One Old Dawg: Ganging up on Spurrier in 1966 and heating up the gator fryer in 2016

If you have trouble downloading pictures when receiving by email, please click HERE.

The pain was palpable after the Vanderbilt game as fans exited Sanford Stadium in stunned silence. Here at One Old Dawg’s house, it’s taken some time to get over, but one thing that has helped immensely is the 8-0 record of the Athens Academy team where One Old Dawg is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chaplain. He’s so proud of them and it’s a balm for the Bulldog soul for sure.

He weighs in on the situation at Georgia, “I know everyone in the Dawg nation is down in the dumps after that loss to Vandy. Many are wondering if we can win any of the SEC games left on our schedule, much less beat the next one, the Florida Gators, who are leading the east division. I confess I had the same doubts until I actually looked at the numbers. We stomped Vanderbilt in every statistical measurement except score. We had 421 yards to their 171! That’s enough difference to have to have beaten them twice.

“Florida beat them 13-6 but Vandy outplayed the Gators in every other category except passing yards; Florida had about thirty yards more. Total yards: Vandy 265, Florida 236. The bottom line is Georgia’s loss to Vandy was a fluke, or ‘a chance occurrence’. We can play with the big guys; we just have a few rough spots we need to get ironed out. I love the way The Message translates Jeremiah 51:46: 'Don't lose hope. Don't ever give up when the rumors pour in hot and heavy. . . Don't listen to the naysayers, pessimists and complainers.' We have good players, good coaches, and we are getting better each week. This team has been through a very significant transition. Cut them some slack. So get your heads up Dawgs and button up your chin straps, there’s still a lot of football to play.”

When we began to look at 1966 newspaper clippings, coverage was about average for each game. After the win over Florida, the game received front-page headlines in several papers across the south.

 



The Atlanta Constitution

The significance of what the University of Georgia Bulldogs did signaled they were on the hunt for the SEC championship, and that made football fans everywhere sit up and take notice. At One Old Dawg’s house, no less than seven pages of newspaper clippings from that one game equal the coverage of all the previous 1966 games combined.

One of the most interesting places we’ve seen coverage of the game was at a wedding we attended on St. Simons Island. The bride and groom had met at the Florida-Georgia game one year and used a Florida-Georgia Rivalry book for their guests to sign. We wondered if One Old Dawg might be in it, and sure enough, there he was on the 1966 page sacking Steve Spurrier. He signed right across the white pants.   

One Old Dawg and his lifelong friend, Ken Pilsbury were chosen captains for this game that turned out to be the turning point in the season.

Jerry Varnado shakes hands with Florida player
photo Lou Engle

Vince Dooley in Dooley's Playbook says, "The best tackles I ever had at Georgia were Bill Stanfill and George Patton." Writing about the Florida game, Jesse Outlar in the Atlanta Constitution reinforced that statement, "The Georgia line kept Spurrier under tremendous pressure all the way. All -American tackle George Patton, Bill Stanfill, playing despite a painful neck injury, end Jerry Varnado, guard Dickie Phillips, linebacker Steve Neuhaus and their playmates ganged Spurrier in the second half."

 

Additionally, newspaper accounts noted the significant contributions of Bob Etter (Atlanta Falcons, Memphis Southmen) for extra points and a field goal, Lynn Hughes' interception (All SEC, All American, New York Giants, Coaching positions Georgia and Vanderbilt) , as well as the efforts of Brad Johnson, Larry Kohn (All SEC) and Frank Richter (Denver Bronchos).

 

One Old Dawg remembers, “In 1966, Georgia verses Florida was a super big game. The Gators were undefeated, ranked number seven in the nation and their quarterback Steve Spurrier was leading the race for the Heisman. The Gator fans were ecstatic as they looked forward to their first-ever SEC championship. We had only one loss, the heartbreaker at Miami, and had not yet broken into the top ten in the rankings. If you want to know why Steve Spurrier has seemed to have held a grudge against Georgia all these years, just pay attention to what happened in that 1966 game, his senior year in which he did win the Heisman.

