Should Kwame Have Come Back?

Early departures for '13: Jones, Ogletree, & Geathers
-- first rounder, first rounder, & no rounder.
 

Seems a rather ridiculous question considering the early departure wasn't even selected in the recent NFL Draft, huh?  Still, after receiving an email from a reader wondering if any other early-entrant Bulldogs besides Geathers went undrafted in the past, I suddenly felt compelled to reexamine the case for Kwame.

 

Updating a post of mine from a year ago when I questioned the early departure of Orson Charles, Georgia has now had 31 players declare early for the draft following the departures of Jones, Ogletree, and Geathers.  Kwame was just the third of these players not to be drafted.  The Bulldogs' early-departed-but-not-drafted percentage of less than 10 percent is rather remarkable considering of the roughly 1,200 early entrants from 1990 through 2013 in all of college football, approximately 36 percent were not taken in the draft (including 21 of 73 in 2013).

 

Although former Bulldogs who leave early are rarely left empty handed, the notion the UGA football program under Coach Richt is treated by most super-talented players as merely a stepping stone to the NFL continues.  In the 12 NFL Drafts from 1990 through 2001, there was an average of 42.3 early entrants compared to 55.8 in the last 12, or a 31.7 percent increase.  However, at Georgia, five players declared early from 1990 through 2001, compared to 24 from 2002 through 2013, or an increase of nearly FIVE times than before and an average of two early departees annually during the Coach Richt era.

 

Feeling kind of sorry for Geathers, who signed as a free agent with San Diego immediately following the draft, and especially for a Georgia defensive line (in which two of the three projected starters for 2013 have totaled only a combined three career tackles!), I soon noticed the claim at DawgBark.net that only 4% of players drafted in the 7th Round or signed as undrafted free agents make it in the NFL for more than 2 years.  Further thinking things didn't look too promising for Kwame, I then recalled that of Georgia's late-round picks to undrafted free agents—at least the ones who departed the program early—most had actually "made" it, so to speak, in the NFL.

A decade ago, Georgia had a similar case to Geathers in linebacker Chris Clemons.  After a respectable junior season of 2002, Clemons was expected to be the lone returning starting linebacker for the Bulldogs in '03.  Instead, he unexpectedly turned pro early.  Although a fourth or fifth-round projected pick by many so-called experts, like Geathers, Clemons wound up not being drafted in the end.  However, he was signed by Washington as a free agent and recently completed his eighth year in the NFL.  What's more, Clemons has been a starting defensive end for the Seahawks the last three seasons and was recently featured online in Seattle as part of a trade from three years ago "that looks more and more like a steal."  Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

A decade ago, Chris Clemons left the Dawgs early and
went undrafted, but he has had a fine NFL career.

Besides Clemons and Geathers, the other Georgia undrafted early entrant was D.J. "don't call me Danny" Ware, who actually had little choice but to leave early following the 2006 season with the return of Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin and emergence of Knowshon Moreno.  For Ware, it was either declare early for the '07 Draft or likely be the Bulldogs' fourth-string tailback as a senior.  In six seasons in the NFL, Ware has been a dependable back, started a couple of games while being on the cusp of becoming a full-time starter, and been part of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

Including these two undrafted free agents, and excluding Orson Charles since he has only one pro season under his belt, I examined the NFL careers of every previous early entrant from Georgia.  I discovered that of the six Bulldogs drafted in the fourth round and lower or not at all, FOUR—Clemons, Reshad Jones, Randy McMichael, and, ironically, Kwame's older brother Robert Geathers—all started for 2-plus seasons in the NFL in at least half of their teams' games.  For the two Bulldogs that weren't starters for 2+ seasons, Ware, as mentioned, has had a serviceable pro career while Terreal Bierria likely would have so if not for getting in a little trouble with the law.

On further examination, 9 of the 14 early-entrant Bulldogs drafted in the third round and lower or not drafted at all became starters in the NFL for at least two seasons.  In comparison and for what it's worth, nearly the same proportion (9 of 13) of the early-entrant Georgia players drafted in the 1st and 2nd rounds became starters in the NFL for at least two seasons.

Ten years ago, Georgia's Chris Clemons surprised much of the Bulldog Nation, including his head coach, by declaring early for the NFL Draft.  "I'm somewhat disappointed and I'm not sure it was the wisest decision in this case," Coach Richt said at the time, "but time will tell."  Clemons went undrafted but, in time, was one of the best defenders on arguably the NFL's best defense a year ago.

I wish Kwame Geathers had stayed with the Bulldogs for his final season and it was probably an unwise decision for him to come out early.  However, based on his 6-6, 350-pound frame, incredible NFL bloodlines, and the fact that early departees from Georgia seem to buck the early-entrant trends of other college programs, don't be surprised if Geathers "makes it" in the NFL and does just fine.

Georgia's Path to the Draft

Well, at least he could recruit
high NFL Draft picks...

I was watching TV with a few friends last week when the news broke that Coach Donnan had been indicted for his part in the much-publicized Ponzi scheme. 

 

"Crook!" a friend shouted.  "What an embarrassment," said another.  "'Big Head D' should be ashamed," mumbled a friend, adding his long-time nickname for the former Bulldog coach.  And, finally and humorously (I think), "Well, at least he could recruit..."

Someone must have quickly shot my last friend a curious remember-the-Donnan-regime-took-Jasper-Sanks-over-Jamal-Lewis look because he promptly clarified his remark, "Donnan could recruit!  At least as far as players that eventually would be picked high in the NFL Draft."

