1980 Dawgs -Revisited
From the website for 1980 Dawgs – The Inside Story of The National Championship Season™: A new documentary film produced in a 2 DVD, Collector’s Edition set. Contains over 3 1/2 hours of behind the scenes stories, including some never heard before and exciting game footage that fans will treasure. Over 25 Players and coaches relive the season with emotions that bring that special season back to life. more…
SEC Storied – Herschel
Dawg Fans will be glad to know, that next week on Wednesday, September 7th the first installment of a news series, SEC Storied will air. Our favorite son Herschel Walker is the first subject. I was fortunate enough to join Herschel and a contingent of my team mates at an advance showing last evening. Coach Vince Dooley and other members of his 1980 staff were there as well. The show will air on ESPNU and there were ESPN representatives as well as SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in attendance. This was a bigger deal than I had imagined.
The documentary was very well done, with many of the highlights we’ve all come to know and love and will never tire of. But, there were some new clips I had not seen and re-enactments of childhood scenes of trauma suffered at the hands of classmates. If you read Herschel’s book BREAKING FREE, you know some of those details. This trauma/abuse was the catalyst that brought about a certain rage that has fueled Herschel in almost everything he does. The struggle to feel ‘good enough” and find healthy outlets for his rage.
Football was that outlet for many years, but when his football career was over, problems arose.
I won’t reveal any more details and risk ruining the actual documentary for you. It is must see TV for any Dawg fan. Again, it airs next Wednesday at 8:00 PM on ESPNU.
A Weekend to Remember
As I mentioned last Thursday, the 1980 National Championship Bulldogs had a 30 year reunion this weekend. It’s always amazing to see this group of ultimate winners, and continue to learn what made this team tick. I wish I could have videotaped several of the after dinner conversations that went in the wee hours Saturday morning, but alas I was ill prepared.
Hugh Nall was able to attend his first reunion ever because he had always been coaching on the collegiate level somewhere at each of the other three reunions. Since he no longer coaches, but runs a trucking company in Albany, he had time and it was great to be with him again. I had seen Hugh at coaches clinics and the like, but this was the first time I had been around him for a prolonged period.
The coolest thing for me personally was something David Chandley of all people had for me. You may know David as the weather guy on Channel 2 in Atlanta. Well in 1980, David was a freshman student trainer at Georgia. I was talking to a couple of people Friday night and could see David out of the corner of my eye, like he was waiting for me to finish so we could talk.
He explained that as a student trainer you don’t get much love. He said from time to time, you might go ahead and “keep some stuff”. He said he had a box of “stuff” in his basement for nearly 30 years and just a couple of years ago realized he had something I might want.
I have had numerous people ask me over the years, if I had my old jersey or my old helmet. I never even considered taking either of those items because equipment manager Howard Beavers was a crotchety old cuss that had me thoroughly intimidated. I would not even think to ask much less just keep a jersey.
Well Friday night after 30 years, I received my old jersey. Better late than never!
Thanks David! You da man!
1980, Brothers are Brothers
It started out innocently enough. The captain of the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs Frank Ros, emailed an updated itinerary for the 30 year reunion this weekend. This is an “official” reunion weekend when many Bulldog Lettermen will be out in force. It’s a great fraternity to be a part of.
Frank’s email hit my Blackberry at 10:19 AM
What has transpired since is nothing less than comedy gold. The abuse and trash talk back and forth is an instantaneous trip back 30 years to a time when a group of young men went all the way from being just players, past becoming a team all the way to a brotherhood.
Being a blood brother is a powerful thing. Becoming a brother by choice is even more so. You may have heard the notion that an adopted child is supremely loved because it is chosen. A group of adopted brothers can achieve greatness.
Of course, being brothers has many facets and this team runs the gambit. Just like any family, there are good, bad, and ugly(Creamons) elements to it.
But we will always be family.
Go Dawgs!
TEAM me…One More Time
The motto TEAM me started with Coach Erskine Russell of course, but the meaning and attitude lives on in Roswell, Georgia. Two weeks ago I attended a fundraiser for Roswell Youth Football and Cheer Associations. Coach Vince Dooley spoke to the group of kids and their parents.
