,000 fresh faces, including yours truly - six years old at the time, attending his very first Georgia football game.

Taken from a video courtesy of the University of Tennessee and narrated by the Volunteers' legendary John Ward, here are some highlights from a memorable game for me:

Personally, it never gets old watching highlights from Georgia football's heyday of the early 1980s.  In particular, the 1981 Bulldogs "on paper" might have been the best Georgia football team of all time despite two losses suffered during their season.  

The above video is some evidence of the talented bunch: players like Herschel Walker, Terry Hoage, seniors Buck Belue and Lindsay Scott, true freshman Kevin Butler, junior college-transfer Ronnie Harris, and... Jeff Paulk.

In case you're wondering,  Paulk was Georgia's second- or third-string quarterback from 1979-1982.  For his entire Bulldog career, he accounted for only approximately 250 yards of total offense and scored one touchdown - the one shown in the video.   

My favorite players from the first Bulldog team I witnessed in person were Herschel and Hoage, for obvious reasons, and Jeff Paulk, simply because he was one of my coaches at the Athens YMCA and I also thought he had a neat sounding last name.

For these reasons, I had to include Paulk's touchdown in the highlights from my first Bulldog game.  

One of my favorite stories from that Georgia-Tennessee meeting begins with the dozen or so dedicated Track People, who still turned out that afternoon to sit on the railroad tracks.  Of course, they couldn't see the Bulldogs from where they sat but an enormous side of concrete instead.

Still, as one track fan declared, as long as there was whiskey to drink and Larry Munson on his radio, he didn't mind the obstructed view. 

However, another ticketless fan, Rick, did mind after the whiskey wore off and was going to do all he could to see his Bulldogs.  He and a few friends tried several different ways to catch a glimpse of the game from both east and west sides of the stadium without any luck.

After many unsuccessful attempts, a friend said, “Looks like we ain’t gonna get in.”

“Heck,” said a dejected Rick, “I gotta be at my wedding rehearsal at four o’ clock anyway.”

Talk about Dream Teams...

After signing with Georgia in 1980, the absolute HEAD of all heads of classes

was still everyone's desire (even when sporting an early 80's Urban Cowboy look).

As Georgia is attempting to finalize a Dream Team of a recruiting class, a friend of mine and fellow Bulldog follower suggested I rank the all-time incoming recruiting classes in Georgia football history.  Which class owned the top spot wasn't difficult to figure; however, determining the rest of the top ten was a challenge, especially since every incoming class from the very beginning of UGA football was considered.

Among the factors used in determining the top classes were the number of impact players, their individual and collective success while at Georgia, and the number that would eventually play at the professional level. 

Although very little, I also took into consideration players' NFL careers and those incoming Bulldogs that might have eventually found success at another school.  I also selected at least one class from each of the last six coaching eras: Mehre, Butts, Dooley, Goff, Donnan, and Richt.

After pouring over decades of incoming classes, choosing my opinion of the 20 to 25 best, narrowing that down to a top 10, and ranking them (below), I've discovered something rather interesting and near astonishing about my list:

Six of the seven classes from my No. 2 through No. 8 signed with UGA prior to only the first or second season of a new coaching regime.  The one exception - 1998 - was prior to just the third season of Coach Donnan.  Let me add, Donnan's first class (1996: Champ Bailey, Orantes Grant, Patrick Pass, Marcus Stroud, etc.) just missed my top 10.

Does this suggest that very talented players, for whatever reasons, are often collectively attracted to a program with a fairly or brand new coaching staff?  Rather, as my friend suggested, are coaching staffs more inclined to recruit and work harder when new on the job?  Or, is it only a coincidence?    

1) 1980

Head of Class: RB Herschel Walker

Supporting Cast: DE Freddie Gilbert, OT Jimmy Harper, DB Terry Hoage, OT Winford Hood, TE Clarence Kay, LB Tommy Thurson, OT/DT Mike Weaver, FB Scott Williams, RB Barry Young

Even if you were to stick Walker with 28 run-of-the-mill (at best) players, this class may still rank in the top 10, simply because of the signing of Herschel - maybe the greatest college football player of all time.  Notwithstanding, even without Walker, this class (which made up half of the 22 starters in 1983) produced a 10-1-1 record as seniors and a No. 4 national ranking...Two redshirted signees - Weaver and Williams - would switch positions prior to their senior seasons and were two of the top players on the 1984 team...About a year ago, this class was ranked 11th best (3rd in the SEC) in the history of college football recruiting.  

