Stephenson Was Loaded
Georgia Bulldogs fans were thrilled that Stephenson’s Mike Thornton signed with the Dawgs February 3rd. Thornton became the icing on the cake when Dawg fans thought they would have to eat their’s dry. What I didn’t realize is the sheer number of quality football players that were on this 11-1 Stephenson Squad. Most teams would love to have a senior class this large, much less 29 kids that could play on the next level.
Below you’ll find a list of Jaguar signees. I’m curious, what is the largest signing class in the history of Georgia High School Football?
STEPHENSON SIGNEES
- Martin Adebowale – Presbyterian
- Miles Ashmon – Fort Valley State
- Kelvin Billups – Johnson C. Smith
- Tyrone Cornileus – Miami (FL)
- James Farmer – Tusculum
- Idris French – Concordia (AL)
- Denzel Hartley – Johnson C. Smith
- Thomas Hubbard – St. Francis (IL)
- Jabari Johnson – Kentucky
- Jacob Johnson – Tusculum
- Kenny Ladler – Vanderbilt
- Jeremiah Mahoney – Concordia (AL)
- Gary McIndoe – LaGrange
- Armond Mitchell – Belhaven
- Edward Passmore – Concordia (AL)
- Joshua Polk – Presbyterian
- Blake Rennels – Belhaven
- Jordan Rhinehart – Tusculum
- Raymond Sanders – Kentucky
- Chris Sharpe – Middle Tennessee State
- Ronnie Shields – Kentucky
- Brandon Smith – Miles
- Quinton Spencer – Johnson C. Smith
- Malcolm Strong – Marshall
- Steven Thomas – Tusculum
- Mike Thornton – Georgia
- Ephesia Tisdale – Concordia (AL)
- Franchot West – Southern
- Doral White – Valdosta State
The Richt Way
The recruiting game is one of shadows, of smoke and mirrors sometimes. Coaches make multiple offers and from time to time withdraw them. It’s not a black and white issue on either side of the equation.
More often than not the school/program has the upper hand in this transaction, but occasionally a trump card emerges and kids that have been incrementally empowered from their early childhood, flex their muscles.
Such is the situation of Da’Rick Rogers and the Nance family(click). I remember seeing pictures of Nash Nance from summer camp. I knew nothing about him, just that he was one of several in camp.
My understanding is the Nance’s were told that UGA was not going to offer a QB at that time. I can easily see the potential inference that if Georgia did offer a QB, Nash would be high on the list. You see, recruiters have to hedge their bets and keep multiple prospects on the line.
It’s not lieing, but it’s a qualified truth.
Then comes the late offer to Hutson Mason of Lassiter HS. Hutson apparently made huge strides as a QB from spring to late fall. He set several Georgia high school records and became a Parade All American. It reminds me of something the old sales trainer Zig Ziglar used to say. He said a “NO” from a potential buyer really meant, “Based on the information you have given me so far, I can’t say yes.”
The circumstances changed, period.
When another player blossoms and surpasses all others under consideration, is that a recruiters fault? But as a kid and a father who have heard the qualified promise of a potential scholarship, there still has to be disappointment. If you are used to having things go your way and you have the “rug pulled out”, stuff happens.
You know, I referred to this process as a transaction earlier because it is. Not that money changes hands necessarily, but a player performs as an athlete in exchange for an education and further development as an athlete. Both sides use what is at their disposal to seek the best result for themselves. Like I said earlier, most of the time, the school has the upper hand, but sometimes they don’t.
Many of Georgia competitors feed that “monster” that is the athlete of today. From Tennessee’s Wild boys to Auburn’s Tiger Night festivities to Florida just being Florida, and especially USC. To a certain extent it could be called pandering to the Hip Hop culture many kids embrace. Hey, Georgia does to some extent too, but there is a line.
