A One Old Dawg Special Edition: Reflecting on 2016 and Reminiscing about the 1966 Cotton Bowl

 

Just as it came time to write our final post for the year at One Old Dawg, the Old Dawg grew ill and was out of commission for a while.

He’s better now, and we couldn’t let that wonderful Cotton Bowl game in 1966 go by.

So, here just after the National Championship game is a special edition of One Old Dawg.

In one of our favorite pictures here at One Old Dawg’s house, he’s at the 1966 Cotton Bowl, going up (88) to tip a ball for a Lynn Hughes interception.

 


Dallas Morning News

However, before we continue about 1966, One Old Dawg first reflects on the 2016 season.

“Some Dawgs were ready to close up shop after losing to the Yellow Jackets, not wanting the embarrassment of playing in one of the ‘lesser’ bowl games. Not me! Every game we play is a chance to get better. For the players, the bowl game is a perk; they worked hard all year, and I’m glad they had a chance to go bowling. I’ve never been to Memphis but I love soul, rock and roll and good barbeque so I know I would love the place.

TCU was a worthy opponent as they proved in the game, but in the end, we got another W; 8-5 just looks better than 7-5. I enjoyed the game especially from the beginning of the 4^th quarter when we took the lead for good. Way to go Dawgs!”

One Old Dawg had a hard time narrowing his focus down for this post, because he has so many great memories of the Cotton Bowl. Finally, he settled on three remembrances to highlight.

“As I mentioned in the last post, fifty years ago, we were 9-1, SEC co-champions with Alabama, ranked fourth nationally and headed to the Cotton Bowl to play the Southwest Conference Champion, Southern Methodist University, with an 8-2 record and ranked tenth nationally. Georgia had not been high in the national rankings in recent years, and we wanted to prove we were back and that we belonged there. Since SMU was ranked only six spots behind us, it would take a decisive victory to prove our point.

“The first high point was the second play from scrimmage, a simple dive play over our left guard by bruising 165-pound sophomore tailback, Kent Lawrence. Kent was the fastest thing on two legs most of us Georgia boys had ever seen. Those Texas Methodists saw him right off.

 “No one could put it better than Atlanta Journal Sports editor, Furman Bisher. ‘The Sun had just come out, after a foggy morning, and the sellout crowd of 75,400, including a large delegation from Georgia, was just settling into its seats, when Lawrence made his presence known to Texans.’

 “Kent broke through the line, cut to his left and raced down the side line 74 yards to the end zone. Bobby Etter drilled the extra point and it was 7-0 Georgia with only one minute and five seconds off the clock. This was a high point because, as Furman Bisher put it, “…this was to be the tenor of the game.”

 “About half the team raced down the side line with Kent to the end zone. If there had been a penalty for ‘excessive celebration’, we would have drawn a flag. That play set the Dawgs on fire and propelled us toward that decisive victory we were looking for.

 

Atlanta Journal

 

“The second high-point was the fact that we held SMU to only forty yards rushing and Jerry Levias to only three receptions for sixty-two yards. Levias was an outstanding receiver and an elusive runner with blinding speed. Everyone, including us, expected him to be a major factor in this game but our defense held him in check.

Athens Banner Herald

“The third high point was the last four plays of the game. George Patton had come to Georgia as a quarterback. We spent a year together on the scout team in 1963 where he gave his best impression of whoever the quarterback was on the team we played the next Saturday.

Athens Banner Herald

 

 “In 1964 the new coaching staff, headed by Vince Dooley, moved George to defensive tackle. His All-America honors testify to the wisdom of that decision, but George used to remind us jokingly that the staff that recruited him promised him he could play Quarterback.

 “The last few minutes in his college career were winding down, when coach Dooley sent George in the game on offense, to play quarterback. With wild supporting cheers from the sidelines and the stadium, George threw three very long and very incomplete passes and then ran sixteen yards for a first down to end the game.  It was indeed an impressive beginning at quarterback but George had to settle for the Most Valuable Lineman award as Kent Lawrence was the hands down favorite for backfield honors.  The bottom line is we got our decisive victory and George finally got to play quarterback in a varsity game; it was a very good day for Georgia Football.

 “I could not settle on one verse to express what I feel so you’ll have listen to two: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Don’t be confused by the language. Paul is not saying that all circumstances are God’s will, and we should give thanks for those circumstances, but rather it is God’s will that we always give thanks to God, regardless of the circumstances we face. In the midst of the most troubling circumstances, I can always find many things to be thankful for.

 “James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” I have faced many difficult circumstances and enjoyed many blessings. I have learned to give thanks in all of them, even the hard times. As I look back through the years, I am convinced that “grace and mercy have followed me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23). Otherwise, how can I explain how a 5’ 11” 165-pound runt, without good speed, can end up as a starting defensive end on an SEC championship team? Not that my life was mapped out by God, I had choices to make, other people had choices to make; there were things I needed to do.

"As I look back on all the so-called coincidences that had to occur for things to work out as they did, I am impressed that God does all things well. So, I give thanks to the Father of the heavenly lights for giving me courage and strength to press on through the hard things and using them to perfect my character. Then I give Him thanks for the people who helped me along the way and for using the good things to give me joy, hope and peace. 

 “Last, and certainly not least, I give thanks for One Young Dawg, being my wife, whose idea it was to do this blog and who “encouraged” me to write every week and then cleaned up my rambling and added her personal touch so you would have something pleasant to read. All you guys out there know it; we all married way over our heads. Thank you, God and Beverly.

Go Dawgs!!!”

 

Thank you, One Old Dawg. I came across a hand written letter written to One Old Dawg's parents by none other than Erskine Russell, UGA defensive coach who later would go on to do amazing things as head coach at Georgia Southern. He wrote, "I don't mind saying he (Jerry) has been my kind of football player because he has gotten more milage with average ability than anybody I know. When Jerry was in our line-up, we were a better football team, mainly because he was our leader. He kept others jumping. I know of no individual who has made a greater contribution to our program than Jerry has . . . He's a good one." High praise from one who would become a legend himself.

In reading all the press coverage for the 1966 Cotton Bowl, a quote from Vince Dooley stand out. Jim Minter, the executive sports editor with the Atlanta Journal questioned Dooley about the season ahead. Dooley said, “You think about people like Lynn Hughes, George Patton, Jack Davis, Frank Richter, Jerry Varnado, Ken Pillsbury, Jimmy Cooley, John Kasay, Steve Neuhaus, Dickie Phillips, Bobby Etter and all the others and you realize how much they’ve meant . . . You never know if you can replace people like them.” As he reflected on the team’s execution in the Cotton Bowl, he said, “I rate them a great team.”

Athens Banner Herald

 

Athens Banner Herald

 Certainly, Vince Dooley has been proven right. The 1966 team has definitely taken its place in the history of University of Georgia football. Since 1892, there have only been 14 Conference Titles.

 It has been my joy to be One Old Dawg’s sidekick as he remembered these wonderful first three years of University of Georgia football with Vince Dooley at the helm.

 It was our original intention at One Old Dawg to focus on his memories of the 1964, 1965, and 1966 years as the fiftieth anniversaries rolled around, but One Old Dawg has opinions, lots of opinions, so going forward who knows what we might do?
 

And so with that, we’re signing off. At least for now.

We end as we always have with a great big, Go Dawgs!!!!