2) 1965

Head of Class: DB Jake Scott, DT Bill Stanfill

Supporting Cast: DT Tim Callaway, FB/LB Happy Dicks, DG Steve Greer, HB Kent Lawrence, QB Billy Payne, DB Penny Pennington, DB David McKnight, end David Rholetter

After a season on the freshman Bullpups squad, three signees - Lawrence, Payne, and Stanfill - would promptly start on the 1966 SEC championship team and would capture another conference crown just two seasons later...Lawrence is still considered one of the greatest all-purpose players in Georgia history, Payne (who came to UGA as a quarterback) starred at both offensive (1966-1967) and defensive (1968) end, while Stanfill is perhaps the Bulldogs' best defender ever.  Scott and Greer wouldn't play until 1967 but both would become All-Americans (Greer in his fifth year of '69)...The cast above doesn't include perhaps the most touted of the bunch - Charlotte's Rick Arrington - who split time with starting quarterback Kirby Moore at the beginning of the '66 season, decided to transfer to Tulsa, and would eventually play in the NFL.

3) 1998

Head of Class: ATH Terrence Edwards, OL Jon Stinchcomb

Supporting Cast: LB Boss Bailey, DB Terreal Bierria, QB Quincy Carter, OL George Foster, LB Tony Gilbert, DL David Jacobs, RB Jasper Sanks, DB Tim Wansley, LB Will Witherspoon

It must be at least a decent class when one cannot decide who is its "head": Edwards, the SEC's all-time leading receiver, or a four-year starter, three-time All-SEC lineman in Stinchcomb...This class also included Nate Hybl, who would quarterback Oklahoma to a Rose Bowl win, and Kawika Mitchell - an eventual second-round pick out of South Florida, who just finished his eighth season in the NFL...Donnan could always lure top-notch talent (all 11 starters from his 2000 defense would play in the NFL), however, it never translated to a conference championship.  In 2002 under Richt, with much of this class still around as fifth-year seniors, the Bulldogs finally realized their potential. 

4) 1939

Head of Class: HB Frank Sinkwich

Supporting Cast: HB Lamar "Racehorse" Davis, end George Poschner, guard Harry Kuniansky, guard Walter Ruark, end Van Davis, tackle Gene Ellenson, kicker Leo Costa

The rationale why Wally Butts, an assistant on Georgia's 1938 team, was kept around and promoted after Joel Hunt's single season as head football coach was because Butts was familiar with UGA, the state of Georgia, and could flat-out recruit.  This was immediately evident with the signing of his first class of '39.  As Bullpups, they went undefeated, outscoring their opponents 166 to 6.  After an average campaign as 1940 varsity members, this group was primarily responsible for Georgia's combined 20-2-1 record in 1941 and 1942 and the program's first two bowl appearances. 

5) 2001

Head of Class: DL David Pollack

Supporting Cast: DB Greg Blue, LB Thomas Davis, WR Fred Gibson, QB D.J. Shockley, LB Odell Thurman

Of Georgia's last four first-team All-Americans on defense through the 2010 season, three - Pollack, Davis, and Blue - were members of the '01 class.  Throw in Thurman, Gibson (still ranks second at UGA in career receiving yards), and D.J. Shockley, who might have had the best single season ever by a Bulldog quarterback (2005), and this turned out to be a rather fine class. 

6) 1990

Head of Class: RB Garrison Hearst

Supporting Cast: LB Mitch Davis, WR Andre Hastings, LB DeWayne Simmons, DL Bernard Williams, OL Steve Roberts, TE Shannon Mitchell

Although the 4-7 Bulldog football team of 1990 might have been the school's worst of the last 50 years, on a positive note, many newcomers (primarily because of injuries and suspensions) saw immediate and valuable playing time.  This paid off for a 9-3 "Operation Turnaround" in 1991 and the team's first 10-win season in nine years in 1992.  Unfortunately, Hearst, Hastings, and Simmons had departed by 1993, and this class suffered through a 5-6 season as seniors.