I think many kids come to Georgia because of what Mark Richt represents as a man and as a coach. Just as many go to Florida and Tennessee and USC because those coaches mirror what that kid is and wants to be. I’ll let you put the label on it. You can’t blame a kid for wanting to be in a familiar place.
But you also can’t crucify Mark Richt, for doing it his way.
Because history has proven, nine times out of ten, Richt’s way is the right way.
The “Calm” Before the Storm
It is 12:01 PM as I sit down to knock out this post. As I write, there are a couple of hundred coaches having lunch in Middle Georgia. An annual event sponsored by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association started last night with a dinner for Region and State Champion Head Coaches. It is usually a BBQ dinner, with some brothers from Wilkes County hauling their smoker over and I swear it’s some of the best I’ve ever had.
Today’s luncheon is when these best of the best high school coaches get to interact with most of the Southeast’s college football staffs. It’s a surreal mix, with Mark Richt, Paul Johnson and Nick Saban and their staffs all occupying the same space. Add FSU, Clemson, Auburn and all the smaller schools of Georgia i.e. Georgia Southern, Valdosta State, Lagrange and Shorter and all on the day before THE DAY. Very strange. It’s like a heavy-weight fight with the combatants sitting down for a beer while the score cards are tallied.
It just doesn’t compute, but it’s been happening for years.
“Lost” is the Perfect Description
The first episode of the last season of “Lost” airs tonight and the GNP will not grow at all today. Apparently, I am the only one in America that didn’t get hooked by the series that ranks as one of the most popular in television history. I never got past the third episode because before Lost first aired, I thought it was going to be a cross between Lord of the Flies and Jurassic Park.
I could have gone for that. But it turned out to require too much thinking. I want the shows I watch to elicit emotions, whether good, bad or ugly ones, I can deal with that. Make me laugh, cry or get angry, but don’t make me think too, too much. I might pull something.
For those of you that are giddy with anticipation, I am happy for you. But if I need you to do some work today, don’t screw it up, please.
Oh You Herschel Walker!
Herschel Walker made a successful debut versus Greg Nagy in the Mixed Martial Arts arena last night and proved once again that he is one of a kind(click). There is no one comparable. Herschel has the most eclectic resume you will ever find and the most extreme.
NCAA and NFL football, World Class Sprinter, Black Belt in Taekwondo, Olympic Bobsledder, Entrepreneur, Marathon Cyclist, Reality Show Star(Pros vs. Joes and The Apprentice), and now MMA.
That’s quite a bucket list you got there #34.
To say that Herschel is in phenomenal shape and a freak would be unoriginal and redundant. One of his trainers said he had the body of a 22 year old.
By my calculations, that means Herschel should live to about 188 years old.
Getting back to the fight. He did look very raw in his debut. I watch a good bit of MMA and you could tell it was his first time in the octagon. I was really concerned that his lack of grappling experience was going to hurt him and he never really tried any jui-jitsu. He was in great position to choke Nagy and even when he did mount him was too high to ground and pound like he wanted to.
Ultimately the fight was stopped because Nagy stopped trying to improve his position from the ground and quit defending himself and that is a TKO.
I heard Herschel say in a pre fight interview that he didn’t anticipate fighting for an extended period. I can’t wait to see him again and see what kinds of improvements he makes.
In the mean-time, I fully expect to see him pilot the Space Shuttle soon.
Georgia Bulldog Recruiting
There is much weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Bulldog Nation as SIGNING DAY approaches. Many lives hang in the balance, and I’m not talking players and/or coaches. It’s the fans that seem to feel that their lives will be somehow changed if one player or another makes the “wrong” decision. One Bulldog commit has played his late recruitment to the hilt and the firestorm it has caused is remarkable. I wanted to make a brief comment on the phenomenon.
Get a freakin’ life!
The day I let a 17 or 18 year old kid dictate the ebb and flow of my day, is when hell freezes over. Obviously, I want to have the best players possible. Some folks think that means 5 Stars by a kid’s name. I think it’s about a kid with talent and a real desire to wear red and black.
