- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Towers Take: Has UGA adequately honored Herschel Walker?
SavageDawg17
Posts: 1,535 mod
@Chip_Towers wrote:
ATHENS — I was on vacation when Herschel Walker got a street named after him in Wrightsville, Ga., in a dedication ceremony on the Fourth of July. That’s a fitting date, I guess, since Walker is an American and was an All-American and once played for America’s team in the NFL.
But he first was a member of the Georgia Bulldogs, and he never was greater or had more impact than during those times. As far as I can tell, there was no official UGA representation at this event in Walker’s hometown of Wrightsville, located a little more than 100 miles south of Athens. This was strictly a local deal, a small town’s tribute to its most famous citizen. Good for them, and for him.
It got me to thinking, though. If Herschel Walker has a street named for him anywhere, shouldn’t it be in Athens, Ga., maybe somewhere on the UGA campus? I’d say as close to Sanford Stadium as you could possibly put it. Right?
With all due respect to that esteemed gentleman for whom the stadium is named, Steadman V. Sanford, but I’d take the bordering street that also bears his name — Sanford Drive — and change it to Herschel Walker Drive. It doesn’t even need to be the whole street, just the part that crosses Sanford Bridge. Call it Herschel Walker Run or Lane or something, if you have to.
But aside from all that, it got me wondering about just what has been done by UGA to honor Herschel Walker. The school retired his No. 34 jersey in 1985, just three years after he left school for professional football. And if you enter Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall during open hours, you can see his Heisman Trophy on display next to Frank Sinkwich’s in the second-floor reception area for the coaches’ offices. I believe the museum also has an exhibit of Walker memorabilia on the third floor.
But is that enough? Stan Mullins is among those who don’t think so.
Read the Full Story on DawgNation here - https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/herschel-walker-not-adequately-represented-on-uga-campus
Comments
I like a lot of the ideas presented here. Sanford Dr. (or at least part of it) to Herschel Walker Run would be a positive move. And Mullins idea for his Crowns of Glory project would be spot on as well. If they don't want to put those bronzes outside the stadium where everyone could enjoy them, then they should create an indoor space in the complex to show them off. I bet that would be even more inspiring to recruits than just a bunch of enlarged photos on the walls.
One more name change that should be considered NOW as well is to name the football field for Vince Dooley. He is, after all responsible for the push necessary to enlarge the stadium over and over from a rinky-dink stadium to the impressive size it is today. Not suggesting changing the name of the stadium, but it should be Vince Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. This has been suggested before but I have never seen any follow-up. Let's honor the man while he is alive to enjoy and appreciate it.
Absolutely I agree with everything you said Herschel and Vince are not honored nowhere near enough for all they have done for UGA.
Sports fans would like having more memorabilia about Hershel around .Athens. The thing is, there are a lot of people in that town who could care less about sports and get annoyed at all the traffic and whatnot on game days. You could certainly do something for Hershel around the sports buildings or the stadium for Hershel. But as one of the probably many people on this board who went to school in Athens, more than that and you're shoving it in the face of people who have no interest.
And if Hershel had wanted someone from UGA at the Wrightsville event, there's no doubt in my mind he could have had someone from Wrightsville call the UGA sports department and someone would have shown up. How important the person was and how many showed up would have been telling. But if they knew about it and were encouraged to come, I can't imagine they would have blown it off.