7) 2002

Head of Class: OL Max Jean-Gilles

Supporting Cast: DT Kedric Golston, OT Daniel Inman, CB Tim Jennings, TE Martrez Milner, DB Demario Minter, DL Quentin Moses, TE Leonard Pope, LB Tony Taylor

Although there is no signee that clearly stands out from the '02 class, except for maybe Jean-Gilles, eight of the newcomers would receive All-SEC recognition during their time as Bulldogs (most of all incoming classes in my top 10).  Collectively, Georgia was 44-9 and won two SEC championships from 2002 through 2005, and, for the fifth-year players from this class, a 9-win season in 2006 capped their careers.

8) 1928

Head of Class: end Vernon "Catfish" Smith

Supporting Cast: tackle Bobby Rose, guard Red Maddox, FB Jack Roberts, guard James Patterson, HB Spurgeon Chandler, QB Austin Downes, guard Milt "Red" Leathers, guard Jasper Bennett

Of Georgia's starting eleven in 1929, eight of them were sophomores and signees from the '28 incoming class.  Nicknamed the "Flaming Sophs" since a few of these sophomores had red hair (including "Red" Maddox and "Red" Leathers), this class led Georgia to a combined 15-4-1 record as juniors and seniors...The 1931 Bulldogs, at one point during their season (and before major polls), were considered the best team in all of college football.   

9) 1957

Head of Class: QB Fran Tarkenton

Supporting Cast: center Phil Ashe, HB Fred Brown, guard Pat Dye, FB Bill Godfrey, HB Bobby Walden

The '57 class went undefeated as Bullpups - Georgia's first perfect freshman team since the 1939 newcomers nearly 20 years earlier.  As juniors in 1959, this class was the primary reason for the Bulldogs' diamond-in-the-rough-type season when, amidst 15 years (1949-1963) of typically sub-par play, Georgia recorded a 10-1 mark in capturing the SEC...Brown departed ranked third at Georgia in  career all-purpose yardage (only behind Sinkwich and Charley Trippi), Dye was an All-American, while Tarkenton became a legendary quarterback in the NFL.

   

10) 1974

Head of Class: FB Ben Zambiasi

Supporting Cast: OG George Collins, DB Johnny Henderson, DB Bill Krug, RB Kevin McLee, DT Ronnie Swoopes, DB Billy Woods

Besides its aggressive play and catchy name, what also made the Junkyard Dogs defense of 1975 enchanting was the fact the unit was assumed in the preseason to be dreadful...but you know what they say about assuming.  Five 1974 signees made up almost half of the starters on Erk Russell's fiery defense only a year later.  As juniors, they helped Georgia win an SEC title...Although their senior season of 1977 was a losing campaign, McLee became the school's all-time leading rusher (for four years) while Zambiasi, Collins, and Krug were all recognized as first-team All-Americans...This class also included the talented Tony Flanagan - Georgia's first African-American quarterback.  

The Dawg Blawgs Podcast

Wednesday night, I joined ecdawg's The Dawg Blawgs podcast to discuss some ongoing issues with the Bulldog football program.  It was my pleasure to chat with Bernie (Bernie's Dawg Blog), Corbindawg (The Grit Tree), Mike in Valdosta (Dawgs BUI), and ecdawg (Leather Helmet Blog).

If you want to give a listen:

There Goes Pulpwood!

The first time I ever heard the name Andre "Pulpwood" Smith was shortly after he broke off a 50-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter of Georgia's 1984 season opener - a 26-19 Bulldogs' win over Southern Mississippi.

Assuming the highly-recruited Lars Tate, who had recently scored the first of what would eventually be 37 touchdowns in a Bulldog career, had scored again, from our seats in Sanford Stadium, I looked up at my father and asked, "Was that Lars Tate?"

"No... but I have no idea who it was," my dad responded.  