I believe with all my heart that the Georgia Bulldogs of the future will be dramatically improved. Not because of a dramatic influx of 5 Stars, but because of a renewed focus of Coach Mark Richt and the hiring of a defensive dynamo, Todd Grantham. The future is indeed bright, so sit back, take a chill pill and enjoy the ride.
The reception is not that great, six feet under.
It’s Senior Bowl Week
It’s that time of year when all we have to look forward to is the Super bowl and College All-Star Games like the this past weekends East West Shrine Game and now the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. I was fortunate enough to play in the 1981 Senior Bowl but my how things have changed.
It was considered a golden opportunity to practice and play in front of NFL scouts and coaches and maybe get drafted. There are some that still look at it that way, but many, many players turn down offers to play because it may actually hurt their draft status. The Senior Bowl people have been scrambling to fill out the rosters because of this new attitude.
Georgia is represented by Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens this year. I am pulling for them to make some last minute statements to the assembly of pro football evaluators. In 1981, Scott Woerner, Nat Hudson and I made up the Dawg contingent.
It’s sad that not playing and relying on combines or carefully controlled pro days have replaced an opportunity to meet and play with guys from all over the country. We lost the game but I had a decent game with a 43 yard field goal. Some of you might actually remember that I punted, that’s right Dawg fans, I punted….terribly. It didn’t help that it was cold and windy and I had not punted in a game in 4+ years.
Even so, it was a great time. I hope this year’s Dawgs feel the same.
with Alabama’s E.J. Junior…I know…we cool.
Scott Woerner and our coach Denver’s Red Miller…suck up…
Maryland TE Eric Sievers…not his best moment.
with Alabama’s Byron Braggs…a BIGGEN!
Hartley Defeats Voodoo with Mojo
Garrett Hartley won the NFC Championship with a 40 yard field goal last night, restoring some degree of confidence in kickers worldwide. In recent weeks, kickers had fallen victim to some kind of voodoo, but that spell is broken. The Saints are going to the SUPER BOWL!
This season has been a strange one for Hartley, with him having to serve a suspension for using a banned susbstance(click). John Carney took his place and the old dude(45) did a great job(click), but the Saints knew Hartley was their future.
They just didn’t know how big he would be in the present…
Hartley only started kicking in week 13 and only attempted 12 field goals this year, making 10. So after only playing in six games, Hartley comes into the NFC and wins the game with his only field goal attempt and in overtime at that. When I saw him being interviewed after the game, it struck me how he looked more X-Games than NFL.
All I know is…Last night, he perfected the 270 leggie footie upkick and…
New Orleans will never be the same.
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.
Fragile
Pronounced- Fra-jeel-ay…must be Italian. Hopefully you get the reference from the movie classic “A Christmas Story”. The word fragile comes to mind quite often these days as I watch game after game with kickers struggling in bowl games and the NFL playoffs. All in all, it’s been a horrible year for kickers.
Even going back into the regular season, some of the best kickers in history hit a wall. Jason Elam with the Falcons and Nick Folk with the Cowboys are two of the best examples. What’s so strange is, the kicker who replaced Folk, Sean Suisham, has had his struggles as well. He was cut from the Washington Redskins just a few short weeks before joining the Cowboys. In fact, a short miss versus the Cowboys is what got him cut from the Redskin roster in the first place.
The worst case scenario just happened Sunday with Nate Kaeding of the San Diego Chargers going 0-3 versus the New York Jets. Two of the misses should have been automatic. Jim Nance had just gotten the words out of his mouth and I KNEW it was a jinx coming. Kaeding had made 67 in a row inside 40 yards. Sunday he started another streak, missing two. The final score of 17-14 makes it a big deal. The fact that similar games have happened in the playoffs before, makes Charger fans crazy.