“The game started out the way everyone expected. Florida took the kickoff and in nine plays covered eighty-six yards for a touchdown and led 7-0. It was then a slugfest for the next twenty-five minutes, the teams swapping field goals, and Florida took a 10-3 lead into half time. Florida’s offensive showing was not up to par, a little over 100 yards passing and nine first downs, but it was only to get worse. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune sportswriter John Brockmann described the Bulldogs pass rush as ‘a pack of wolves’ that chased Spurrier down all afternoon. Take note of the Gator’s second half numbers: one first down, twenty-nine yards passing, five net yards rushing and zero points.

“Spurrier, who had only two interceptions prior to the game, gave up three picks to the hungry Dawgs. The Gators only managed sixty-one yards on the ground for the whole game while the Dawgs rolled up 213 yards. Total offense was Georgia 334 yards and Florida 194. Georgia scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the second half to win the game 27-10. I think it also made the Gators a little hot under the collar when Georgia scored its final touchdown with one second left on the clock, I guess they wanted us just to quit. One Old Dawg takes great pride in being part of the reason why Steve Spurrier has had it out for Georgia all these years.”

Jerry Varnado 88, about to sack Steve Spurrier, 11

So after reflecting on the Florida game in 1966, One Old Dawg continues to believe there’s still something good in the future for this year’s Bulldogs. “I know the Gators are riding high right now, but I believe, they can be had.  As an assistant coach, Kirby Smart is 8-3 against the Gators, two of those losses were with the Dogs. I think one reason we hired him is he knows how to beat these guys.

"I believe this is the game where the Dawgs put it all together: Eason’s laser arm on target, receiver’s with sure hands, linemen opening holes for our stable of running backs, and a solid effort from special teams, not to mention a stingy defense that refuses to give up yards or points to a pack of overgrown lizards. If we can do that, those Gators will be slinking back to the swamp looking for a mud hole to hide in. Come on Dawgs, it’s been three years since we enjoyed fried gator tail. Gooo Dawgs, Sick ‘em.”

So with that, we're heating up the fryer and looking forward to the outcome of this weekend's game.

Join us again next week when One Old Dawg will be here once more sharing more of his mostly true Bulldog lore.
 

One Old Dawg on the 1966 Kentucky game and sinking the Commodores

One Old Dawg had to leave midway through the Georgia game on Sunday to attend an event. He texted family and friends and told them not to let him know how the game was going as he intended to watch the recording when he returned. However, at the end of the event the person on the platform said, “You don’t have to be in a hurry to get home―Georgia won.”

One Old Dawg gave him the death stare.

However, it turned out fine. He watched the entire second half with a big smile on his face because he knew Georgia was going to win.

He says, “Glory to Old Georgia! It sure is good to be back in the win column! Can you believe 326 yards rushing! Chubb and Michel both had one hundred plus, and Herrin had eighty-two with only nine carries. The passing game never got off the ground but let’s cut our young quarterback some slack. He is coming along. It won’t be long now until that rifle arm of his is zeroed in and steady, and if that running game is still clicking, the Dawgs will be a sight to see. Good game Dawgs, umm… that fried Gamecock sure was good. But there’s not much time to soak it in, a naval battle is looming on the horizon, the Vanderbilt Commodores are on the way to town, and it’s Homecoming.

"Homecoming in 1966 was after the Miami game. There was no team vote or discussion about it, but I think individually we decided to put the loss to Miami behind us. The fans had shown they believed in us by standing in the rain to welcome us home after the loss, and the least we could do is believe in ourselves. It was homecoming and the Bulldawg nation was counting on us. The Cats were 2-3 and desperately needed another W to stop the stop their downward spiral. I’m a South Georgia boy and know something about Wildcats. They are a bit shy, but when cornered they are very dangerous. These Cats were in a corner, and I felt sure we would have our hands full and that proved to be correct.”