 

I soon flashed back to an article I had written for a magazine about a month ago regarding Georgia's 1980 team.  In my research, I was shocked to discover only one player from the national title squad was ever picked in the first OR second round of an NFL Draft (Lindsay Scott).  I'm not just talking about the NFL Draft immediately following the championship season in April of 1981, but any player from that team chosen in the first two rounds of any of the subsequent drafts.  What's even more remarkable is in the final 16 NFL Drafts of the Coach Dooley era (1973-1988), Scott was the only Bulldog selected in the first round.  (Granted, if it wasn't for the USFL, Herschel would have been a first-round pick, as well, but even just two first rounders in 16 years is mighty hard to fathom.)  In comparison, and let's say Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree are chosen tonight, Georgia would have had 16 first-round selections in the last 16 NFL Drafts (1998-2013).

 

It's certainly no secret Donnan was able to land high school talent that eventually would become high NFL Draft picks (signed 6 of those 16 first rounders), as has Richt (8 of the 16).  But, what about previous Georgia head coaches, and what if the selections were extended to what is currently the first two days of the draft — rounds 1 through 3, or the first 96 picks?

 

From Wally Butts' first NFL Draft as head coach (1940) through 2012, the following is a ranking of the Bulldogs' last six head coaches according to the number of top-96 NFL draftees each had previously signed for the Bulldogs:

Kendrell Bell was one of the whopping 16 top-
three round picks signed by Donnan (and apparently 
one of the ex-coach's eventual Ponzi victims). 

33- Butts

21- Dooley

17- Richt

16- Donnan

10- Goff

  2- Griffith

 

On second thought, I thought a better comparison would be each coach's number of high draft picks divided by the number of seasons they coached at Georgia:

 

3.20- Donnan (16 in 5 years)

1.50- Butts (33 in 22)

1.43- Goff (10 in 7)

1.42- Richt (17 in 12)

0.84- Dooley (21 in 25)

0.67- Griffith (2 in 3)

 

Disregarding the abbreviated Griffith tenure, there's an intriguing trend concerning Georgia head coaches and their yearly average of high draft picks: Richt, Goff, and Butts all averaged around one-and-a-half top-three round picks per year, which was roughly TWICE as many as Dooley averaged, and less than HALF as many as Donnan averaged.

 

Notably, of the five coaches who signed at least 10 eventual top-three round picks, Dooley had the lowest yearly top-96 average by far, yet was arguably the most successful of the five.  For this reason, should Dooley be even more celebrated for doing, as they say, a lot with little (i.e., having tremendous success with inferior NFL talent)?  Or, should the hall-of-fame head coach be criticized for not signing the top NFL talent that was landed by Georgia coaches both before (Butts) and after his tenure (Goff, Donnan, and Richt)?

 

Likewise, should the Jim Donnan coaching regime be more heralded because of its signing of numerous eventual high NFL draftees in such a short period of time?  Or, considering all of that NFL talent, yet Donnan was likely just the fourth most successful of the five head coaches, is it shameful his coaching tenure was only satisfactory?  Regardless, whether Donnan was a Bulldog signee's "path to the Draft," or more so produced little with a lot, he currently has much, much bigger fish to fry.

Trip to Clemson Can Bring Unexpected

In '74, Georgia had some difficulty stopping a Clemson ground attack, 
the Bulldogs were unexpectedly defeated, & a rivalry was established.

Last week, I was on the campus of Clemson University for the first time in nearly 30 years.  I believe it was during the summer of 1985 when somehow through a friend of my father's, I unexpectedly got to walk out on the field of Death Valley — a pretty cool experience for a 10 year old.  For my recent trip, I was conducting a couple of interviews for a story I'm writing on the namesake of the same field — Clemson's legendary Frank Howard.  Although I bleed red and black, I'm a huge enthusiast of the history of college football, on the whole, plus this freelance writer has bills to pay.  Therefore, I welcomed the opportunity to put together a piece on Howard for a Clemson football yearbook due out this summer.

 

The last time I had been at Clemson, the Bulldogs and Tigers bitter rivalry was in its heyday.  At the time, in my opinion, there was likely no opponent the majority of the Bulldog Nation hated more than Clemson.  This time on campus, I saw a sign in their bookstore promoting the upcoming August 31st meeting as a "Rivalry Renewed."  It got me thinking...  If the approaching game is renewing a rivalry, when did the Georgia-Clemson football game actually become a rivalry?

 

For a series featuring more than 60 games, the results of the meetings over the years have been rather one-sided to say the least and, thus collectively, could be argued as hardly a rivalry at all.  Georgia won the first three meetings between the two schools played prior to 1900.  In turn, Clemson promptly defeated the Red and Black seven consecutive times from 1900 through 1906, outscoring them 184 to 10 in the process.  From there, Georgia went on a tear, recording a remarkable 26-3-3 mark in 32 games from 1907 to 1973.  Currently, the Bulldogs are on a five-game winning streak against the Tigers, taking each game played since 1991.  However, there was a time when Georgia-Clemson was indeed a real rivalry, and one of the more balanced matchups in all of college football.

 

Many, including myself, have pointed to the 1977 game as to when the rivalry was really established.  Georgia was coming off consecutive seasons of major bowl appearances, while Clemson had been sub-par to awful for quite some time.  Having not defeated the Bulldogs away from Clemson in 18 tries since 1914, the Tigers pulled a 7-6 upset in Athens.  From then through 1987, the 11 Georgia-Clemson games were decided by an average of less than five points per contest.

 

As I recently sat with a retired Clemson professor and current campus historian, after discussing Coach Howard, I brought up the one-time bitter rivalry between the Bulldogs and Tigers.  Notably, he first informed me of a time when the two sides, you could say, got along quite well.

 

"Whenever the Tigers played in Athens when Howard was head coach, he was worried about the well being of the college girls that followed the Clemson team down to Georgia," the historian told me.  "So, the girls were placed on a separate campus away from the UGA male students.  (I must have looked confused at this point.)  And good thing, Howard believed the girls would be fornicating with the UGA males under those hedges y'all got down there," he added with a laugh.

 

Talk of Georgia and Clemson "relations" soon changed to the schools' football rivalry, and the historian suggested that their meeting in 1974 in Death Valley was when the series changed forever.


