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!
SEC Rivals Crossing the Line
You may have heard about the Tennessee and Auburn billboards that will grace the Atlanta area soon. Lame Kiffin and Eric Berry are shown prominently. I have not seen the Tennessee pieces of…..”artwork”, but I did see this Auburn ____ three times this week…I took this picture with my Blackberry somewhere between Dallas and Rockmart on Highway 278…are there some prospects in Cedartown or something?
I would say let’s put one up in Auburn and Knoxville, but is there anybody we want in those areas? Especially Big Urange Country. When was the last time we got someone of value in East Tennessee? Hmmm. This was in the paper.
Georgia Football, A Real Family
I was reminded of some simple truths yesterday. The Georgia Football Lettermen are emailed with announcements of news of illness, surgeries and sometimes deaths in the family. Yesterday was one of the bad days. One of my old team mates Tim Morrison lost his mother to cancer two nights ago. It was another reality check regarding priorities in life. It’s about the rightful place that our loved ones occupy versus the game we love. Sometimes I think we as fans fail to understand the way we can effect a family and even a kid(player).
The kids were cheer and jeer have moms and dads that want the very best for their sons, but don’t always get it. Sometimes it just circumstances like an injury. Sometimes they just get passed on the depth chart by a better player. Whatever the reason, it’s rarely as simple as we might think. But still we criticize. That can be hurtful to parents and other loved ones.
I always think about the mamas…I have witnessed parents at UGA who never got to enjoy the college experience because of the criticism and the anxiety it produces. Heck, I never knew how bad kicker’s moms had it until I started coaching them. It’s no picnic, even when they are successful.
Anyway when I heard about Tim’s mom, it reminded me of my own mother who passed away in 1983. About how much she supported me no matter what. My Dad confirmed how difficult it was for her back then, but she still came week after week, home and away. The only game she ever missed was the Senior Bowl. She was in Mobile but was too sick to leave the hotel room. Five months later she grew ill again, went into cardiac arrest. She was revived but lay in a vegetative state/coma for two and a half years before she died in November, 1983.
I will be going to Boaz, Alabama today to be with Tim and his family.
Football brought us together, but it’s not what keeps us together.
Hey Georgia, You Gotta Have the Gear!
It really sounds like it’s been a great week for UGA Football…practice started and the entire DawgNation has been a-woof…I was going to say a-buzz but that Dawg won’t hunt. Let’s just hope we can maintain the focus and energy til January…whaddaya think?
Just this week I have updated the links to the right. These are my sources to everything from uniforms to workout gear to letter jackets. Some of these sites are e-tailers, but I can sell their gear at “TEAM” prices(25%=30% off) for orders of 12 or more(Teams) duh! You may have heard of some of these companies, but I’m betting you have not heard of all of them. A couple of the links are online catalogs for your convenience.
Check them out and call me if you have questions….404.455.0393
Bulldogs find Strength in Numbers
It starts very early for some athletes, getting attached to a certain number. I was talking to a friend whose daughter, a middle school basketball player, wears the #10. For the first time she will have to give it up because she is lowly 6th grader and a 7th grader has #10. As crazy as it sounds some athletes equate their continued success to the ability to maintain their favorite jersey number. Chip Towers writes about this phenomenon and the part it plays in recruiting blue chip football players. A few years ago, Ernie Sims of Tallahassee Lincoln HS, Florida State and now the Detroit Lions; wanted his #34….hahahahaha…hit the bricks bro…we ain’t un-retiring nuttin! He was a great linebacker, but that scenario bordered on the ridiculous.
I remember wanting the #5 because no kicker had worn it so I could possibly stand out if I worked hard. Then the next two guys after me wore it(some guy named Butler and Steve Crumbley). Twelve years of #5, so much for that idea. This issue takes some twists and turns though. I have noticed guys over the years, like Garrison Hearst, who also wore MY number and very well, just so you know. When Garrison played in the NFL, he could not wear a single digit number because of NFL rules…so he went with 23…2+3=5…ahhh see what I mean? You know Herschel wore 43 in high school 34 in college. Eric Zeier wore #15 at Marietta HS and #10 at Georgia. Am I reading more into it than I should? Maybe, maybe not.