In the Atlanta paper, Jesse Outlar put it this way: “In one of the zaniest and most exciting football games played in Sanford or any other stadium, Georgia’s bulldogs scored every way possible Saturday afternoon and still had to rally for 13 points in the last quarter to repel underdog Kentucky, 27-15.”

One Old Dawg explains, “What Outlar meant by ‘every way possible’ was we scored three touchdowns, made two PATs, one two-point conversion, one field goal and one safety. I know you can score by returning a blocked extra point but it is called a safety. The same with returning a failed field goal attempt. So Outlar was correct, we had scored every way possible, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy win. This was a cornered wildcat fighting for its life.

“It was an in the trenches, dog and cat fight in the first quarter, which ended in a zero-zero draw. Then the Cats shocked us all by scoring seven points late in the second quarter. However, an incident on the ensuing kickoff got us in high gear. Steve Woodward returned the kick some forty yards before being driven out of bounds into the Kentucky bench. Apparently, someone on the bench took a cheap shot at Steve and a riot ensued. Order was restored and Georgia, of all things, was assessed fifteen yards for a personal foul. Then the Cats learned an important lesson―don’t poke a Dawg in his own house. With only four minutes to go in the half, the riled-up Dawgs scored two touchdowns and took a seven-point lead into half time, but there was still a lot of football to play.

Early in the third quarter, the Dawgs were intent on putting the cats away. A Dawg touchdown was called back for holding, so Bobby Etter (Atlanta Falcons, Memphis Southmen) came in to kick a field goal, which was blocked, picked up by Kentucky and returned to our five-yard line. The Cats scored, went for two, and suddenly they had a one-point lead, 15-14.

Photos from the 1966 SEC Championship yearbook:

“Georgia players and fans alike looked at the scoreboard in stunned unbelief. However, we weren’t about to let Kentucky spoil our homecoming. We mounted a sixty-six-yard touchdown drive, made a two-point conversion to take back the lead 22-15. With thirteen minutes left, Kentucky, showing how desperate they were for a win, went for it on fourth down and inches at their own thirty-six and came up short.

“Etter connected on a thirty-four yard field goal that made it 25-15, and Happy Dicks (All SEC, All American) sacked the quarterback for a safety, thereby completing the Dawgs scoring ‘every way possible,” 27-15. We had made a big step in regaining our confidence and hopes for a championship season. The only downside of the day is that our quarterback, Kirby Moore, got hurt late in the third quarter, and we were not sure how long he might be out. But Lynn Hughes (All SEC, All American,New York Giants, Coaching positions Georgia and Vanderbilt) came in from the safety position and demonstrated what we already knew, he is as good a quarterback as he is a safety.

“As an encouragement to a good King, God spoke these words to him through a prophet: ‘But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded’ (2 Chronicles 15:7). I believe that to be a foundational truth about life. It’s not true because it is in the Bible; it’s in the Bible because it’s true. We had worked hard, we did not give up and our work was being rewarded. We were 5-1 so far but 4-0 in the conference, tied with Alabama and Florida for the SEC lead. Alabama was not on our schedule that year, but we had Florida in two weeks.”

One Old Dawg switches gears to talk about the Homecoming game with Vanderbilt this weekend. “Now about those commodores. As has been the case in recent years the Commodore’s ship has a serious leak, and we should have no trouble helping her along to Davy Jones locker, if we play as if we are capable of playing. However, I feel I must remind us of Proverbs 16:18: ‘Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.’  We ought to beat Vandy, but we still have to take care of business. So arm the torpedoes Dawgs, full steam ahead, sink ‘em!”

Sink ‘em indeed. The Bulldogs have a bye next week, so One Old Dawg will be taking the week off as well. But be sure to join us the following week as One Old Dawg weighs in on Florida games, the one in 1966, which proved to be a turning point leading to the SEC championship, as well as this year’s battle with the gators.

Until then, as always, Go Dogs!

So Many Old Dawgs: The 1966 UGA Football SEC Championship Team Reunion

If you're having trouble downloading the pictures, please click HERE.

