The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of The University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in the Southeastern Conference. All Georgia athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs, and Uga the Bulldog, of whom Uga VII is the latest in a much-beloved lineage, is the official school mascot.
Bulldog legends John Russell, Dan Magill, Wally Butts, Howell Hollis, Forrest "Spec" Towns, Herman Stegeman, Herschel Walker, Erskine "Erk" Russell and Fran Tarkenton, along with current coaches Mark Richt, Andy Landers, Suzanne Yoculan, Manuel Diaz,Jack Bauerle, are all considered to be among the best in their respective sport.
See also: Georgia Bulldog ChampionsOverview
The University sponsors nineteen sports - baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's equestrian, football, men's and women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball. Those 19 teams have won a combined 37 team national championships and 130 Southeastern Conference championships as of May 1, 2009.
The first mention of "Bulldogs" in association with Georgia athletics occurred on November 28 , 1901 , at the Georgia-Auburn football game played in Atlanta. The Georgia fans "had a badge saying 'Eat `em Georgia' and a picture of a bulldog tearing a piece of cloth"; however, it was not until 1920 that the nickname "Bulldog" was used to describe the athletic teams at the University of Georgia. Traditionally, the choice of a Bulldog as the UGA mascot was attributed to the alma mater of its founders and first president, who graduated from Yale University. On November 3 , 1920 , Morgan Blake, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal wrote a story about school nicknames for football teams and proposed:
The Georgia Bulldogs would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity.
Shortly thereafter, another news story appeared in the Atlanta Constitution in which the name "Bulldogs" was used several times to describe the Georgia football team and the nickname has been used ever since then.
The athletic department suffered through several controversies in the early 2000s, including a major scandal within the men's basketball program. In 2003, a power struggle between University President Michael Adams and athletic director and beloved Bulldog legend Vince Dooley stole headlines across the country when Adams refused to renew Dooley's contract, effectively firing him. The battle became one painted as academics versus athletics, though this idea was rejected when the University's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty issued a vote of "no confidence" on Adams' leadership in 2004.
The firestorm has calmed slightly since then, however, largely due to the success of Dooley's successor, Damon Evans. In 2006, the Bulldogs recorded the highest profit margin of any athletic program in the country (according to the EADA report), pulling in USD$23.9 million, and also recorded another highly-successful year on the field.
Football
Main article: Georgia Bulldogs footballMoving from North Campus toward South Campus—the more recently constructed campus where science and mathematics departments are located—one passes the Tate Student Center and, most notably, the 92,746 seat Sanford Stadium: home of the Georgia football team. The white Bulldog is UGA’s mascot and is properly known as "Uga VII". The Bulldogs play in the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with the Auburn Tigers , referred to as "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" and dating back to 1892. The other rivalries are between the Bulldogs and the Atlantic Coast Conference's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ("Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate") and the Florida Gators (The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party). In addition, UGA enjoyed a strong rivalry with the nearby Clemson Tigers for many years in football, especially in the 1980s. The Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers annual showdown on the second Saturday of October has become a rivalry as a result of the 1992 division of the Southeastern Conference into Eastern and Western divisions. Before 1992, the two teams had only met 21 times since 1899. Beginning in 1992, the two teams have played annually as members of the same division.
The football team has celebrated recent success, compared to some relatively lean years in the 1990s. Between 1989 and 2000, the Bulldogs earned a record of 86-53-1 under head coaches Ray Goff (often derisively referred to as Ray 'Goof', a nickname given by former Florida Gators and current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier) and Jim Donnan. Since 2001, Mark Richt has led the Bulldogs to 2 SEC Championships in 3 appearances, as well as an overall record of 74-19 (5-2 in Bowl Games).