Herschel might have been a Walter Payton fan, but I have seen these little quirky number changes many times over the years. You may have even heard of pro athletes paying new team mates mega bucks for their jersey numbers. It happens more than you think.
Now here come the freshman of 2009, and some wanting a certain number. Branden Smith wanted Number 1 and Orson Charles a very talented TE from Tampa wanted number 7. Did he commit before or after Matthew Stafford was drafted, hmm. It wouldn’t be such a big deal to me but what it does is leave the kickers with whatever is left over. A kicker wearing a number in the 80′s or 90′s is one thing….but 57? Holy crap!
Well as long as there is a Georgia Bulldogs…folks will know who number 57 was…
or will the next two guys wear it too.
Do you know of any other examples of the numbers game?
Georgia Fans…A Little Something Sweet
Georgia Football fans should know. This blog will never “rival” the big boys for news and numbers. That’s the meat and potatoes of an online fan feast. I don’t want it to be like all the other blogs. Many have good well rounded information, like a helping of your favorite veggies. There are a few of these blogs with enough flavor to pass as a really good dessert. But I want Roughing the Kicker to be that place that when you are too full from the main course, you hold off. Then on your way home you stop by for something a little different…a special treat. I call it Blaagen Dazs. It may not be something you want to consume every day, or maybe your metabolism can take a daily helping. Who knows?
Below you will find a listing of flavors you can expect in the future:
*One flavor that has been discontinued is the Rocky Road…too much of that last year* Some new favorites are expected to be the Joe Cox Strawberry… The A.J. Green “Mint Chocolate”… The Blair Walsh Irish Cream… Justin Anderson Vanilla Bean? …and introducing Rookies and Cream for freshman only…. and all Dawg Fans love Bark Chocolate…lol…Boy, I amuse myself sometimes.
Georgia Punting in Good Hands
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Drew Butler. No, he was not a bouncing baby boy on his Dad’s golden leg. It was not even in youth soccer. It was Drew’s senior year at Peachtree Ridge HS. The Lions were in the midst of their co-state championship run. They were playing one of my customers Campbell HS.
I was there early to see warm-ups. I had heard alot about Drew and I knew he was a top prospect to kick in college. It took just a few minutes for me to come to one definite conclusion. But more about that in a minute. I saw Peachtree Ridge escape with a win against Campbell and later watched them tie Roswell for the 2006 AAAAA Co-State Championship.
I didn’t actually meet Drew until the following May, after he had signed with Georgia after considering good options at Duke among others. Peachtree Ridge had become a customer when I followed Bill Ballard from Tucker. Drew had just finished kicking and working out when I ran into him outside the fieldhouse.
I asked him then if my conclusions about him were correct. While a very solid kicker in high school, I felt right away that Drew was a more natural punter. He confirmed that immediately, stating that his wish was to punt at Georgia. By that time, Blair Walsh had committed to UGA and it was Drew’s contention that Blair would kick and he would punt.
Drew has been in the program now for two years and has gotten much stronger. Gordon Ely-Kelso was a four year starter but Brian Mimbs “grew” into his role as a punter. Heck , he walked on at UGA to kick and with Brandon Coutu in the fold, he saw the writing on the wall. He shifted his focus and became a very good college punter. Drew will be ready also. This does not mean there will be no bad kicks. There are always bad kicks with every kicker and punter. Surely you remember a few bad punts in recent years and we survived most of them. It’s what you do the next time out that matters.
Short term memory loss is essential to be a successful kicker.
Now I have to work on long term memories.
Can you say Bluebonnet Bowl?
Georgia Recruiting, Highs and Lows
The recruiting front is a battleground, where lives are changed forever. Expectations are so high sometimes, the realities can never keep up. All the great news coming out of Athens was almost too good too be true, with their 18th commitment TJ Stripling of SW Dekalb making his plans known this morning.
