One Old Dawg: Remembering the 1966 Georgia Tech game and going bowling

Three consecutive Georgia wins have put One Old Dawg in fine form.  “Glory, Glory to Ole Georgia! We put a good old-fashioned whipping on those Auburn cats and sent the Ragin Cajuns back to Louisiana dragging another loss behind them. That Auburn win was simply incredible, and we did it without scoring an offensive touchdown. This team had been cranking out 473 yards and thirty-four points per game, 298 of those yards rushing. We held them to 164 yards (127 rushing) and seven points, and then shut them out the last three quarters. I’m not sure where that defense came from, but I sure hope it shows up again this Saturday. We have a three game win streak going―let’s make it four!

 
“As always we wind up the regular season this week against Georgia Tech, which in my circle is affectionately referred to as The North Avenue Trade School. This year, we have them between the hedges. Both teams are 7-4; averaging a little over 380 yards per game on offense, so we are evenly matched. The same as when the Bumble Bees buzzed into town fifty years ago, but the stakes were a bit higher then. We were 8-1 the Jackets 9-0 and we were both ranked in the top ten in the nation. We had already clinched a share of the SEC championship but both teams were looking to increase our national stature.

“The game was special to me because six of my former team-mates from Valdosta High School played for Tech. A win generally insured hometown strutting and bragging rights for the summer. But I had never lost to Tech. We won our freshman game in ’62; I was red-shirted and did not dress out in ’63, and we had beaten them the last two years. I was looking at hometown strutting and bragging rights for a lifetime – did I mention the stakes were high?

“We struck first when Kent Lawrence (Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons) took a Tech punt seventy-one yards for a score. Then the unthinkable happened. Our place Kicker, Bobby Etter (Atlanta Falcons, Memphis Southmen) missed his first extra point, but it wasn’t his fault.
 

The cheerleaders had acquired a little cannon they intended to fire after each score, only someone messed up, and it went off just before Etter kicked and caused him to miss. That was the last we saw of the cannon. Rumor has it the artillery was laid to rest somewhere in the Oconee River.

“Tech responded in the second quarter with a ninety-six-yard scoring drive and took the lead 7-6. The Dawgs quickly came back with a score and two-point conversion and then a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into the half.

“Our defense tightened things up in the second half.”

When searching through saved newspaper clippings we found The Atlanta Constitution’s Jesse Outlar wrote, “Other than Tech’s long march, the Georgia defense asserted itself once again in spectacular fashion. The Bulldogs intercepted three passes, recovered a fumble and limited the Jackets to 35 net rushing yards other than the 96-yard drive.”

One Old Dawg ties it up, “Two of those interceptions resulted in field goals giving Georgia the lead 23-7. Tech’s last score came against our reserves with five seconds left in the game. It was a great end to an almost perfect season. We tied with Alabama for the SEC Championship and were chosen to represent the SEC in the Cotton Bowl against the Southwest Conference Champion, Southern Methodist University.

 

Under the headline "Bulldogs Smash Jackets," the Athens Banner Herald ran this photo of several Georgia players including One Old Dawg, 88,  celebrating after the Georgia Tech game.

 

“As we wind down this season, I think it would be good to recall Philippians 4:12, ‘I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.’

“Many in the Dawg nation are upset, not content, with how the season went this year and for sure, I would have preferred a national championship. But this is a game, with ups and downs, good fortune and bad. With the transition to a new staff and system, I’m not sure it was reasonable to expect much better. I’m proud of our team and staff for fighting back after disappointing losses and salvaging a decent season. We have laid a good foundation for the future, so I’m content. I’m not griping and complaining because things didn’t go the way I wanted. So, let’s get ready to put a whipping on Tech and go bowling – did I hear something about Nashville - I like country music.

“Gooo Dawgs! Sic ‘em!”

Last week, One Old Dawg flew down to Albany with a contingency from the University of Georgia to the funeral of the legendary Bill Stanfill. We extend our sympathy to the Stanfill family as they navigate their grief over the passing of this great man. If you missed Loran Smith’s tribute to Stanfill, please take the time to read it HERE at Online Athens. No one does a better job than Loran Smith honoring and remembering those who have etched their names in the annals of Georgia Football.

 

One Old Dawg will be back next week to talk about the Cotton Bowl game in 1966 and weigh in on the results of the Tech game.

We’ll see you here for still more mostly true Bulldog lore.