The two of us, along with most likely tens of thousands of others, had to unknowingly wait until the PA announcer declared that it was "Pulpwood" Smith who had scored - the first of what would eventually be just four touchdowns as a Bulldog.

Eight months ago, I posted the first of Smith's two touchdowns against Alabama in 1984.  Of my two dozen videos on YouTube, the clip of Pulpwood has been the most popular.  I'm guessing this is so simply because of the man, the myth, the legend of Andre "Pulpwood" Smith (or because of football-crazed Alabama fans willing to extensively search for and watch any kind of footage of their Tide). 

Now, I present nearly 10 minutes of, at times, blurry (with buzzing audio) footage from an afternoon in Birmingham when every Bulldog fan finally became accustomed with the sophomore fullback's name:



Looking back, it's certainly not surprising it took most Georgia fans some time before becoming familiar with Pulpwood.  In 1984, backs Tron Jackson and David McCluskey returned from the previous season's 10-1-1 and fourth-ranked team, the Bulldogs had signed Parade All-Americans Tate and Cleveland Gary, while JUCO-transfer Tony Mangrum was perceived to perhaps be the best of them all.

Tate, from Indianapolis and regarded as maybe "the next Herschel Walker," was so celebrated that, at one point during the opening game against Southern Miss, the stadium crowd already began chanting his name, "Lars...Tate...Lars...Tate..."

Even though he was a one-time Georgia AAAA Back of the Year, there was hardly much room for Pulpwood in the Bulldogs' stable of backs.  Despite what the play-by-play announcer indicates on the clip,  Smith did play on UGA's varsity as a true freshman in 1983, albeit for a single game, carrying four times for 25 yards in a 47-21 blowout of Kentucky. 

With Georgia only leading 16-13 in the first game of the 1984 season, you can imagine the surprise when the little-known fullback was handed the ball and sprinted 50 yards to paydirt.

A month later and following the victory over the Crimson Tide, Pulpwood was leading the team in rushing, touchdowns scored, and averaging more than eight yards per carry - an absolutely implausible four-game performance unforeseen by the Bulldogs, their followers, and even the "head" Dawg.

From an article in The Red and Black after the Alabama win, a writer stated that Vince Dooley, when asked about Pulpwood's 118-yard, two-touchdown performance, began "grasping for words and looking off for a second before moving on to another question.  The improbability of Smith's emergence choked off even Dooley's descriptive prose."

By the end of the year, Smith had secured the starting fullback position, maintained his team lead in rushing and touchdowns, and was even recognized by Dooley as "the best player on the Georgia team."  Nevertheless, Pulpwood's prominence would promptly come to an end in Athens when he became an "academic casualty" of UGA during the Winter quarter of 1985.

Andre "Pulpwood" Smith - the most distinctive "one-hit wonder" in UGA football history - was a Bulldog for only a mere season (and some change).  Just as quickly as he had sprinted into the hearts and minds of the Bulldog Nation, he disappeared - a slip away reminiscent of the two he executed against the Tide.

Where My Hogs At?

Following Georgia's loss at Colorado up until the Liberty Bowl debacle, the Bulldogs' offense received much praise in averaging 41 points and more than 415 yards per the final seven games of the regular season. 

Even in doing so, however, Georgia was hardly able to establish much of a ground game; the Dogs' mid- to late-season success on offense can primarily be attributed to a tremendous freshman quarterback and fine receiving corps (particularly, one receiver that just declared for the NFL).  

The lack of a running game was certainly evident against Central Florida in Memphis as Georgia's ground attack sputtered to gain 82 yards on 32 carries.  Even if the Knights' sacks on Aaron Murray are omitted, the Bulldogs' rushers averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt...and this was against a defense that, in three consecutive games versus East Carolina, Houston, and Southern Miss during the regular season, yielded a combined 99 points. 

As much as Murray was a pleasant surprise in 2010, Georgia's offensive line play was a major and unforeseen disappointment.  This was a unit that returned seven players from 2009 - including all five starters - that had each made at least 10 starts in their careers, totaling an extraordinary 155 total starts.  No team in the FBS returned more career starts on the offensive line than the Bulldogs.

