One Old Dawg's Tailgate with Frank Lankewicz

Thank you for dropping by One Old Dawg’s Tailgate where this week Jerry Varnado  interviews Frank Lankewicz, a senior on the 1964 University of Georgia football team who went on to play for the Wheeling, West Virginia Ironmen in the Continental Football League. And stick around for Jerry Varnado's comments on the upcoming Tennessee game. 

Frank, tell us how you got started in football and your high school career?

I started when I was eight years old in the midget league in Butler, Pennsylvania. I played in that league until high school. I’d played football and baseball all my life. I could have signed a baseball contract but decided to come to Georgia. I enjoyed my high school career at Butler Senior High, where we were called the Golden Tornadoes. We had good coaches, and one of my favorites was Red Uram. He wasn’t the head coach but coached the back field. My senior year, we only lost one game to Beaver Falls in the next valley. (Frank comments these were steel mill and coal mining towns). Joe Namath played for them. His team beat us by a touchdown, and he was outstanding. (One Old Dawg makes a note that UGA’s first game in 1964 was against Alabama where Joe Namath was quarterback). I had good seasons in high school and played in an All-Star game my senior year. I played in the Big 33 game—a contest which was supposed to be between the top thirty-three players from Pennsylvania and the top football players in the United States. The game was held in Hershey, Pennsylvania. But that particular year, they cut out the rest of the U.S. for travel reasons, so it was an all-star game between East and West Pennsylvania. Ray Rissmiller played for the East, and I played for the West. (Ray was another senior on the 1964 Georgia team). I played fullback and missed MVP by a couple of points. After the game, I got with Joe Namath who was there pitching for a western Pennsylvania All-Star game. I rode back to Pittsburgh from Hershey with him and a trainer from Maryland who drove us. I asked Joe where he was going to school and he said, “I think I’ll go to Maryland.” I told him I thought I’d go to Georgia. The next time I saw him he was playing for Alabama. I had twenty-nine football scholarship offers, and I narrowed it down to Georgia, Notre Dame, and Miami, but chose Georgia.

What is your most memorable play from the 1964 season?

Coach Dooley came in 1964, organized everything, and we wound up going to the Sun Bowl. Texas Tech was the toughest team we played, but we won. We contained their All-American, Donnie Anderson, and I scored a touchdown (One Old Dawg comments it was the winning touchdown).

What is one important lesson you learned from your time as a college athlete?

I think college athletes should take advantage of the situation and get an education. I came back and got a master’s degree between my pro seasons, and then took post graduate courses. Athletes should understand the great opportunity they have to get an education. I have a grandson, Ulysses, on a javelin scholarship.

Frank, who were your inspirations or role models?

Red Uram, my high school coach was my biggest inspiration. I was doing all sports, swimming, basketball, track, football—twelve letters. So, one day, Coach Uram comes up to me, grabs me by my face mask and says I have to make up my mind whether I want to play baseball or football. So, I decided to play football. He was also a gymnastics coach, and I did a little gymnastics, too.

(Red Uram went on to be a conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70’s and 80’s and won four Super Bowl Rings with the Steelers).

What advice would you give to someone just beginning their college football career?

Do the best you can at football, but always get back to that education. The football only lasts so long. Learn good communication skills, speaking and writing, along with your education. (One Old Dawg adds that many of the players he’s interviewed emphasize the importance of getting an education.)

Thank you, Frank, for taking the time to answer our questions. We loved hearing your story.

And now, One Old Dawg weighs in with thoughts about the upcoming game with Tennessee.

Things did not go well for the Bulldawg nation last Saturday. Sure, it was a terrible disappointment, but we must not hang our heads in despair, we are still in the hunt. We don’t have time for grief, Tennessee is coming to town this Saturday and they are also in the hunt. If we don’t beat Tennessee our chance of making the twelve team playoff drops to near zero. The Dawgs have owned Smokey for seven years, the smallest margin of victory was 14 points in 2022. You can bet they are chomping at the bit to hand us our third loss. So, we focus on what is ahead, not the past. These Blue Tick Hounds are playing for keeps and are surely looking to give us some payback for the last seven years.

I am reminded of James 1:2-4 (NIV):” Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops Perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  We should not see temporary setbacks as failures, but opportunities for growth. Our goal, a national championship, is still reachable, so we have not failed at this point. We have been and are being tested, but if we learn from these losses and press on with perseverance toward our goal we can still come out the winner. So, Gooo… Dawgs! Sic ‘em.

We include this week a One Old Dawg sighting, here from the Athens Touchdown Club Program in October:

That's it for this week. Only three more regular season games this year and we'll be here for all of them. See you next week with more "mostly true Bulldog lore."

Who is One Old Dawg?

Jerry Varnado played defensive end at the University of Georgia on Vince Dooley’s first three teams, which included an SEC championship in 1966, placing Georgia fourth in the nation. He helped coach the UGA football team while in law school, and practiced law for over a decade. Later, after a series of tragedies, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. After much soul searching, he left his law practice and has preached the gospel for forty years. He’s still at it every Sunday.

Inducted into the Valdosta/Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame, he is also the recipient of the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame Fosky Henderson Award for community service. He is a past president of The Athens Touchdown Club and is now the chaplain. He has been an FCA chaplain for the Athens Academy Football Team for ten years.

He is the proud father of four children, and one sweet girl now with Jesus, as well as Bapa to two of the best grandkids ever.