No, it's not Herschel... This No. 34 -- 
Andy "Breezy" Reid -- actually scored
a touchdown against Clemson.

The Tigers were fresh off an upset win over Georgia Tech after an 0-2 start to their '74 campaign.  The Bulldogs entered with a 2-1 record, as 10-point favorites on the road, and having not lost to the Tigers in 10 consecutive games over a period of nearly 20 years (1955).

 

For most of the game, Georgia's offense was rather effective, scoring three touchdowns on the ground: two by Horace King and a third from Andy "Breezy" Reid.  In addition, quarterback Matt Robinson averaged almost 15 yards per pass attempt.  Nevertheless, the Bulldogs had some serious issues on defense throughout the 1974 season, and particularly on this afternoon.  Even Erk Russell's recent switch from a five- to a six-man front to slow opposing ground games couldn't hold back the Tigers.  Two Clemson quarterbacks — Mark Fellers and Mike O'Cain — were each responsible for two touchdowns while directing the Tigers' Veer offense to more than 300 yards rushing in a 28-24 upset victory in the Valley.

 

Granted, Georgia would whip Clemson by a combined 76 to 7 score in wins over the Tigers the next two seasons.  However, beginning in 1974 to Georgia's current run of five straight wins, the Bulldogs and Tigers battled to an even 7-7-1 series record.

 

Finally, my second interview while at Clemson was with Jimmy Howard — a pretty cool experience for this 38 year old.  The only son of the late Frank Howard, Jimmy played for the Tigers in the early-60s.  Instead of on campus, he chose to be interviewed from a bar — his bar, in fact, located in downtown Clemson.  Jimmy had little to add about the rivalry between the Bulldogs and Tigers.  However, while chewing on a wad of tobacco and drinking a beer  (yes, at the same time), he was filled with charisma, quick wit, and some entertaining stories a tad too crude to reveal here (including a classic about his father, an opposing coach, General Douglas MacArthur, and a glass of urine).

 

Recently, I was reminded that Georgia's most hated rivalry at one time was being renewed.  Also, including for the Bulldogs in '74, me as a youngster, or again just last week, I was reminded that a trip to Clemson often brings the unexpected. 

A Lingering Tall Gator Tale

In '66, it was obviously (L to R) Varnado, Patton, & Stanfill
who drank Gatorade, and not Florida's Superman.

Yesterday, I saw a Gatorade commercial for the first time -- a supposed "true story" -- once again depicting the sports drink's association with Florida Gators football of the mid-1960s.  And, as I've desired for quite some time of the Gatorade-Gators  connection, I just wish everyone would be on the up and up...

 

Several years ago, I discovered that the account of the drink practically turning around the Gators' program was somewhat exaggerated to say the least.  When I was asked to write I Love Georgia/I Hate Florida, I finally got to expose Florida's fabricating ways.  For anyone who isn't aware, or even cares, I hate to burst your bubble, but the only thing worse than a Gator is an embellishing Gator.  From my book:

 

Thank goodness for the 1965 Florida football team and a few of the university’s researchers from the time.  Because of them, there have been far fewer athletes affected by the heat and heat-related illnesses; these much appreciated Gators are the reason for the acclaimed sports drink of Gatorade.

 

In the spring of 1965, an assistant coach approached Dr. Robert Cade, the university’s kidney disease specialist, asking the reason why so many Gator players were “wilting” towards the end of games in the Florida heat.  In response, Cade and other researchers formulated a new beverage to help counteract the players’ debilitating dehydration better than just plain drinking water.

The new drink, Gatorade, was presented to head coach Ray Graves, who agreed that the researchers could try out the concoction on his Gators, but only the freshman team. Legend has it, the first on-the-field tests of Gatorade came in a scrimmage between the freshman squad, or the "guinea pigs," against the superior Gators' B team.

“At the end of the first half, the B team was ahead 13-0. They pushed the freshmen around pretty good,” Cade says. “In the third period, the freshmen, who had been given the solution, came out and began pushing the B team around. They scored two or three touchdowns in the third period and five or six more in the fourth period.”

Coach Graves was instantly sold on Gatorade and asked the researchers if they could supply enough for the entire Florida varsity to use in its upcoming game against heavily-favored LSU.

The very next day, Florida came from behind in the fourth quarter in 102-degree heat in Gainesville to upset the Tigers, 14-7.  Apparently, the Gators had been filled with Gatorade in the second half, whereas LSU had wilted down the stretch.

At that point, according to the drink’s official website, “the Gators began winning… outlasting a number of heavily favored opponents in the withering heat and finishing the season at 7–4.”

With Gatorade in hand, it only got better for the Gators.  In 1966, they achieved a regular-season record of 8-2 while earning the reputation as a second-half team.  Prior to Florida’s first-ever Orange Bowl appearance that season, the Florida Times-Union summed up the Gators’ newly-found success and their secret remedy with the headline: “One Lil’ Swig of That Kickapoo Juice and Biff, Bam, Sock — It’s Gators, 8-2.”

In the Orange Bowl, the Gatorade-filled Gators defeated Georgia Tech, finishing its season with a school-record-tying nine victories.  Word soon spread about the University of Florida’s balanced carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage and how the magic potion brought instant fortune to its football team.

And, as they say, the rest is history: “Orders from other college football programs across the country soon followed, as playing without Gatorade on your sidelines began to be likened to playing with just ten men on the field.”

Let us first start off by saying that your average Bulldog fan does not dislike Gatorade simply because it was created by a group of Gators.  Most of us like the drink, in fact, probably just as much as the next guy.  We’ve even used it once in a while for alternative purposes, like dumping it on our coaches following a big victory.  However, the Gators tend to often exaggerate their football history, while we Bulldogs usually will call a spade a spade.

In 1965, “heavily-favored” LSU was actually just a three-point favorite over the Gators.  Also, Florida did not rally in the fourth quarter to defeat the Tigers as the story goes; the Gators didn’t score a single point in the final quarter and actually never trailed the entire game.