When a negative precedent is set, a molehill can become a mountain pretty quickly, and almost impossible to get over. I’ve been there. I have mentioned the 1978 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl before. Without doubt my worst game as a Georgia Bulldog. It was a game played on turf, in a dome. The next time I had a chance to play on turf, in a dome was the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. I would have been fine, but all week reporters reminded me of my earlier failure and asked me if it would happen again.
This constant negative input was very difficult to push aside. As you have seen this year, when a kicker has any doubts in a pressure situation, the results are less than stellar. The reporters questions actually ruined that week for me, because all I could think about was not letting a replay of the Bluebonnet Bowl take place. As it turned out I had a solid game, not perfect, but solid.
When doubt creeps in, that chink in the armor can kill you. As a golfer, a pitcher or hitter in baseball, and especially a kicker, confidence is key. Phill Simms really impressed me with his understanding of the position Sunday. A regular player is instinctive, reacting to the flow of the game. Kickers are on the sideline, stagnant and come in for one play to either succeed or fail. It’s not easy, but it is the nature of the position.
A kicker has to do his part, or suffer the consequences.
Total Team Sports is Hot
SnowSham 2010 was a major disappointment here in Atlanta. Just enough precipitation combined with frigid temperatures to be a pain in the butt, but not enough to really enjoy it. All the schools and systems that I do business with are closed today, but this week has been a great start to 2010.
New customers and vendors are evidence of continued growth for Total Team Sports.
I am thankful.
I have created ad links to many of my suppliers on the blog as well a listing of apparel suppliers in the left side-bar. Ash City was my first supplier of corporate apparel and it’s been a great fit. I have used Sanmar as a supplier of tee shirts, sweats and other athletic apparel. Augusta Sportswear has uniforms and coaches gear at great prices. Stewart and Strauss is my primary source for custom lettermen’s jackets. Just this week, I have added Game Sportswear as a supplier of warm-ups, jackets and corporate apparel. I have sold their products before and they are top quality and unique.
The other new relationship is taking me in a new direction, promotional products. Norwood is a fantastic resource for ad specialty items for corporate and/or booster club applications. I also hope to supply items for fundraising and charity golf tournaments around the southeast. If your company needs golf balls with your logo, call me.
All in all, 2010 is off to a tremendous start.
Let me know if I can be of service to you.
2010 Will Be Better
The year 2009 will go down as an off year, a down year, for Georgia Football and life in general. The Dawgs should recover nicely with the changes that are imminent. New coaches, a new attitude that is apparent from Coach Richt and the likelihood of a renewed focus on every level. But hey, 13 consecutive years with 8 or more wins ain’t bad.
I feel the same way about my life. I started Total Team Sports in early 2009 and while things have gone well, in looking back, I made a lot of mistakes. In the sporting goods business these days, having access to “brand name” merchandise is crucial in certain circumstances, but as a new “Team” dealer without a retail presence, I can’t get every single brand out there.
I will continue to provide practice gear for every sport and especially in packages for fund-raising efforts. No need to go to the “BIG BOX” stores and pay retail when you can put it in a practice pack and pay a “team price”. Contact me for details at rexrobinson5@gmail.com or click here or here for just a couple of examples.
Late in the year, the opportunity to sell a great quality lettermen’s jacket presented itself. Stewart and Strauss has sold directly to the public for over 30 years on a retail basis. I contacted them in the summer and I am now one of only six dealers in the country that sell their jackets on a “wholesale” basis. I am very fortunate in that regard. There is no doubt, 2010 will be a huge year for lettermen’s jackets for Total Team Sports.
Another major difference in where I am headed with TTS is corporate apparel and not just athletic gear. I can supply any need for your business. For corporate, industrial, and institutional applications, I have some great alternatives. Just click on the Total Team Sports, LLC ad at the top of the page or here.
Just like with the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs, the main thing is to learn from the mistakes that were made and not repeat them. Learn, make adjustments and move forward, never looking back. Get better every day.