You may remember the names Matt McCormick and Heather Stepp McCormick. Both are DGD’s from way back. Matt played football and Heather a gymnast. Heather put the fundraiser together and was responsible for Coach Dooley being there. I don’t know how often Coach Dooley invokes the TEAM me as one of the catalysts for our 1980 success, but with Jim Broadway and I in attendance he referred to many of our fondest memories. TEAM me being one of the greatest.
The story was not lost on the 3rd grade Green Hornets and they called me to see if history could repeat itself. I delivered 22 TEAM me shirts in time for the first game today and the picture is below. By the way, the Green Hornets won 32-0!
What an awesome lesson in sports and in life…just one more time.
Thanks Coach Russell!
Chance Veazey Fundraiser in Tifton
This is my invitation to all of you , to come to a Chance Veazey Fundraiser in Tifton next Friday, January 29th. Several members of the 1980 team will be on hand to lend our support to the young Bulldog baseball player paralyzed in a scooter accident last fall.
The event will be held at the Tifton UGA Conference Center and starts at 5:00 PM with an autograph signing and a memorabilia auction to follow.
I hope to see you there.
What a Celebration!
It’s Championship Game Day! What a great experience for the guys at Alabama and Texas. A day neither will ever forget, although only one team will look back fondly on tonight’s result. It makes me wonder how Notre Dame’s players reflect on the 1981 Sugar Bowl. They are probably still wondering how in the world they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The other night, the halftime show of the Orange Bowl featured Kool and the Gang, one of my favorite groups from back in the day. One of the songs they played was Celebration, one of their biggest hits. I am sure their sales have spiked since Tuesday night.
From Wikipedia: “Celebration” is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts.
I was listening to the tape during pregame in the locker room.
I was focused on the portion of the song that said these these words:
We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right
We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right
Needless to say, we did have a good time that night.
Oh yeah, 2010 marks the 30 year anniversary of The Championship. Wow.
Georgia Bulldogs Picture Day 1980
Boy did I get a blast from the past today. I received this picture from a “young” man who had his picture taken with me on picture day 1980. Mark was nine then, that would make him 37 now. I see pictures like this from time to time and I always wonder where those folks are now.
Mark S. is an software sales guy with his own blog too. We apparently had spoken on Dawgvent or something and recently he found this photo. It made me do some searching and I broke out the pictures my mother took on that same day.
I found a picture of a very young Bill Hartman and Lindsey Scott behind him. Also below you will see a picture of Hershel before we knew what was in store. No one knew what lay ahead. What a great year… Thanks Mark!
On ESPN, Vote for the Dawgs!
I received this message from a DGD imploring I post something about it. Well…
Will you please post something about ESPN and their 50 states in 50 days. CFB Live is doing a daily look at College football in each state.
Right now the polls at ESPN.com are very tight. UGA’s 1980 squad leads Tech’s 1956 team by 8% as the best team ever in the state. Dooley currently leads Dodd by 2% as the best coach in state history.
You can vote at the website below. We need the Dawg Nation to step up and out vote the Nerd Herd!!
I believe GA will appear on the show on July 27th…
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/polls?pCat=46&sCat=562
Thanks Cam! May your Dawg Days be long and with an ice bag to lay on….
Don’t ask me it’s all I could think of!
Our Georgia Football Traditions, “The Tracks”
Very few traditions can match the uniqueness, and the craziness of The University of Georgia’s “Tracks”. If you are under 40 or so, you might not understand. To use the old saying, You may think you know, but you have no idea! There was no feeling quite like coming down East Campus to the back side of Sanford Stadium and here the fans that had been camped out waiting for the Dawgs to play on Saturday.
I am one of those that never got to experience the tracks. I only attended games before my playing days as a recruit…and I’m not sure a recruit could have handled the hard core folks up there. On the flip-side I played in the last game prior to the closing of that end of the Stadium. The Georgia Tech game of 1980 was it.
I have heard quite a few stories, but I want to hear yours. Please keep your comments clean, because I want to approve them to share with everyone.
Georgia Football and Senior Leadership
You hear about it every year, but you don’t really have it every year, do you? At least not championship caliber. Senior leadership is a vague, mysterious notion that can make or break a team, but what exactly does it mean? (more…)
Tell me what you really think!