As far as Florida “outlasting a number of heavily favored opponents” that season, in fact, the opposite could actually be said.  Following the victory over LSU, the Gators did not win a single game as a decided underdog while actually losing two games when ranked in the top ten to unranked teams – Auburn and Miami (Fla) – who would both finish their seasons with sub-par records.

The 1965 Florida football team would actually end its season with an overall record that was a little worse than the Gatorade-less Gators from the year before.

Granted, the following season of 1966 was a banner year for Florida.  However, if one was to consider the first three Gator teams that were drinking Gatorade, including the ’66 Orange Bowl champions, and compare them to the three Florida football squads prior to the drink’s creation (1962 to 1964), each group of Gators lost the exact number of combined games – 10 each.

As far as the ’66 Gators earning the reputation as a second-half team, any “reputation” certainly wasn’t earned in Jacksonville, when Florida blew a 10-3 halftime lead to Georgia and was outscored 24-0 in the second half (17-0 in the fourth quarter).  We guess the Gators forgot to drink their Gatorade during the final two quarters, especially the top Gator – quarterback Steve Spurrier, or “Superman” as he was then known as.

Constantly harassed and repeatedly sacked while throwing three interceptions in the second half against the Bulldogs, instead of Gatorade, Superman must have come in contact with some kryptonite.

One Sick Dawg



Rambo was indeed "NASTY" during an MVP
performance in the '87 Liberty Bowl.

With having two young children, I've come to realize that if one of them gets sick, there's a chance I'll become sick as well.  If both are sick, forget about it -- I'm definitely catching something.  So, when my 5-year-old got strep throat and then my 3-year-old came down with a severe cold soon after, I braced myself.  However, little did I know that the bug I was to catch would be more like a bugaboo.

 

Roughly a week after sensing the initial symptoms, I'm just now getting over the flu.  During my illness, since all I really felt like doing was sleeping, there was little time to devote to this blog.  Therefore, for anyone that sent me any blog-related emails or posted a comment hoping for a response, I'll get around to responding soon.

 

During my time of confinement, admittedly, there was a period, or three, of me feeling sorry for myself.  However, besides reminding myself that I still didn't have it nearly as tough as many people in this world, I also realized that there were several Georgia players from the past who were as sick, or even sicker, and actually went out and played in a major-college football game.

 

During a period where I had plenty of time to think -- in fact, too much -- and when it seems like everyone is catching some sort of bug, I came up with the top five "sick" moments in the history of Georgia football.  Notre Dame's Joe Montana might have his "Chicken Soup Game," but as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't quite compare to the ill moments of these hard-nosed Bulldogs:

 

#1- JOHN BRANTLEY (1987 Liberty Bowl vs. Arkansas)

A bad case of food poison, which would lead to vomiting and diarrhea during the game, was not going to keep John Brantley from his final appearance in a Bulldog uniform.  There's a good reason he was nicknamed "Rambo"...  During the week of the bowl game in Memphis, Brantley didn't practice and didn't go to any team functions, but laid in bed with IVs while taking medicines. 

 

As Brantley recently told me: "I couldn't hold my head up.  I just briefly warmed up right before kickoff after getting shot up with IVs.  At halftime, I got IVs again and they popped my left shoulder that had fallen out back in place, and then I just went back on the field and played again."  Simple as that.  And, by the way, Brantley was named Defensive MVP of Georgia's 20-17 comeback victory over Arkansas.   

 

#2- HERSCHEL WALKER (1982 Florida)

Against the Gators in '82, Herschel had such a bad case of the flu, he wore a girdle under his uniform to keep from shivering in 62-degree Jacksonville weather.  Regardless, no illness, Florida defense, or women's undergarments could stop Herschel that day as he rushed for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns on 35 carries in just over 2½ quarters of play in a 44-0 Georgia victory.

 

When Coach Vince Dooley was asked what would have happened if he had played Herschel a little longer, he said, "he may have gotten 300 yards."  When Herschel was asked about his girdle, he said, "it keeps you warm." 

 

#3- FRAN TARKENTON (1960 Florida)

Damaged, dizzy, and sleep deprived, Tarkenton
(No. 10) completes a pass against Florida in 1960.

The night before the '60 Florida game, Tarkenton had not slept at all while suffering from asthma attacks.  The medication he took, according to the senior quarterback, "made me flighty during the game."  And it showed as Georgia trailed 22-0 in the fourth quarter, but there was no quit in the courageous Tarkenton.

 

First, scrambling as far back as Florida’s 30-yard line before reaching the end zone, Tarkenton scored on a 4-yard touchdown run facing fourth-and-goal.  On the play, he received a vicious hit to his hip by a Gator defender, causing the Bulldog quarterback to limp the rest of the game.  Next, Tarkenton drove Georgia 53 yards to a touchdown in just four plays and the Bulldogs had reduced Florida’s lead to only eight points.  However, with only a few minutes to play and Tarkenton barely able to move, Georgia ran out of steam and was eventually defeated, 22-14.  With no sleep, dizzy from medication, and often limping, Tarkenton completed 14 of 28 passes against the Gators for 145 yards. 

 

#4- BILL STANFILL and DENNIS HUGHES (1968 Ole Miss)

With a much-heralded sophomore signal caller, who in less than a month's time had suddenly taken the Southland by storm, venturing to Athens, it was the worst possible time for both the injury and flu bug to hit a few vital members of the Georgia football team.  Regardless, Bill Stanfill, who was both injured and sick, played and in typical Stanfill style, harassed Archie Manning all afternoon.  The sophomore sensation completed just 10 of 26 passes for 150 yards and was intercepted three times.  It would be the only occasion of three Georgia would defeat Manning and the Rebels.  On offense, the Bulldogs needed little more than end Dennis Hughes.  Recovering from the flu, Hughes caught six passes for 134 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown with just minutes remaining to clinch a 21-7 win.