But all is not well in Athens as Carver High School’s head football coach has banned the UGA coaching staff from the Columbus Campus. One of Coach Del McGee’s players, QB Del Burns had an offer withdrawn from Georgia and Mark Richt over the weekend. The fact that it happened on the day Burns intended to commit while at Dawg Night magnifies the impact this decision had on the player. He brought his whole family to make the announcement that would never be. That’s pretty awful. But worthy of a ban? Come on now, Coach McGee? Who do you think you are?
Players hedge bets in this recruiting game all the time. An early commitment is not the end of the story. You don’t think coaches or universities have the right to do the same? There is no doubt, that this played out poorly and I do feel for Del Burns. But to ban Mark Richt and staff?
In case you have not heard Coach McGee, a great number of Georgia recruits make the decision to come to Athens because of Mark Richt’s character. Many recruits go elsewhere in this league(SEC) in spite of the coach’s character. Don’t think you can impugn this man’s reputation based on a miscommunication. And by no means think you are any more important than you really are. I know you are a very good high school coach but, simmer down now.
Del Burns will have other opportunities. I just hope they are outside the SEC.
“Special” Education
Once again the infamous kicking controversy has reared it’s ugly head. I have entered the blogosphere in a year when kickers and kicking are high on the list of many Bulldog faithful. But I don’t want to be on any ” lists” come the fall. I am not sure how to negotiate this tsunami, but for now I will continue to tread water and attempt to survive the wave. I did an interview with the Bulldog Blog and it was picked up by the Junkyard Blawger, which is just stirring up a hornet’s nest again. It’s no one’s fault. It is an area of valid concern for the DawgNation.
The thing is, it’s not Rocket Surgery. lol
I have no exclusivity on the wisdom in this situation.
It’s just an opinion.
Guess who’s opinions really matter?
In case you did not read all of the blog posts I have linked to in this article, in their entirety, understand this. I have the utmost respect for Jon Fabris and Mark Richt as coaches. I am not sure that this is adequately explained by me or other bloggers. That being said, I can offer a dissenting opinion, can’t I?
It’s not the USSA yet, is it?
Get Georgia Bulldogs 2.0.09, Click Here to Upgrade Now
I had a great conversation with David Hale yesterday. You know David, the sports-writer and reknowned Bulldog Blogger . I think he plans to write about our talk on Friday. We discussed alot of things, including my thoughts on the Bulldawgs of 2009. I had an answer, but upon reflection something occurred to me. Many times it’s not good enough to have a great team, we want our players to receive all the superlatives as well.
I don’t want to give away the ending, but I told David that I thought our running backs were a little bit of a question mark. Caleb King and Richard Samuel while talented athletes, had not shown the spark of Knowshon Moreno(who ever has?) or even as capable as a Thomas Brown. I liked Thomas Brown. The bottom line though is this, running back by committee is not the end of the world. If it’s a good committee!
Here are some random thoughts on committees:
A committee should consist of no more than three people, with two absent. ~Robert Copeland
A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours. ~Milton Berle
If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That’ll do them in. ~Unknown
If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock. ~Arthur Goldberg
A committee is an animal with four back legs. ~John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee. ~Unknown
Well, it does not have to be that way. Mark Richt and Georgia have had some great teams without a marquee back. In 2005, Georgia was 10-3 and won it’s last SEC Championship. DJ Shockley was the quarterback but who were the running backs?
RB- Thomas Brown, So. #20 – 788 yards – 61.3 per game
RB- Danny Ware, So.(RS) #28 – 535 yards – 37.8 per game
RB- Kregg Lumpkin, So.(RS) #6 – 338 yards – 25.8 per game
1,661 yards and a 124.9 per game average
Knowshon Moreno on the other hand gained 1,463 yards in 2008. That’s an average of only 107.7 per game, but boy it was soo much more fun to watch than back in 2005, wasn’t it? Well, yeah, but who has the ring? Having a marquee back feeds our collective egos as fans, but it does not win games or championships.
Remember the old commercial?