Happy New Year and Go Dawgs!
Coaching the Fine Line
Mike Leach was fired this afternoon. The Texas Tech head coach is accused of abusive treatment of a player, WR Adam James. The fact that ESPN’s Craig James is the player’s dad sensationalizes things, but really should not enter the discussion, in my opinion. After years of what was a contentious relationship with Texas Tech administrators, Leach gave them the ammo they needed. I will wait to hear more of the full story before I pass any kind of judgment on Leach, but it brings up a real and difficult issue.
In our not so brave new world, where political correctness is king, how does a high level coach in a highly competitive sport motivate and discipline his players? All sports, but football in particular have always called for mental and physical toughness. It is the ultimate “team” sport, and the good of the individual has always come second, as it should.
Coaching Division 1-A(FBS) football is a high paying, high profile and highly pressurized occupation. Graduating young men does nothing for your job security, winning does. Motivating 100+ 18-22 year olds to all focus on the same goals and working together to achieve those goals is all that matters.
When a player consistently pulls in a different direction, he needs to get back in line or hit the bricks. For the kid that has a selfish attitude or is a cancer on the team, many times a coaching staff will try and run that kid off. The players offense may not rise to the level of kicking him off the team, but applying pressure and even ill treatment can give that player the needed motivation to leave on his own.
It’s the old, “You don’t have to go home, but you have to get the hell outa here”!
That being said, there is a fine line as to how to get that kid motivated to leave. Running sprints, stadium steps, up-downs, and bear crawls are all well known behavior modifying activities. A lack of playing time can also be a part of the process. Abusive language and yes, even embarrassing a player to get right or get gone is all reasonable to expect, even on the high school level.
But Mike Leach may have crossed the line by putting a kid in what amounted to solitary confinement, even if just for a few short hours. You can bet he will fight this decision, as it was timed just when he was to receive an $800,000.00 bonus tomorrow.
It’s just one more example of how difficult a coaches job is. Back in the day, a player would never dream of talking back to a coach for fear of the repercussions. It happens more than you realize now, even to the point of physical altercations. It used to be that parents and teachers/coaches were on the same page, but now parents excuse bad behavior by their kids and blame the other adults in the scenario.
I’m not saying that’s true in this case, but it happens a lot. I would not want to be a coach or teacher today.
Urban Meyer is full of it
I am sitting here watching the press conference where Florida’s Urban Meyer is announcing his choice of a leave of absence versus resigning. Yesterday, when I heard he was resigning, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. I don’t wish him any ill will and I did not make fun of the situation as many people chose to do. But a Florida Gator program without Urban Meyer is a plus, period. More and more it appears his condition is self induced and not life threatening.
This seemingly endless presser is turning into a glorious recruiting infomercial for the Florida Gators, during a time when coaches cannot contact recruits directly. Do you not think every player whether committed or not is watching this crap?
All the love and family espoused for the players and how it figured so prominently in his second decision in 24 hours. The bottom line is that all the decisions made and changed in the last few days could have been made quietly in the off-season. He could have reprioritized his life and not tell us about it, because honestly, I don’t care.
Mark May just said the same thing…all this could have waited til after the bowl game.
Thanks Mark!
Right Coaches(sung to White Christmas)
I’m dreaming of the right coaches,
not like the ones we used to know
with new ideas, that soon will see us
with a defense that no longer blows.
I’m dreaming of the right coaches,
not like the ones we used to know
We’ll cover kick-offs, and not drop hand-offs
and fewer flags the refs will throw.
I’m dreaming of the right coaches,
with every blog post that I write
may your days be merry and bright
and trust that CMR’s decisions will be right
A Lesson Learned
When the Georgia Bulldogs boarded the plane to Stillwater, the last thing on their mind I’m sure was where they would be playing a potential bowl game. A season with as many ups and downs as the best roller coaster left a lot to be desired when all was said and done. The fact that the last part of the ride ends in Shreveport has a lot patrons jumping off and staying home.