 

#5- "FATTY" and a FEW OTHERS (1928 Georgia Tech)

Georgia Tech was on its way to a perfect 10-0 record and a Rose Bowl win while Georgia was en route to a losing season.  To make matters worse, a flu epidemic had hit the University of Georgia campus, including wiping out nearly the entire football team.  By game time, the Bulldogs were without four of 11 starters, including one of the nation's best tackles, Gene Lautzenhiser.  Others like standouts Harvey Hill, Joe Boland, Frank Dudley, and Vern "Fatty" Bryant started but reportedly were still quite sick and probably shouldn't have played.  However, never count out a team when they feature a player named "Fatty"... 

 

Georgia shockingly held a 6-0 second-quarter lead following a touchdown pass from Bobby Hooks to Herb Maffett -- two backups.  Alas, in the end, the Jackets strength overcame the sick Bulldog bunch by a 20-to-6 score.  Nevertheless, the moral victory was called a "valiant" performance and "the fighting spirit of Georgia was the highlight of the game," while proving that even in defeat to the Techies, the Bulldogs have always stolen the show...

Damn Good "Junkyard Dog"



Tough-as-nails and clean-shaven Jeff Sanders
takes a break during a game in 1976 as a
young admirer sits close by.

Although their inception was nearly 40 years ago, for some of those older Bulldog fans who remember them, the memories of the group are as vivid today as decades ago.  They were Georgia's "Junkyard Dogs" of the mid-1970s, and the Bulldog Nation recently lost an original member that absolutely epitomized the entire celebrated group.

Jeff Sanders, or "Jethro" to some of his teammates  – a Georgia defender from 1974 to 1976 – passed away early yesterday morning at 58 years old after a long bout with cancer.  Originally from Adel, Ga., Sanders was living in Orlando.  He leaves behind three children – Rose Marie, Sara, and Jackson; the three had previously lost their mother, Jeff's wife, Kelly, to cancer also.

 

After playing as a second-string linebacker in 1974 as a sophomore, Sanders was moved to defensive tackle in 1975.  If there was one knock on the junior lineman, it was that he was small.  Although 6-foot-3, Sanders was listed at only 215 pounds, which was small, even for back then.  "He's small for an interior lineman," a preseason forecast declared, "and whether or not he'll be able to make the transition [from linebacker] remains the question." 

What the forecast failed to realize was Sanders was tough – tough as they come – and there should have been no question whatsoever if he could make any type of transition.

 

When Erk Russell formed the Junkyard Dogs defense just prior to start of the '75 season, surely he had Sanders in mind.  The defensive unit might have been inexperienced and small, but it was quick, feisty, and tough.  As a top reserve for the Junkyard Dogs, Sanders was said to "compensate for his lack of size with dedication, effort, and technique.  Defensive coordinator Erk Russell calls him a very coachable player."

 

Entering his senior season of 1976, Sanders earned a starting position at defensive guard on "sheer hustle and determination."  According to UGA's football records, Sanders stands as the lightest starting interior defensive lineman for the Bulldogs the last 42 years since 1971.  Yet, playing for a team that would capture an SEC championship and appear in the Sugar Bowl, the small, but tough, Sanders led all Georgia linemen with 74 tackles for the season. 

I recently spoke to a former "Junkyard Dog" teammate of Sanders, who recalled one of the last times he had seen his friend.  The two of them, along with a few other players from the 1975-1976 teams, were sitting together in Sanford Stadium for G-Day in 1999, or a practice leading up to the spring game.

A Delta flight attendant poses with Jeff on the team's flight
to New Orleans for the 1977 Sugar Bowl.

Jeff pointed out two huge, standout linemen on the team at the time, both of whom would eventually be chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft.  "Jeff then said he sure was glad that he didn't play nowadays (1999); he said he wouldn't have stood a chance if he had to go up against linemen that big," the player said to me.  "Then, everyone in the group besides Jeff glanced at each other smiling for it was understood that our friend surely had forgotten how he played as a 'Junkyard Dog.'  Those two linemen might have been bigger than him when he was at Georgia, but pound for pound nobody we could remember that had come through the program was tougher than Jeff Sanders.  Jeff could have played during any era and gone up against any lineman, no matter their size."

 

Personally, I didn't know Jeff Sanders.  But through my work, and primarily this blog, I have fortunately gotten to know and correspond with those that did.  Through them, I've learned the true meaning of Georgia's acclaimed "Junkyard Dogs," and the fact that we recently lost a damn good one and the group's best example.  RIP, JYD.

"I Need Some Excedrin"

While conducting a recent interview for my latest book, a former Bulldog player spoke of the 1985 Florida game.  And, although he had already left the field when the ruckus occurred, he detailed the infamous clash that resulted between jubilant Bulldog fans and Jacksonville's finest following Georgia's 24-3 upset win over the Gators.

 

Just a few days later, I happened upon video (below) of the game's aftermath (the first time I had ever seen as much), exhibiting the final moments of a great victory and a celebratory crowd donned in red and black which left the Gators, and apparently even one of their broadcasters, grasping for some Excedrin. 

 

As a kid, left to only listen to the radio since Florida had gotten itself placed on probation, I clearly recall two things from the game: Kerwin Bell threw all over the Bulldogs the entire afternoon; however, once he got inside Georgia's 20 to 25-yard line, the Bulldogs left him with little to no room to operate.  I've always said it assuredly is the only time in the history of college football a quarterback passed for 400+ yards in a game, yet his team failed to score a single touchdown.

 

In addition, I remember the legendary voice of Larry Munson following the game.  Except, instead of postgame comments or analysis, I recall the stentorian voice, backing the Bulldog fans when some of them were literally being beaten by the police: “[The cops] are kicking those fans!" Munson hollered over the airwaves during the melee.  "I can’t believe it!  Those people are just lying on the ground and they’re kicking them!”

Along with video of the skirmish, the following is a piece from my Georgia-Florida book, describing the partiality of the Jacksonville police and the city's mayor in the mid-80s, and the event that resulted in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party becoming less of a, well, cocktail party:

In 1984, Florida defeated Georgia soundly by a score of 27-0 for what seemed like the Gators’ first victory in the series in an eternity.  Florida fans stormed the field, unearthed a newly-sodded playing surface, tore down and dismantled both goal posts, carried them around, and eventually left the Gator Bowl with the goal posts in tow.  Like previous years, police had been posted around the field to prevent fans from entering.  However, during the melee, officers merely watched as the destruction took place and did not make a single arrest.  Police restraint was exercised, according to a spokesman for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office, “because the surge of fans was too great.”

Jacksonville’s mayor at the time and an apparent Florida fan, Jake Godbold, inexplicably stated that the city “would be tickled to death to pay for [any damages to the field].  If [the Gators] beat ‘em like that next year, they can tear it down then too.”

Much to the mayor’s presumed dismay, there would be no victory for the Gators in 1985, but instead a 24-3 Georgia upset win over a top-ranked Florida team.  As the Gators had done the year before, Bulldog fans attempted to rush the field following the victory by climbing over a fence; however, this time, the jubilant crowd was held back by police.  Nonetheless, spectators would eventually open a gate and soon there was a red and black throng covering the field.

 

 

Jacksonville police did not exercise restraint that particular year as law enforcement took to the Georgia crowd wielding nightsticks.  Numerous arrests were made while 15 fans were treated on the field alone for injuries suffered during the police-engaged chaos.

Entering the 1986 matchup, a “war on alcohol” was more or less declared in and around the stadium as security was greatly increased.  This included the addition of police dogs, mounted police on horses, undercover law enforcement, reinforced fences, and if necessary, even helicopters and marine patrol boats could be used.  Apparently, lessons had been learned from previous years and drastic steps were taken by both teams and the city of Jacksonville to keep the Cocktail Party out of the confines of the Gator Bowl.

Northern Exposure

By the early 1970s, northerners, like David Schwak (No. 26), and the program's first
African-Americans, including Clarence Pope (No. 51) and Horace King (right),
had joined southern boys, like Butch Wood (No. 35) from Cordele.

When Wally Butts was the head football coach at Georgia, he recruited heavily from outside the South, including signing many players from the Midwest.  In fact, it was a rarity that a skilled player of Butts' was originally from the South.  Of arguably the head coach's top five backs or ends during his 22-season tenure – Frank Sinkwich, George Poschner, Charley Trippi, John Rauch, and Zeke Bratkowski – all five were from either Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Illinois.  On the Bulldogs' 1948 SEC championship squad, only one of the team's starting 11 was a Georgia boy and just three were from the South.

 

Fifteen years and two head coaches later, Georgia had completely closed its midwestern connection.  For the first seven years of the Vince Dooley era, you could count on one hand how many incoming freshmen hailed from outside the South, including just a single newcomer that I found that would go on to earn a letter.

 

It's unclear exactly why Georgia seemingly shied away from recruiting northern players during this period.  Perhaps it was for the same reasons why there were just three players from the North on the Bulldogs' 2012 roster: simply, why recruit outside the Southeast when there's plenty of talent nearby, while most players from the North want to stay, well, up North?  However, a Bulldog from the late-60s recently indicated to me that during his time, the average football player from the Midwest or North had developed the stigma of being "slow with little stamina, and by the start of the fourth quarter, he'd be worn out."

 

What is clear is that for its incoming class of 1971, Georgia made a conscious effort to instantly sign players from outside the South when FIVE such recruits became Bulldogs.  Interestingly, this was the same year Georgia signed its first African-American players.  Therefore, in 1970, similarly to preceding years, the Bulldogs signed an all-white, all-southern class of 32, but then followed it the next season with a class where nearly one-third of the players (10 of 35) were either black or from outside the South. 

Just imagine when these 10 players joined the 1971 Georgia team, where of the approximately 95 individuals on the varsity roster, ALL of them were of the white race and nearly ALL of them were from the southeastern states of Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, and Virginia (one was from Oklahoma).

 

I've posted here a number of times in regards to the historical, but difficult, arrival of the Bulldogs' first five black players.  The following are the five other "outsiders" that arrived with them – Georgia football's five non-southern signees of 1971: 

 

DAVE CHRISTIANSON, Flanker (Villa Park, Illinois)

DAVID SCHWAK, Split End (Reinerton, Pennsylvania)
DAVID WOLFE, Offensive Guard (Stamford, Connecticut)
RICHARD WRIGHT, Center (Northridge, California)
TOM ZIMMERLINK, Defensive End (Allison, Pennsylvania)
 

Schwak came to UGA considered one of the greatest high school athletes ever from the state of Pennsylvania.  He was eventually moved from receiver to defensive back, where he started for the Bulldogs in 1974 and 1975.  Leading Florida 17-16 in 1974, his breakup of a two-point conversion pass was the game-clinching play in defeating the Gators.  As a senior, he was the permanent captain of the defensive unit nicknamed the "Junkyard Dogs."

On Georgia's freshman Bullpups team of 1971, Christianson gained about four times as many receiving yards as the team's second-leading receiver.  Of Georgia's 24 varsity starters in 1972, he was one of only three sophomores, and was one of the Bulldogs' leading receivers.  Wolfe lettered for one season before he would go on to be one of the most feared and revered in his profession.  Zimmerlink also lettered one year as a Bulldog, while Californian Wright solely played for the freshman squad.

A white, southern player from the '71 team recently told me that he kind of "felt sorry" for these five non-southern freshmen upon their arrival.  "Don't get me wrong, they didn't have it as bad as the new black players," he said, "but they were definitely also treated as outsiders by the team."