Couple Georgia's offensive line experience with the fact the Bulldogs' running game was rather impressive during the latter part of the 2009 campaign, and things looked good for 2010.  As I stated back in June:

If it's true that an offense is only as good as its offensive line and games are won and lost in the trenches, Georgia should be in very good shape when it begins its 2010 season...

Notice I said "should be"...

Curious to see exactly how Georgia's offensive line play stacked up against the rest of the conference in 2010, I figured - as I did in the above link for the 2009 season - the Offensive Hog Index for the SEC this past year.

Similarly to the Defensive Hog Index, the Offensive index takes into account three statistical rankings amongst conference members where final placement is determined by the average of the three rankings.

Like my calculation for the Defensive index, for the Offensive, I figured just games against BCS-conference opponents and included bowl games.  The three measurements used were average per rush (sacks omitted), percent of passing plays (pass attempts + times sacked) resulting in an interception or sack, and third- and fourth-down combined conversion rate.

This past season, Georgia averaged 4.84 yards per rush (7th in SEC), 9.78% of its passing plays resulted in a sack or interception (6th), and had a 41.1% success rate (7th) on third and fourth down combined. The Bulldogs’ 6.7 average ranking placed 7th in the conference:

1. Auburn (2.0)
2t. Alabama (4.7)
2t. Kentucky (4.7)
4t. Arkansas (5.7)
4t. LSU (5.7)
4t. Ole Miss (5.7)
7. Georgia (6.7)
8t. Florida (7.0)
8t. South Carolina (7.0)
10. Miss. State (8.7)
11. Vanderbilt (9.3)
12. Tennessee (11.0)

I'm not surprised that Auburn easily had the best offensive line in the SEC, according to the index, while Tennessee clearly had the worst.  Excluding Georgia, Auburn had the most returning offensive line starts from 2009 (111 starts) while Tennessee had the fewest (13).

As far as Georgia goes...  I'll mention it again, 155 starts - the most of 120 FBS teams; college football expert Phil Steele ranked the Bulldogs' offensive line in the preseason as the very best in the entire nation.

So, what happened?  Did the offensive line suddenly forget how to block in 2010?  Were the linemen, although experienced, just not all that good to begin with?

Although the Bulldogs' dropped in the index rankings, Georgia's three measurements are actually somewhat similar to the ones from a year ago.  In other words, although the Dogs may have returned lots of experience along their offensive line, those linemen did not advance with the rest of the conference.  In fact, there was no improvement from 2009 to 2010, and maybe even some decline in performance.

The bottom line: What was suppose to be perhaps the best offensive line in college football didn't even rank in the top half of its own conference.  And, for such a shortcoming, you can primarily pin the blame on any coach that had anything to do with those "experienced" linemen. 

In Desperate Need of a SUPER Class

A losing year, a coach on the hot seat...  Perhaps the only thing that can somewhat calm what looks to be a turbulent and distressing off-season is for the Bulldogs' staff to put together a top-notch recruiting class. 

With that being said, Troup's Quan Bray and Griffin's Xzavier Dickson - two highly-recruited players from the state and ones the Bulldogs really wanted and needed to land - recently committed to Auburn and Alabama, respectively.

It is the opinion of many (especially a local sports-talk radio host ad nauseam) that in order for Georgia's football program to get back to where it should be, the Bulldogs must start doing a better job of in-state recruiting.

I don't spend much time examining college football recruiting and only have little interest in it.  However, I do know that there is a correlation for major college programs between where their recruiting classes rank and where their teams on the field eventually wind up in the final polls.  In addition, I'm fully aware that Georgia's recruiting has slipped the last couple years and there is undoubtedly no time like the present for a first-rate incoming class...and there are plenty of first-rate players in the state of Georgia.

The best of the best high school football talent in Georgia, or at least the top 11 in the opinion of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is the AJC's Super 11. 

Beginning in 1985 and chosen every summer prior to the Super players' senior seasons, the Super 11, according to the AJC "...is one of the most elite teams in the nation, considering Georgia’s status as one of the top states for high school football" and is selected "through nominations and feedback from high school and colleges coaches, along with [the AJC's] own selection committee." 