Everyone is disappointed, including the players. There has been some talk about frustration over the bowl practice schedule and heading to Shreveport Christmas day. I understand that. Our guys are used to playing January 1st at the earliest, unlike another local team rejoicing at their rare chance to play with the “big boys” for the first time in nearly 50 years.
The fact of the matter is, while disappointing, it’s the reality of under-achievement. You lose control of your destiny and it’s therefore imposed upon you. At any rate, it sounds as if the team has refocused and is ready to play a Texas A&M team with a pretty good offense. Based on each team’s track record on defense, this could be a 51-48 game, with Blair Walsh kicking the game winner of course!
The bottom line is this. I hope the players understand that much of this was in their control and it got away. I hope they never take anything for granted ever again. That includes their personal preparation, their preparation as a team and also the family time they will miss this one time in their lives.
If they truly take it to heart, it’s not a bad life lesson.
We all should remember it too, especially this time of year.
Nick Folk is No Joke
The Dallas Cowboys put together an almost perfect game to beat the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints 24-17 on Saturday night. The only exception was the continued struggle of kicker Nick Folk who missed a 24 yarder with a little more than two minutes to go. The field goal would have made the game a two possession game and cinched the victory for the Cowboys.
Nick Folk is a former All-Pro kicker(2007) who has missed more kicks this year than the two previous years combined. Folks issues began with off-season surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip. Obviously, something is still not right because Nick had the best FG percentage among active kickers coming into the season(86.8%). Now, he has missed as many kicks in the last 6 games as he did in his first 34 games.
It is admirable that Dallas has stuck with him thus far, but time may be running out. They know he is a great kicker, but last night’s game may precipitate a change, as Dallas cannot afford to have a kick be the difference down the stretch. With a 9-5 record, there is just no room for error. The Cowboys have lots of issues(see Roy Williams), but the kicker is usually the first to go.
If you watched the game last night, you saw them repeatedly show Nick’s pregame warm-ups and how bad things are. His complete lack of consistency shows a mechanical glitch possibly brought on by pain avoidance. His late miss was not a choke, because he was missing those same kicks in pregame.
I hope he is able to regain his form at some point. It may be too late in Dallas.
Joe Shad Has Been Caught
Fans of the Georgia Football Bulldogs will be happy to learn that ESPN rumor monger Joe Shad was caught by an amateur fisherman this morning off the coast of Connecticut. Narcisso Figueroa, the Puerto Rican fisherman whose heroic effort made this capture possible, said, “I was only looking for dinner”. Figueroa said he used a new lure called “The Scoop” to land the fish.
Shad had come under intense scrutiny for his irresponsible tweeting of non-events relative to the coaching search at the University of Georgia. Maybe the defensive coordinator job search can proceed with fewer distractions and without Dawg fans having to chase down rabbit trails.
I sure hope so.
Post Season’s Greetings
Many Georgia Fans find themselves in a rut. There is weeping and gnashing of teeth as to who our next defensive coordinator will be. I myself, while anxious to hear the news, will not spend one minute writing about all the rumors that float about us like a procession of Macy’s Parade balloons. If you don’t like any of the ones you’ve seen, just wait, there will be another in a minute or two.
In the meantime I wanted to share my little creation for Christmas. My little post season gift to you and Saint Simons. Yep, this Dawg has already received what I wanted for Christmas.
Go Dawgs!
Mike Singletary, The Eyes Have it
I just put Monday Night Football on and the 49er’s are handing it to the Cards 17-0 in the third quarter. It sounds like Arizona has done all they can to give it away. Whatever the case, I would be pulling for San Francisco anyway. I want Mike Singletary to succeed as head coach, for lots of reasons, but more on that later.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Mike Singletary. It was the season opener in 1978 and we were playing Baylor University. It would be a great day for the Dawgs and for me personally, but I also remember #63 making a tackle on the sidelines right next to me. That’s when I saw them. Those eyes! Dang, who is this guy? He’s possessed!
