From The Archives: The Bobby Dodd Award And The Man Himself

by Winfield Featherston on Sep 14, 2011 5:00 PM EDT in Georgia Tech Football

Friend of mine dug this up last night. I don't know how I've ever missed this video on youtube but I sure am glad he found it. I am proud to say that Bobby Dodd is part of Georgia Tech.

His interview at the end of the segment with ESPN in 1987 is great. It's him perfectly...the same coach who had Friday volleyball games with his players invites wives and girlfriends on road trips and bowl games. Georgia Tech was a family under Bobby Dodd.

If you've never had the chance to read Dodd's Luck, the Bobby Dodd autobiography, I encourage you to buy it. You can find it for a good price on Amazon.com

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Ramble On, Gray Fox!

This man is responsible for building on the foundation John Heisman laid and creating the program we all love now. What a great legacy!

GO JACKETS!

by GT_Jason on Sep 14, 2011 5:27 PM EDT reply actions

Quite an honor...

I tell ya what Jackets, there are few things more meaningful than winning this award. Chris Petersen of Boise State has only been a head coach for 5 years. He is the only coach to ever win the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year twice but it many ways we are more proud of his having won this award for the 2010 season because of its emphasis on integrity, character and running the right kind of program (building the man, not just the player). Bobby Dodd was in a class (very high class) by himself and its great to see a legacy award like this. Thanks.

I will root for Alabama or Ohio State when they play the Chinese...maybe.

by HSridge on Sep 14, 2011 5:42 PM EDT reply actions

This man is the reason I became a Tech fan.

by Atlanta's original team on Sep 14, 2011 6:31 PM EDT reply actions

I know I keep bitching about the Bill Curry years, but,

while I saw Dodd a couple of times having lunch at Melvin’s (on Northside, ask some old people), my strongest memory of him was at a “pep” rally in the old navy gym (where the Edge Center is now) after one of Curry’s disasters (I think it was probably the 1983 loss to Furman).

Dodd spoke, and it was clear that he was in pain over the state of the program. He supported Curry and even came in to help, and he spoke about not losing faith and that things were going to get better, but you could tell how much it hurt him.

(It couldn’t be the Furman loss, because the Edge Center opened in early 1982. It must have been a horrible game in Curry’s first or second year.)

by CraigT on Sep 14, 2011 9:41 PM EDT reply actions

I was there also. Dark days.

Bill Curry should get the award for recruiting National Championship Teams for other coaches: GT 1990-Boss Ross, Bama-Gene Stallings.

1981, Traditions Night in the Old Gym, a Cheerleader fell and broke her arm or wrist. There was a buzz (ha) that CBD would place his hands on her arm and bring her the HEALING POWER.

He had both Gravitas and a Warm, outgoing, personable demeanor.

by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Sep 14, 2011 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Which one?

There were so many to choose from in Curry’s first several years. I think we were like 1-19-1 the first two years.

by The Bamboo Shaft on Sep 14, 2011 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions

The whole mess.

1981 Win over Bama and we thought it was the 2nd Coming of Dodd. Then reality set in, especially Furman.

Wasn’t expunged until Black Watch, and 1990.

At least we had CBB.

Veni, Vidi, Velcro

by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Sep 14, 2011 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions

But I'll be in the stand Saturday with my Jayhawk friends

Temps in the 70’s, score in the 40’s, I’m a happy man!

Veni, Vidi, Velcro

by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Sep 14, 2011 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions

BRING IT ON JAYHAWKERS

Better to have died a small boy than to drop this football - John Heisman FromTheRumbleSeat

Twitter, twitter, twitter

by Winfield Featherston on Sep 15, 2011 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah for real.

Actually I was replying to CraigT about his referenced “horrible game”. Correction: we were 2-19-1. Of course the one tie was vs. #1 Notre Dame which ironically led to UGA winning the NC that year. And yeah I remember the season opening win over Alabama. It was our only win that year.

Amen to b-ball and Cremins at the time.

by The Bamboo Shaft on Sep 14, 2011 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions

And coincidentally

I also have several good Jayhawk friends. We watched last year’s football game together and I pull for KU in March Madness (in addition to Tech of course). We went to see Tech play KU in a preseason b-ball tournament in the Georgia Dome many years ago. Of course they killed us.

by The Bamboo Shaft on Sep 14, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions