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- 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.
Comments
Great article Bill! A lot of history included that I was unaware of so I am very appreciative of your research and interviews! Always a pleasure to read your work! GO DAWGS!
Thanks, Bill!
Awesome read and fantastic comparisons of the great eras in UGA. history!
And, yes, it IS a great time to be a Georgia Bulldog!
To paraphrase I. Yamamoto, the Commander of the Combined Japanese fleet during WWII:
“Coach Kirby has awoken a fearful giant and filled it with a terrible resolve!”
Go Dawgs! Four time National Champs!
50 years a Dawg fan .... there has never been anything like what is happening at UGA like the present. The past was filled with many years of promise disappointment and downright heartbreak or even disgust. Kirby, his staff and the mindset of the players has changed all that. I have heard many people say that next year's team will be far superior to this years and that the defense may very well surpass 2021. It is indeed a wonderful time time to be a Dawg fan. I plan to enjoy every snap, every run, every pass, every sack, every turnover, every sideline shot of UGA, every Kirby leap into the air, every touchdown and every win along the journey. The first Natty was incredible. The second was over the top awesome. And next year ... well, boys, IT'S TIME TO GO HUINTING AGAIN, because the Dawgs are going for 3 in 2023!! GO DAWGS.
That group of officials should never be allowed to officiate again. If they have not all stepped aside, they should. Ray Charles could have called a better game.
Thanks Bill! Nuff Said.
More than anything else, this article, to me, brought back the remorse of the Richt era. Georgia had dropped to second tier level in the 90s and could not compete with Florida or Tennessee and had even gave away ground to GT. With the exception of beating Florida consistently, Richt fixed all of Georgia's 90's woes. I still remember being so sure, after seeing Richt guide us to an SEC title in just his second season, that Richt will win us a NC. It was just a matter of time. I was so sure of it. We all know it never happened. For whatever reason, fate was not kind to Richt. The one loss regular season of 2002 was outdone by undefeated seasons from Ohio State and Miami. In 2007, with what many would argue as Richts best team ever, two head scratching early losses to inferior teams cost us the SEC and the NC. If we had just won one of those games we were playing for both. And of course we all remember the heartbreak in 2012.
When comparing Richt to Kirby we need to go back to their their mentors: Bobby Bowden and Nick Saban. Richt coached the way Bobby Bowden taught him: honest, faith based and strong. Bowden would be a head coach for over forty years, total 377 wins and two national championships. He didn't win his first NC until his 31st year as a head coach and his 18th year at Florida State. Bowden, a devout Christian, seemed to be a head coach who wanted be a mentor, friend and a winner. In that order I believe. On the other hand, Saban has coached a far shorter time but has produced far higher, at least as far as titles goes, results. Richt and Kirby are a reflection of these two men and, maybe, a reflection of the changing mentalities in society. We seem to have a whole lot less patience now.
I really liked Mark Richt. As a coach and as a person. I wanted him to succeed. If fate had been a little kinder, we would be talking about Richt's three National Championships and how he is the greatest Georgia coach of all time. Of course if that had happened, there is a very good chance Kirby wouldn't be here now, and we wouldn't be enjoying this historic time. Go Dawgs!!!
With Kirby, Dawg fans finally get to stay in the 5 Star hotel of college football and hobnob among the best of the best. This is definitely the greatest era of UGA football. And we don't need to aim for Saban as our standard. We can look to UGA Gymnastics under Suzanne Yoculan! (I know, still hard to imagine winning 10!)
I agree with1946DH, it would have been great if one of Coach Richt's teams had gotten to play for one National Championship. So close several times. I too will always admire and respect Coach Richt and it is great to know he is being welcomed into the CFB Hall of Fame.
And, while I wouldn't erect a statue of him, OJBob has a point, Greg McGarity at least deserves credit for being the one to hire Coach Smart. And look what a difference it makes putting all of the resources behind the one thing all of Dawg Nation desperately wanted, to make it happen.
Anyone know what the cutoffs are to advance to the next "class" in posts? This makes 30 for me but I'm still a "Freshman".