Apparently, for the first few seasons Georgia's varsity included non-southern and African-American players, the team as a whole had a difficult time adjusting.  The southern player insinuated that he truly felt the team suddenly and unfortunately had "lost some continuity" and "played less as a team."  He pointed out that the Bulldogs from 1972 through 1974 had the worst three-season stretch by Georgia during the Vince Dooley era (winners of just 57% of their games).  However, the two seasons immediately following (1975 and 1976), when the team had drastically been transformed to where one out of approximately seven players were non-southern or black, was, at the time, the most successful two-year run by Georgia since the late-1940s.

Finally, an early-70s signee from the North told me a story of an incident outside of McWhorter Hall, where he was approached by an upperclassman donned in KKK attire during a freshman initiation ceremony.  The newcomer was asked if he knew where the Mason-Dixon Line was located.  After responding with a “no,” he was informed, “it’s where the northerners go to eat and the southerners go to sh--."

Even when it was more than 40 years ago, it's difficult to comprehend there was a time when players of our favorite football program were judged by not only the color of their skin, but simply where they originated from.  Their arrival to UGA in the early 1970s wasn't nearly as historical as that of the first five black Bulldogs – not even close.  But, for some of these non-southern "outsiders," their detachment from the rest of the team was almost as significant, and their contribution to a program in near-complete transformation should be acknowledged.      

When Stars Align (Both of them)



Thomas Davis entered UGA as a recruit with only 2
stars, but would depart from school just a few
years later after leaving opponents seeing many.

More than one week after the close of Signing Day, Georgia's new recruits and their number of "stars" appear to remain a topic of conversation for some.

 

Yesterday at a restaurant, I overheard a man complain to another that the Bulldogs didn't sign any 5-star players; Alabama signs three or four 5 stars every year since Saban got there.  The other man agreed, but responded, that's okay... we signed a bunch of guys and they were all 3 and 4-star players; no 2 stars this year.

 

Like every year around this time, all the talk of Rivals' "stars" has my head a spinning...  However, I do accept that there is some significance to the Rivals system; the more stars, the better.  A correlation has been shown with the average recruit's star rating, and his chances of eventually being drafted into the NFL.  Likewise, the higher the number of stars the average team signs, usually, the higher the team's ranking in the final polls.

 

Therefore, I guess not landing a 5-star player could be a concern; however, as the other man indicated, at least Georgia didn't have to "settle" on any 2-star players.

 

The fact that Georgia signed just 3- and 4-star players in this past class, and no 2s or 5s, should be of little surprise.  In fact, during the Coach Richt era, or since an annual listing of Rivals' star-rated recruits first became readily available, 89 percent of Bulldog signees have been 3- or 4-star players. 

 

The Bulldogs' star breakdown of their 310 signees from 2001 through 2013:

 

5 star: 15 (4.8%)

4 star: 148 (47.7%)

3 star: 127 (41.0%)

2 star: 17 (5.5%)

0 star: 3 (1.0%)

 

Interestingly, of the 20 Georgia recruits that were rated as '2' or 'No' stars during the last 13 years, EIGHT of them were signed in Richt's initial season of 2001. 

 

Just for stars and giggles, I figured the same breakdown for Alabama since Saban's arrival in 2007:

 

5 star: 18 (9.8%)

4 star: 99 (54.1%)

3 star: 60 (32.8%)

2 star: 6 (3.3%)

0 star: 0 (0.0%)

 

Notably, 65 percent of Saban's signees were 4- or 5-star players, compared to 52.6 percent for Richt, or a difference of about 12½ percent.  I won't argue against that this difference in star talent has certainly translated to on-field performances.

 

Nonetheless, a team is not made up of 5-stars alone.  And, as we all know, there are plenty of newcomers who enter with high expectations but don't quite pan out.  For example, at Georgia under Richt, for every 5-star D.J. Shockley or Matthew Stafford, there seems to have been TWO 5-star Marquis Elmores or Isaiah Crowells.  

 

Although, for every Shockley or Stafford, there also seems to be a hidden gem – a two-star recruit who is able to unexpectedly shine at Georgia.  The following are my top four "two-star treasures" under Coach Richt:   

 

4) MIKEY HENDERSON: A 2-star recruit in '03, Henderson would hardly play for three seasons before shining as a junior and senior.  In '06, he  returned a punt for a touchdown in the season opener against W. Kentucky after fumbling a sure-touchdown away on his previous return, and returned another punt for a score just over a month later vs. Tennessee.  In 2007, Henderson's touchdown reception in overtime defeated Alabama.  Currently, his 13.2 career punt-return average ranks second-highest all time at UGA of those with at least 40 returns.

      

3) DREW BUTLER: Granted, you'll never see a 4- or 5-star kicker/punter.  However, the fact that Andy Bailey, Brian Mimbs, and Marshall Morgan were all three-star kickers makes the greatest punter in UGA history and his two stars seem like a steal.  Butler's 45.4 career punting average is more than two yards better than the Bulldog with the second-best mark.

 

2) TIM JENNINGS: The knock on the two-star cornerback from South Carolina was his 5-8, 165-pound frame.  However, size mattered little for Jennings, who would see significant playing time immediately as a true freshman in 2002 and was starting as a sophomore.  He ended his career with All-SEC honors, the second-most passes broken up in team history, and 10 interceptions.  In 2012, Jennings was a Pro Bowler with the Bears.

 

1) THOMAS DAVIS: For three seasons from 2002 to 2004, Davis was a prime example of how sometimes the Rivals star system can fall short.  In becoming one of Georgia's greatest defenders of all time, he recorded 280 tackles, 31 quarterback hurries, and forced six fumbles.  A first-team All-SEC selection in both 2003 and 2004, and a first-team All-American as a junior, Davis was good enough to depart early for the pros, becoming the 14th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.

 

Of the 17 two-star players signed by the Bulldogs, the aforementioned FOUR would all eventually earn All-SEC recognition.  That's rather remarkable, especially considering that of Georgia's 15 five-star recruits during the same period, the exact same number – only FOUR – received All-SEC honors.