I have no idea how many tackles he made that day, but later that year he made 35 against Arkansas. Look it up. We were both sophomores, so no one outside the Southwest Conference knew who he was yet, but they would. He and I made some of the same All-American teams in 1979 and 1980, but he went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears. Me, not so much.
I really am pulling for Mike to succeed because of what he represents. He is a man of faith and holds on to the old school way of thinking we grew up with. He’s a great guy.
Oh, and in case you were not in Sanford Stadium that day, Georgia upset Baylor 16-14. I had three field goals of 43, 38 and 36 yards and one PAT…I even won the Chevrolet Player of the Game.
Thanks for asking!
FWAA All Americans
Drew Butler has won the Ray Guy Award and has been named to several All-American teams already. There should be more to come. The Football Writers Association of America named their team and Drew indeed was honored again. This is a team I actually was fortunate enough to make in 1980, my senior year. Of course, Drew is just a sophomore and may well have other chances to make this team again. Oh yeah, Drew’s dad Kevin made this team also, in 1984. In looking back on that group I was a part of, I am reminded of how many notable names were on that team. Some of the best to ever play the game on the college or pro level, especially on defense.
Check them out.
OFFENSE
QB 9 Mark Hermann Purdue 6-4 190 Sr. Carmel, Ind.
RB 24 Freeman McNeil UCLA 5-11 216 Sr. Carson, Calif.
RB George Rogers South Carolina 6-2 210 Sr. Duluth, Ga. HOF
RB 34 Herschel Walker Georgia 6-2 215 Fr. Wrightsville, Ga. HOF
WR Ken Margerum Stanford 6-1 175 Sr. Fountain Valley, Calif.
WR 80 Dave Young Purdue 6-6 241 Sr. Akron, Ohio
OL 72 Nick Eyre BYU 6-5 276 Sr. Las Vegas, Nev.
OL 73 Mark May Pittsburgh 6-6 282 Sr. Oneonta, N.Y. HOF
OL Louis Oubre Oklahoma 6-4 262 Sr. New Orleans, La.
OL 68 Keith Van Horne USC 6-7 265 Sr. Fullerton, Calif.
C 57 John Scully Notre Dame 6-5 255 Sr. Huntington, N.Y.
DEFENSE
DL 99 Hugh Green Pittsburgh 6-2 224 Sr. Natchez, Miss. HOF
DL 39 E. J. Junior Alabama 6-3 220 Sr. Nashville, Tenn.
DL Derrie Nelson Nebraska 6-2 220 Sr. Fairmont, Neb.
DL 77 Kenneth Sims Texas 6-6 265 Jr. Groesbeck, Texas
DL 90 Hosea Taylor Houston 6-5 265 Sr. Longview, Texas
LB 51 David Little Florida 6-1 228 Sr. Miami, Fla.
LB 63 Mike Singletary Baylor 6-1 232 Sr. Houston, Texas HOF
LB 98 Lawrence Taylor North Carolina 6-3 237 Sr. Williamsburg, Va. NFL HOF
DB 5 Kenny Easley UCLA 6-3 206 Sr. Chesapeake, Va. HOF
DB 42 Ronnie Lott USC 6-2 200 Sr. Rialto, Calif. HOF
DB John Simmons SMU 5-11 188 Little Rock, Ark.
SPECIALISTS
K 5 Rex Robinson Georgia 6-0 215 Sr. Marietta, Ga.
P 3 Rohn Stark Florida State 6-3 195 Jr. Fifty Lakes, Minn.
