One Old Dawg and how he almost didn't make it to Georgia

Fifty Years.

That’s how long it’s been since Vince Dooley coached his first game for the University of Georgia, and One Old Dawg, Jerry Varnado, ran out on the gridiron for that inaugural game.

Dooley’s arrival back in December had been somewhat unheralded. Not exactly the warmest welcome.

No one was cheering, either, when Jerry arrived at Georgia two years before in 1962. He was little, 165 pounds, “dripping wet,” as he says. He wasn’t very fast, and he didn’t have a scholarship.

He had played football for the legendary Wright Bazemore at Valdosta High School. His senior year, the Wildcats were state champions, the middle year of a three year streak of state championships. The polls put them at number two in the nation--an illustrious launching pad.

Yet, Jerry, a self admitted “late bloomer” only started for the varsity that one year. He began his high school career on the humble JV—years fraught with adversity.

“Freshmen year in high school was rough. Early in the year at practice, I had a collision with another player, and the bar of his face-mask hit me right in the nose. Broke my nose. Had to go to the doctor, have this packing put in, and had to breathe through my mouth. I went back to practice that  day and asked Coach Bazemore if I could have another face-mask that'd protect my nose so I could still practice. They put another face-mask on there, but a day or two later I had another collision.

That face-mask broke, and it raked up my face. When it did, the tape on it grabbed my two front teeth and pulled them to a right angle. I had to go back to the doctor; he cut out the teeth and stitched up my gums. I went to Bazemore, again, and this time I got a big cage like the lineman wear, so I finished up the year. But that year started pretty rough.”

After two years on the JV, One Old Dawg made the varsity as a junior, but didn’t see playing time until his senior year. An injury caused him to be assisted off the field.

Here’s Jerry again, “I told Dr. Branch on the sidelines I hurt my back in two-a-day practice before the season started, but it got better and didn’t bother me too bad until someone hit me directly in the back during that game. The severe pain came back, but it did get better. Dr. Branch wanted to see me in his office Monday morning.”

Turns out, x-rays indicated Jerry had two vertebrae that had been cracked so long, they were already showing signs of healing. Dr. Branch told him he didn’t know if he’d ever play football again.

One Old Dawg says, “I left the doctor's office and drove around crying for two hours.”

A week later on his return visit, the doctor took more x-rays and when he looked at them he said, “Well, it’s not as bad as I thought. You’re cleared to play.”

Jerry went on to play in that state championship with Valdosta High.

Bazemore was fond of saying, “When you get knocked down, get up. You lay on the ground, you get stepped on, or you get the ground itch.” Jerry took that to heart and his senior year, Coach Bazemore gave him The Sportsmanship Award, because he never forgot how Jerry had played through his injuries across the years. Bazemore said of him, “You can’t beat that kind of sportsmanship.”

Jerry wanted to play football at the University of Georgia and attended Cowboy Ball at the Kappa Alpha house at UGA the spring of his senior year. Later, after he played in the high school all-star game, he was offered the promise of a scholarship at another SEC school. But he made another trip up to UGA. Previously arranged members of the Georgia Girls showed him and other prospective players around the Classic City. Jerry’s escort was a beautiful young woman who would later become a television personality and the wife of a well-known country music singer. That pretty much cinched his desire to come to Georgia.

So, with the promise of a scholarship later in the year, Jerry turned down that other SEC school, came to Georgia, and walked on.

When asked what spiritual lesson he derived from his injuries during high school. He said, “It’s Romans 5, ‘suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character hope.’ Perseverance is a discipline. If you stick with something, it leads to character and hope.

I wasn't all that good at football anyway. Those positions I was fast enough to play, I was too small, and those I was big enough to play, I was too slow.

I had encouragement, though. One practice, Coach Bazemore chewed me out a lot. I was down in the dumps. In the locker room, I heard, 'Hey Doc.' (He called everybody Doc but somehow you knew when he was talking to you.) 'Don’t worry about it when I chew on your tail, that just means I haven’t given up on you.' I figured if he hadn’t given up on me I shouldn’t either. After all, he was the one of the most successful coaches in the country. 

And there was my dad. Many a day I'd see him slip into the stadium after a long day at work  to watch practice. He never once said a word about my being on the JV squad."

It's  true Jerry didn't have size or speed or many other things one would look for in a scholarship player. However, he had tenacity. 

It had served him well at Valdosta High, but he couldn’t have known in the fall of 1962 how much he was going to have to dig down into that same well in the years ahead.

Join us here every Wednesday through football season at One Old Dawg. He’s warming up the recliner, stocking up on the popcorn, and getting ready to spin some of the finest mostly true Bulldog lore you’ve ever heard. 

We’ll be watching for you.

Go Dawgs!