 

There might be something to the Rivals star system; its hard to argue with its overall accuracy over the years.  However, when its comes to the highest-rated signee, or the lower-rated '2' star, each has evidently fared nearly as well as the other at Georgia. 

Oh, No! I Feel So Blue...

Although clever as well, Grizzard's lone headline
the day of the '67 South Carolina game made no
mention of playing the Cocks with Dicks out.

...'cause "the greatest headline in the history of sports journalism" is seemingly not true.

This past Wednesday, I was left scratching my head on the campus of my alma mater.  No, I wasn't amidst any Signing Day festivities in bewilderment over Georgia missing out on inking some key recruits.  Instead, I silently sat in the dark bowels of UGA's main library staring in a state of confusion at an ancient microfilm machine probably as old as the library itself.

Now, before you conclude that I have no life, let me first describe my actions prior to my discovery.

A week before, I had conducted two interviews the same day for my current book project, where, coincidentally, both former Bulldog players mentioned perhaps my favorite writer of all time, and the great headline he is supposedly responsible for.

Most of you, if not all, have read or heard the story before of the late, great Lewis Grizzard sneaking the headline DOGS TO PLAY COCKS WITH DICKS OUT onto a page of the Athens Daily News the eve of the 1967 Georgia-South Carolina football game, referring to linebacker-turned-neurosurgeon Happy Dicks, published the day of the contest. 

The first individual I interviewed was a standout player during the 1970s.  A memorable moment of his while at Georgia was when Grizzard coached the Black team to a 24-0 win over Phil Schaefer's Red team in the 1978 G-Day game.  After briefly describing Grizzard's liveliness on the sideline during the spring game, the player asked me, "have you ever heard that story about Grizzard and his 'Dicks Out' headline?" 

Oh, yes sir, I certainly had.  After a relative of mine sent me the story about four years ago, I first laughed my you-know-what off and then promptly printed and cut out the piece, putting it up on a corkboard in my office, where it remains today.  Over the last few years, I've told others the story of Grizzard's headline at least a few dozen times. 

My second interview was with an ex-Bulldog who had played during the late 1960s.  Shortly after I mentioned an impactful play he had made in the '68 South Carolina game, the player piped up about the headline from the Gamecocks game the year before.  The former player started laughing so hard about Grizzard's antics, it took him some time to finally ask if I had ever heard the story. 

Yes, I most certainly had, repeatedly for the second time in less than four hours, all while sitting about 10 feet from it posted on my wall.

As I looked at the posted story across the room, I thought to myself how great it would be to have a scanned printout of the actual headline, where it could be placed on my board just above the story.  Plus, I was rather curious of the identity of the noted newspaper editor who "took drunk."  So, within several days, after moving a photo or two on the board, leaving room for the famous phrase, I and was off to the library to find the greatest sports headline.

Sitting at a microfilm machine, I carefully searched through each of the three newspapers Grizzard worked at from the mid to late 1960s (Athens Daily News, Athens Banner Herald, and Atlanta Journal) over a week's period leading up to and on the day of each of the three Georgia-South Carolina games Happy Dicks would have played in (1966 to 1968).

Alas, I found no such acclaimed headline.

On the day of the game in 1966, Grizzard's main story in the Daily News was on the Athens High football team (Trojans Get Down to 'Meat, Potatoes').  A year later at the same newspaper, he did preview the South Carolina game but his lone headline that morning is scanned and posted above.  By the 1968 Georgia-USC game, Grizzard had moved onto the Journal, writing on the 28-28 tie by Georgia's freshman football team from the afternoon before Saturday's game (writers Furman Bisher and Jim Minter covered the UGA-SC varsity game).  As far as the Banner Herald, Grizzard didn't work there from 1966 to 1968, in fact, he hated the rival newspaper.

Hoping that perhaps there was an additional edition released by the Daily News on Saturday, October 7, 1967, which was not eventually transferred to microfilm, or maybe I had simply missed something, I continued my quest to find the elusive headline.

I researched the '67 game with the 'Cocks – a 21-0 Georgia victory – to see if Dicks was indeed "out," as indicated.  Curiously, the junior linebacker was projected to start the game and not only played, but finished second on the team with nine tackles.  Regarding the other injured Bulldog mentioned in the story, Billy Payne, he too was projected to start (right offensive end), did so, and led the squad in receiving. 

I then discovered comments made by a guy out in California, who claimed the Dicks Out story "seems to have grown in the refrigerator" and the mentioning of Dicks is "apocryphal."  In near denial, I thought to myself, who is this John Futch, and what the heck does he know?!?  Well, come to find out, Futch wrote for the Athens Daily News from 1965 to 1978, knew Grizzard, and probably knew a whole lot more to the story.

Still not giving up, and recalling the story of the celebrated headline makes mention of Vince Dooley recognizing it as "his most memorable column ever," I got in touch with the former head coach and asked him for his feedback on the matter.  Coach Dooley summed up the alleged headline in three words: "a classic fabrication."

Disappointed, I finally realized the story of the greatest headline in the history of sports journalism is most likely just that – a story.  However, I then thought of the quote "If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten."

Nearly 20 years after his death, Lewis Grizzard is still revered by me and countless others because of his writings and commentaries from decades ago, much of which were told in the form of humorous and engaging stories.  Whether about him or told by Grizzard himself, his stories often teach us, especially us Southerners and Bulldog followers, about our past, and they'll never be forgotten.  Neither will Lewis... 

With that being said, it often matters little if the stories that have captivated us are fact, fiction, or slightly exaggerated.

As for the greatest sports headline in journalism history, its classification is still not official as far as I'm concerned.  I remain open to the very slight possibility the headline is actually genuine and one day will be revealed in print.  Until then, the space on my corkboard will remain open to the headline, as well.