My dog’s faster than your dog,
My dog’s bigger than yours.
My dog’s better ’cause he gets Ken-L Ration,
My dog’s better than yours.
That what some people sound like on the Dawgvent. Sometimes I think it should be called NannyNannyBooBoo.com. Winning is not enough. Ever player has to be the best at his position in the SEC…we have to win big…we have to win every game to satisfy some and then some will still find fault, I’m sure. It’s truly amazing.
All Georgia needs this year is enough production from our running backs to keep defenses honest. Joe Cox will have a fun year with his Colorful Crew…Green, Brown etc. Our more experienced and hopefully healthy offensive line will help make all this possible of course. I believe a renewed focus will make our defense much better. The kicking game will be solid.
Sounds good to me! Let’s do this!
At UGA Nothing to Fear, Except Practical Jokers
I usually talk about the football teams I played on from 1977 through 1980 and share some perspectives on those days. What some of you may not know is the fact that we lived with other athletes at McWhorter Hall. The front side was reserved for the football team but the back side was where Coach Kasay’s apartment was located as well as basketball, track and a few baseball guys I think. We shared the same cafeteria and other facilities like the TV room. As I have stated before, I think it was a great environment for like-minded athletes to co-exist in relative harmony.
I was just watching America’s Funniest Home Videos and some practical jokers scaring the life out of family members and co-workers. It was great. I used to like to do that sort of thing. In fact there may be as many as a dozen former football and basketball players that still cuss me when they here my name mentioned.
One evening, I believe it was Greg Bell, a defensive back from Birmingham had a full head mask, very similar to the one pictured. It looked like an old man. A very ugly old man. He had come around the front of the dorm and scared a few guys, but was really an amateur compared to a pro like me. I asked if I could borrow it and he said fine. The element he was missing was a robe. I had a navy blue velour robe I wore around the dorm sometimes. It was very luxurious in a 1970′s kind of way, you know like my denim leisure suit, only more so. Very attractive.
Well, when you coupled this robe with the mask at night, it gave the appearance of a floating head. It was beautiful. I proceeded around McWhorter Hall soiling more drawers than any daycare has ever seen. The very best reaction I got was going to the back of the dorm where I knew some basketball players would be. I think it was the third room that was the charm.
Dominique Wilkins, Terry Fair and Lamar Heard were all in the room and as I leaned in I screamed! I have never seen eyes that big! It was awesome. I ran from the room and as it was my last year at the dorm, I’m not sure I went back…ever.
Today, I would have had it on video, and I have no doubt I would win the $100,000.00 on AFV…if only.
Ask Dominique, he probably still has nightmares.
Georgia’s Redcoat Marching Band Finds a Piece of Land
Here’s a sentence you never heard before….I was perusing some Tweets…and noticed a mention of the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band getting a much deserved practice facility. It is scheduled to be ready by the end of the summer. Back in the day the band used the same practice fields we did. I always admired the dedication evident during our two-a-day practices. They usually practiced on the astro-turf field, probably to reduce wear and tear on the grass fields. Except sometimes they would practice on the kicker’s field, the one that is now closest to Butts-Mehre. Who cares about the kicker’s field right? Anyhoo, instead of two-a-days they had what seemed like five-a- days, I swear.
I don’t think they went out before our morning practice, but they were out between practices(in the heat of the day) and then after our second practice. I can still remember all the times seeing the lights on and hearing them as late as 9 or 10 oclock at night. Truly amazing. I remember being called over one evening to where the band was practicing.
Roger Dancz was the Director and he wanted me to hear something. I had no clue what was in store. As a few of my kicker buddies and I listened, the band played “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel and the movie, The Graduate. I thought, “that’s pretty cool”, but when they told me of their plans to play it after each successful kick that year(1979); how cool was that! Too bad 1979 was a down year, we might have heard it more, but my mom really loved it. Just one more great memory from the center of the known universe, Athens,Ga.
Congratulations on your new facility Redcoats and Go Dawgs!