Once more they gathered between the hedges to remember and celebrate that momentous 1966 year when the University of Georgia Bulldogs reached the pinnacle of the Southeastern Conference, the SEC Championship, and left an indelible mark in the history of college football.

 

 

One Old Dawg has grieved Georgia’s loss to those Rocky Top bandits in the last four seconds of the game on Saturday, but despite that, it was still a great weekend.

It began on Friday evening with an event celebrating the 1946, 1966, and 1976 Southeastern Conference Championships.

 

The lone attendee from the 1946 team and perhaps the greatest college football player of all time was the legendary Charley Trippi.

Jerry Varnado with Charley Trippi

 

After leaving UGA, Trippi played pro ball for the Chicago Cardinals. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is the only professional inducted with 1000 yards rushing, 1000 yards receiving, and 1000 yards passing. An honor to be with him.

Jerry Varnado and Barbara Dooley

 

Here at One Old Dawg, we’d like to know how Barbara Dooley, Coach Dooley's wife, never gets any older. She is ever an amazing, beautiful woman and such a joy.





That evening, there were just so many Old Dawgs to see from the 1966 team. Here are a few. 



Jerry Varnado, Steve Neuhaus, George Patton, Larry Kohn
 

Jerry Varnado, Tommy Lawhorne

Jerry Varnado, Jack Davis, Bill McWhorter, Happy Dicks

Varnado, Brad Johnson, Paul Handmacher

Varnados, Handmachers, Gaines, Dennards

Varnado and Nelson Bowers
 

 

Wayne Ingle and Jack Davis

When the program began, One Old Dawg gave the invocation.

 

The Celebration of the 1966 team included remarks from the defensive captain George Patton and offensive captain, Jack Davis.

A video presentation about the team was curated by Georgia football Archivist, Mark Maxwell, long time friend of One Old Dawg going all the way back to their days coaching YMCA youth league football together.

Mark Maxwell and Jerry Varnado

The evening concluded with remarks by Coach Vince Dooley who pointed out that in the long and storied history of Georgia football, there have been only twelve Southeastern Conference Championship teams.

Varnados and Vince Dooley

 

On Saturday, a special celebration during halftime recognized these same teams. From the 1966 team, twenty-two players gathered in the middle of the field once more with their beloved Coach, Vince Dooley, to be recognized for their part in sustaining and continuing a tradition of sports excellence at the University of Georgia.

Yes, despite the loss, it was a great day.

Later, we found the Varsity in Athens had posted a picture of One Old Dawg on their Facebook page. Such fun.

 

And now about the upcoming game against South Carolina, One Old Dawg says, “Any loss is tough; a loss to Tennessee is doubly tough. However, we played nose to nose with the team favored to win the SEC east. We had it won, fair and square, but a miracle play snatched it away. Our guys played their hearts out and never gave up. Ninety-three thousand attendees and millions in TV land got more than their money’s worth in one of the most exciting games I’ve seen in while. Therefore, I refuse to hang my head and be sad because they got three more points than we did. Good game Dawgs, shake it off and move on, we’ve got some South Carolina chickens to fry.

"I’ve been reminded this week of something Jesus said in Luke 18:1: 'Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.' Yes, pray about football. Ask God to help our team deal with this adversity and not get discouraged. There’s still a lot of football to play and we’re getting better each week. We can still have a great season and post season, if we forget what’s behind, keep focused, move forward and take care of business.

"Well we have the Gamecocks this week and we’re playing in their chicken coop, if Hurricane Matthew doesn’t force some changes. They’ve had a rough year so far, they are 2-3, 1-3 SEC but they’ve been in every ball game. They have a tough Georgia boy and former Dawg at the helm and he will have them ready for a good old-fashioned fight. We can’t take these chickens for granted but I’m convinced we will have them plucked by the fourth quarter. Get the frying pan ready. Gooo… Dawgs, Sic ‘em."

 

We'll be here again next week at One Old Dawg talking about homecoming games against Kentucky in 1966 and against Vanderbilit between the hedges this year. Join us again for more mostly true Bulldog lore.