The Bulldogs have brought home two national championships in their storied history: a shared title in 1942 and a consensus national championship in 1980 (several polls recognized the Bulldogs as national champions in 1927, 1946, and 1968, as well). In addition to their 2 national championships, the Bulldogs have won 12 Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, the most recent coming in 2005, boast two Heisman Trophy winners (Frank Sinkwich, 1942, and Herschel Walker, 1982), and hold the distinction of having three graduates become Super Bowl MVPs (Jake Scott, 1972, Terrell Davis, 1998, and Hines Ward, 2005).
Notable former players include RB Herschel Walker, QB Eric Zeier, QB Fran Tarkenton, RB Frank Sinkwich, RB Charley Trippi, RB Rodney Hampton, FB Mack Strong, RB Garrison Hearst, DE Bill Stanfill, DB Terry Hoage, CB Champ Bailey, RB Terrell Davis, RB Olandis Gary, WR Hines Ward, DE Richard Seymour, LB Boss Bailey, DE/LB David Pollack, QB David Greene, K Kevin Butler, CB Sean Jones, SS/LB Thomas Davis, WR Reggie Brown, FS Greg Blue, Jon Bentley, QB Buck Belue, RB Knowshon Moreno, QB Matthew Stafford, and Mohamed Massaquoi.
The Georgia-Florida game is held annually in late October/early November in Jacksonville, Florida, a site intended to be neutral. However, it is worth noting that the neutrality of the game's location is a point of contention for many Georgia fans; many of whom argue that Jacksonville's location relative to the two universities favors Florida. The city lies 342 miles from Athens, Georgia, home of the Bulldogs, but only 73 miles from Gainesville, Florida, home of the Gators. University athletic directors recently extended the agreement to continue playing in Jacksonville till 2010. The game is considered a must-do for many UGA students and alumni. Georgia holds the all-time advantage in the series, posting a win-loss record of 47-38-2 (46-38-2 according to the University of Florida, which does not include the 1904 game in Macon, Georgia before officially sanctioning its football program.) The University of Florida began closing the gap, going 15-1 between 1990 and 2003. Georgia has begun to even up the series since, winning in 2004 and 2007 while the Gators took the game in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.
In 1952 Weldy Benson kicked the longest field goal in NCAA history 83 yards. He continued his career with the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. He died in 2007
Tennis
Men's Tennis
Under the direction of college sports legend Dan Magill from 1954 to 1988 and his successor (and current head coach) Manuel Diaz, the Georgia Men's Tennis program ranks among the nation's best. The team has won a total of eight tennis national championships in 1985, '87, '99, 2001, '06 (indoor), 07 (indoor and NCAA Division I), and 2008. The Bulldogs' six NCAA team championships rank second all-time behind Stanford, who has won the team title 15 times. The 2007 indoor championship made Georgia only the sixth team in history to successfully defend the ITA Indoor title. Coach Manuel Diaz is the only NCAA Division I active coach with more than one NCAA team Championships, with four.
The squad has won 32 Southeastern Conference championships, 25 regular season championships and seven SEC tournament championships.
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championship has been held in Athens 24 times in the past 35 years, including consecutively from 1977-1989 and in 2007. All but one (2008) of UGA's NCAA team championships have been won in Athens.
Women's Tennis
UGA alum Jeff Wallace has coached the Georgia Women's Tennis program since 1985, and is currently the winningest active NCAA women's tennis coach. His teams have won two NCAA team championships (1994 and 2000), three ITA Indoor Championships (1994, 1995 and 2002) and nine SEC titles.
The NCAA Women's Tennis Championship has been held in Athens 3 times.
Women's Gymnastics
Main article: Georgia Gym DogsNo Bulldog team has dominated its sport as much in the past 20 years as the Georgia Gym Dogs, under the direction of Suzanne Yoculan.
Since 1986, the Gym Dogs have brought home 10 gymnastics national championships (1987, '89, 1993, '98, '99, 2005, '06, '07, '08, '09), the most of any team in NCAA history (While Utah has also won ten national titles, their first was an AIAW Championship in 1981). Georgia is also only the second team (Utah, 1982-86) to win the national title in five consecutive year
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