NCAA says no to touchbacks…
Imagine if you will, a professional golfer who is consistently able to drive the ball 300 yards with reasonable accuracy. Now you tell him he HAS to either to drive it 330 yards with the same degree of accuracy OR drive it 290 with an even higher degree of accuracy on the left side of the fairway, with greater height. WITH THE SAME CLUB. But he can’t tee it UP, he has to tee it down. If you are a golfer and/or a knowledgable golf fan you probably see the lunacy in these expectations.
Yet this is what was expected of Blair Walsh last year.
I am going to try to explain this with as much factual information as possible, so it will not appear I am trying to make excuses for Blair or anyone else. (more…)
Get the picture…
What in the world can I say about Larry Munson that hasn’t been said numerous times by more important people in the world of sports and the University of Georgia family in particular? Probably nothing. But, is there anything wrong with a public thank you that I was only able to give Larry in person just a few short years ago. I hope not, because here it comes. (more…)
Did anybody get that tag number?
Most of my mornings begin with a rundown of a checklist of what joints in my body actually DON’T hurt. You may be thinking to yourself wait, wasn’t he JUST a kicker? And you would be oh so wrong. The litany of injuries I have sustained paid for many a lake house and Mercedes Benz in my day. I don’t want to name names, Sturkie, Payne, McKinnon. I got to know every doctor in the practice AND the physical therapist, a substantial Greek woman named Suvall. I’m pretty sure Suvall means “sadistic giver of pain” in the original Greek. That practice in Marietta is now known as Pinnacle Orthopedics.
My first broken bone was in 7th grade. Our P.E. coach was the high school wrestling coach, Bubba Davis. During the winter months when we had inclement weather, we would wrestle on the gym stage. The only guy about my size was a guy who had failed a couple of grades and much more developed physically. I was the kid whose mother was in constant search of the “HUSKY” section at Goldstein’s, Leiter’s and Sears. You know, more Incredible Bulk than Hulk. This guy got me down, took my right wrist and broke and dislocated my right elbow. It didn’t feel too good…I have it on good authority, it looked even worse.
The next year, between 8th and 9th grade, I broke my right ankle playing summer league baseball. In 10th grade broken right index finger playing basketball in P.E. There were several sprained ankles, usually doing stupid things. Oddly enough, I never did anything major playing football.
Some of you old timers may remember I did not kick-off my freshman year at UGA. A senior walk-on named Cary Long earned that job. I did kick-off a couple of times though. Once was against Auburn. It was a pretty good kick, several yards deep in the end zone. I was admiring the hang-time when BOOM! One of L.A.’s finest, and that ain’t sayin’ much, decided he was gonna go after the kicker. Ooooo, aren’t we tough?! I have included a recent picture of the perp below.
Anyhoo, I think the technical word is ass over tea-kettle. The first thing that hit the ground was the back side of my shoulder pads and I flipped over backwards(ass over tea kettle). The only thing that stopped me was the hedges. Wow! You know, I never heard the phrase, keep your head on a swivel until the day AFTER the Auburn game. Thanks coach!
To add insult to injury, the next day when we all watched the kick films as a team, they replayed it over and over and over again. The requisite BOOM when contact was made and the laughter that followed. It was special.
The other instance that comes to mind is the 1978 Tech game after Scott Woerner returned a punt for a touchdown. The ensuing kick-off was decent, again several yards deep. I’ll be danged if Drew Hill doesn’t bring it out, right up the Tech sideline. I went down behind the main line of coverage and started bearing left and tried to dive and make the tackle, to no avail. The safety couldn’t get him either, touchdown Tech! My right shoulder took the brunt of that diving attempt, the only positive thing about that play was I took out Pepper Rodgers on the sideline.
Okay I am done complaining, there are so many guys who have it worse than I do. So many more collisions, day in and day out. I am actually thankful to have been, “just a kicker”.
Hey I’m fifty, I am going to deal with it. Pass the Aleve and the ice bag.
Erk Russell in the Hall of Fame?