Coach of the Year ……………………..Vince Dooley, Georgia
Outland Trophy ………………………….Mark May, Pittsburgh
Grantland Rice Trophy………………………..Georgia Bulldogs
Brian Kelly to Notre Dame
Twenty-nine years ago the Georgia Bulldogs almost experienced what the Cincinnati Bearcats are feeling today. Coach Vince Dooley was temporarily drawn by an offer by Auburn University, his Alma mater. Ultimately he decided to stay in Athens, but even the idea of losing your coach when you are preparing for a Sugar Bowl and potential national championship, was very difficult. As a 21 year old kid, it’s hard to fathom a coach leaving. As a 50 year old kid, I totally understand the forces at work. The whole team was upset back then and there is plenty of evidence that the Bearcat players feel that way now.
Here is an excerpt from an article last night:
Receiver Mardy Gilyard, one of the last players to arrive at the banquet, said in an interview that he was upset Kelly had accepted the Notre Dame job after telling him and other players before their last game that he was staying.
“I don’t like it,” said Gilyard, the Big East’s top receiver and kick returner. “I feel there was a little lying in the thing. I feel like he’d known this the whole time. Everybody knows Notre Dame’s got the money. I kind of had a gut feeling he was going to stay just because he told me he was going to be here.”
I also follow Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati’s great running back on Twitter. Isaiah was pretty upset last night also. “Action packed day..but I guess not every1 can be pleased..all good things must cum to an end sumtime..I just think its all bull****”. Here they are playing in the Sugar Bowl against Florida, and this happens. I believe Cincinnati has a chance to be really competitive vs. the Gators. I hope they can keep it together in the interim.
This brings up that whole issue of players having to sit out a year if they transfer(see Ryan Mallett), even when their motivations are related to a coaching change. That’s another blog for another day.
Great Scott!
Before you Georgia football fans go crazy, let me explain. I want to congratulate a Yellow Jacket. Their kicker. I met Scott Blair his junior year in high school. It was at a kicking combine testing young kickers for possible recruitment by colleges. Scott did well. So well, in fact he ultimately won the national kick-off competition and ranked high in punting as well.
Scott ended up walking on at Georgia Tech. He has started since his freshman year, but has struggled at times with his consistency. Half-way through this year he had not made a kick longer than 37 yards and had missed quite a few in the forty to fifty yard range. The previous bright spot this year had been a game winning kick against Clemson early in the year.
Well, whether Tech fans realize it or not, he beat Clemson again Saturday night. Kicking four field goals including a 28, 40, 48 and 49 yarder, a career long. Not bad. All the hoopla over a 4th quarter drive would have been a moot point without Scott’s performance. Congratulations, Scott!
The rest of you bees can bite me.
If Only…
You might think the title of this blog is in reference to the Georgia Bulldog’s season. I will let others offer their opinions on that. A great deal of that is conjecture. I am going to write about what I know. When the Dawgs rose up and won the “State Championship” Saturday night, they relegated Georgia Tech’s season to just another pretty good season.
It matters not whether they win the ACC Championship and a subsequent BCS Bowl Game, 2009 will be remembered the year they could have had it all and blew it against Georgia. I am not trying to poke fun or mock the Yellow Jackets. I am dead serious. Even at 12-2, the “two” will loom large and the Georgia loss will always be a wound that no salve will heal.
Players and teams alike remember their failures just as much as their successes. If the Yellow Jackets don’t win against Clemson and then win a lesser Bowl, they will have a record of 11-3 and nothing tangible to show for a season that had so much promise.
Last week it was our seniors losing on senior night to a Kentucky team we should have beaten. This week, Georgia Tech had no idea what was in store for them. A Georgia Bulldog team that learned lessons from the self inflicted wounds of a year ago, made a conscious decision to play football. It showed from beginning to end. A complete game. If they wanted to play the role of spoiler, they did a great job.
No matter what happens, the GT players will always say…”If only we had beaten Georgia”, the 2009 season would have been great.
Yeah…If only.
Tell me what you really think!