I went back and tallied what school every Super 11 player initially signed with, starting in 1985 through the 2009 class.  That's a total of 27 Super 11s (the AJC selected two Super 11 teams in 2000 and 2001 - one from Metro Atlanta and another 11 from the rest of the state) and nearly 300 players.

A select few of these players, like Quincy Carter (Georgia Tech) and Georgia's Nate Hybl and Daniel Cobb would never play a down for the team they initially signed with but found some success elsewhere.  Some Super 11 members signed with community or junior colleges, played basketball instead, or did not (or could not) sign with any school.

After scanning over more than two dozen sets of Super 11s, where each player signed, and recognizing the reputation of UGA's recruiting class for each year, it's my opinion that the more Super 11 players signed by Georgia for a certain year, the better the Bulldogs' recruiting class was, on the whole, that particular year.  That certainly makes sense...

Of the first AJC Super 11 in 1985, three players would sign with UGA: Winder-Barrow's Hiawatha Berry (who would become a fine player at Georgia - one of the few Bulldogs in history to record 100+ tackles and rush for 100+ yards in a career), Wilcox County's Alfred Rawls (who would rush for 128 yards and lead his team to victory against Georgia while playing for Kentucky in 1988), and R.E. Lee's Rob Wainwright (a Bulldog reserve on both the offensive and defensive line in 1987-1988).

Nearly a quarter-century later, the Super 11 of 2009 saw four players eventually sign with Georgia: Koulton Houston (Buford), Alec Ogletree (Newnan), Garrison Smith (Douglass-Atlanta), and T.J. Stripling (SW DeKalb). 

From 1985-2009, the fewest of the 11 the Bulldogs ever signed was only one from 1992's class (Mike Bobo - Thomasville) and 2004 (Darius Dewberry - Peach County).  The most was seven players on three occasions: 1986, 1997, and 2002.

During the 25-year period, UGA signed a total of 106 Super 11 players - that's an average of almost exactly four (3.93) per set of 11.  Nearly 90 percent (260) of all Super players would sign with a BCS-conference school and, of those, the Bulldogs signed 40.8 percent of them.  

Besides Georgia's 106, here are the other programs that signed at least 10 Super players from 1985-2009 - as expected, they're the usual suspects:

27- Georgia Tech
22- Auburn
16- Tennessee
15- Florida State
11- Clemson

So, that leads me to ask, is signing an average of four of the best 11 players in the state sufficient?  What about the fact the Bulldogs land more than 40 percent of those who sign with major programs or that the next closest signer - Georgia Tech - signed only about one-quarter of what UGA did?

I have no clue.  Like I said, I know little about this subject.

What I do know is that there is some perception that UGA's in-state football recruiting has been on the decline in recent years.  In looking at only the state's top 11 players - and, again, according to merely a newspaper - that hasn't necessarily been the case.  In fact, Georgia's average of four Super 11 signees per year has been a trend since the start.

Here's a breakdown of the average number of Super 11 signees for each head coach.  For Coach Dooley, only his final three seasons (1986-1988) could be measured while, for Coach Richt, I split his regime in half:

4.00 - Dooley
3.71 - Goff
4.20 - Donnan
3.71 - Richt's first five years
4.20 - Richt's last five years

I also thought it would be interesting to see which high school teams have had the most Super 11 players...

Including the recent 2010 class, there have been 308 Super 11 players from 148 different Georgia high schools.  With Dunwoody High leading the pack, these schools have had at least five:

8- Dunwoody
7- LaGrange, Parkview, Tucker
6- Griffin, McEachern, Peach County, SW DeKalb, Washington County 
5- Carrollton, Clarke Central, Thomas Co. Central, Thomasville

Regarding the recent 2010 Super 11 class, it appears Georgia has two commitments thus far, five have committed to others schools (two to Auburn, including Griffin's Dickson, two to Tennessee, and one to Stanford), and four are undecided (including the pictured Isaiah Crowell of Carver-Columbus).

Let's hope of the undecideds, UGA can sign the majority, if not all, of them...for the sake of this year's recruiting class and for a comforting and optimistic off-season.