There’s not much I remember about the spring of 1976, but there is one image burned into my brain that will live forever. Spring football had just started and after calisthenics(old school word), Coach Ray Broadaway let me go down to the game field, better known as Northcutt Stadium to practice alone. He knew he could trust me to work hard, and I did.
After kicking one set of five kicks, I went to retrieve the balls and that’s when it happened. I looked up in the stands and there was this bald head poking out of the aisle.
HOLY CRAP, THAT’S ERK RUSSELL!
I tried to keep it together and I think I did okay. To be honest, that part is a little fuzzy. My mind was racing! After practice Coach Broadaway introduced us. I was pretty intimidated because Coach Russell’s countenance belied his true self. He was a great man. He told me of The University of Georgia having an interest in me as a kicker and hoped I would visit in the fall.
Obviously, it all worked out well and even though I didn’t play defense for Coach Russell, being recruited by him was a great honor. I know I can speak for my team-mates when I say, no one was more respected or beloved than Coach Erk Russell. Coach Dooley as a Head Coach was not in a position to develop those relationships like Coach Russell.
There are many people more qualified to speak to his worthiness as a College Hall of Fame member. I just had to add my two cents worth. It’s not likely anyone would mention his impact on a kicker, but it was there.
My freshman year, things were going okay, but I was a little homesick for Marietta. It was a friday and we had the weekend off. Even so, we were not supposed to leave Athens. Well, one of my newest and best friends, Ronnie Stewart and I went to a Marietta HS Football game. We made the hour and half trip and having just arrived, we learned that Coach Russell was at the game also!
We left immediately, but not before being seen by my hometown pastor, the Reverend Nelson Price. The pastor, who was with Coach Russell up in the press box, exclaimed in his well- known booming voice, there’s Rex Robinson!
Coach Russell said, “Where”!?!
Ronnie and I thought we had escaped certain disaster, until Monday when we reported to practice. Coach Russell came up to me and very quietly said, “Don’t ever do that again”.
Guess what? I didn’t…
Nothing neutral about losing…
The first few years of the Mark Richt era, I always spoke of those teams as teams that maybe didn’t win every game, but they were always IN the game. They never, ever got blown out. Coach Richt ALWAYS had the guys ready to play….INSERT CRICKETS CHIRPING HERE…Why did I have to go and say that? The last two years when we lose, we LOSE!!
Tennessee two years ago…Alabama and Florida this year…and I’m sorry, the Tech game felt like a butt kicking to me. So what has changed? Well, not totally sure. You know I have been around long enough to have been on both sides of games where nothing went right for one team and nothing could go wrong for the other. As you all know we gave up a butt load of points in 2008. Not good.
I have a good friend, who is a big Dawg fan that has been on the “Fire Willie Martinez” bandwagon for a while. I think he even started a Facebook Group by the same name.
I DID NOT JOIN FOR THE RECORD!
As a old school guy that played when Coaches Dooley and Russell were in control, I understand the bend don’t break philosophy of defense. I also understood the ball control offenses we employed then. Ya’ll hated both of them then and you hate them now. Some things never change! The thing is, if you are gonna employ that conservative approach to defense, you have to be able to tackle and we couldn’t much of the time last year. Especially the blowout games.
I have come to a conclusion. Coach Richt comes from the George Bush school of loyalty, and thats not a compliment. Bush lost me after the second election when he fired Rumsfeld after the election…AFTER….If he had done it six months earlier maybe we don’t lose control of the Congress and eventually the White House. SORRY, I digress.
Let me be clear, I love and respect Mark Richt. I hope he stays forever, but does that mean he’s perfect and does not make mistakes? No. I just want him to scutinize the performance of his coaches and hold them to the same level of accountability as he does his players. If they don’t perform, they don’t play.
Now he and UGA want to play the Florida Gators in Atlanta once every four years. I don’t like it. Sounds like an admission that we can’t win in the State of Florida. No, we can’t beat the University OF Florida in any state or Puerto Rico. But hey, guess what? Nobody can to speak of. Instead of worrying where we play, we should focus on how we play. Recruit better, coach more effectively, work hard in the off season and by all means teach ‘em to tackle!
But something I think we can all agree on, there is nothing neutral about losing.
The Decision to Excel(from Kicking.com 2003)
It was January 1978, and I was going through my first off-season workouts at the University of Georgia. It was by far the toughest thing I had ever been through physically or mentally. It was tougher than usual because we had just suffered through the only losing season Coach Vince Dooley would ever have while Head coach. We were 5-6 this my freshman year and while I started as a freshman it was anything but an auspicious start.
I was 10-20 on field goals and it was during these same winter workouts that I would watch kicking game film (this is pre-video), and I noticed something. It wasn’t anything technical in my swing. It was the obvious letdown my teammates suffered when I missed perfectly makeable kicks. Now, I was not the reason we went 5-6 but the bottom line is, I was not doing my part for the team to succeed.
My resolve to change this was huge. I worked harder and harder as the winter workouts came to an end and spring football began. The problem was, just like a lot of you, I did not or could not do a lot of kicking during the winter. As spring began I was a little rusty. At the same time, a transfer named Dave Allison became eligible to compete for the job and compete he did.
There were times during that spring that moré than a few people warned me about losing my job. It was a long spring but my goals had been set in February and they never changed. Not only will I keep my job but, I want to be the best in the SEC. I reached my goals. Dave Allison helped make that possible. Don’t ever be afraid of competition. I have known kickers that would rather not go out or transfer to another school than run the risk of not being THE MAN.
I have pretty strong feelings about that type of attitude. In fact, it is not printable. Just let me say this. If you ever shy away from competition, you don’t deserve to be THE MAN. I just told one of my local guys a couple of weeks ago, just because you are going to be a 10th grader this fall, don’t settle for being the JV kicker. Let the head coach make that decision, don’t you make it for him. The good thing is, if you are on this site and reading this you are probably not that kind of person.
If kicking is what you want to do, you have some tough choices to make. Becoming the best at something is not an accident. It has to be intentional. There will be some sacrifice. When you go to the beach, take your footballs. No field, no goal-posts, no problem. Go to a park and kick over the swings or better yet aim at a single object like a light pole and hit it. Yes you heard me, HIT THE POLE. We do this drill every day to warm up. See the Pole, be the pole, hear the ping. If all you ever do is kick between uprights, you’re not going to be focused enough on accuracy. Work hard, be the best.
This article was originally published on kicking.com on 3.14.2003…RR
P.S.- Exactly one year later, I sat to have the picture you see above taken for the 1979 Playboy All-American Team. I am seated by Billy Sims of Oklahoma who had won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. Beside him is the 1979 winner, Charles White from USC. My what a difference a year makes.
Players present vs. Players past
Bruce Figgins and Justin Houston have been suspended from games at the start of the 2009 season. Many were hoping the Dawgs might go an entire off season without this type of news. The winter and spring of 2008 was more than many could tolerate. Many fans were overly critical of these young guys, while others were apologists. I myself am more of a centrist on this subject and there is a reason.
Having been at the University of Georgia from 1977-1980, I witnessed a few things. I heard about many other “things”. I would never disclose details because that would betray a trust that team-mates share. But I will say that many, many 18-23 year old boys/men have acted with poor judgement as far back as when Cain and Abel went sideways.
I don’t know any details about what happened with Figgins, Houston and (Tony) Wilson, who will be medically ineligible and not suspended. I would never knowingly brush it off as boys will be boys, because there comes a time in every man’s life(hopefully) when intellect overcomes impulse and maturity overides machismo.
I do hope it is an isolated incident this spring and not just an ice breaker.
Wow, I never dreamed this would happen.
As I continue to to trod through this new universe of online communication and social networking in particular, I have been advised to start a blog. Obviously I am way behind, but I’m catching up. We will find out together if I have anything worthwhile to share. You can rest assured, my mind works differently than most, when it works at all.
Feel free to contact me about anything from my time at UGA to the present.
Let’s see what happens now.
Rex
Tell me what you really think!