HTS 2019: The School in Athens

Well, it’s been another long year, that’s for sure. Thanks for sticking around. In this last edition of HTS for the year, we get to talk about a school that, in fact, exists. That’s all I’ll say about them up here. In the meantime, hope all of you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, we’re back to football.

Athens Community College

Opponent Background:

• Conference: Southeastern Conference (1933 - present)
• Location: Athens, Georgia
• All-time Record: 829-424-54 (.655)
• Home Stadium: Sanford Stadium (Capacity: 92,746)
• National Championships: 2 — 1942, 1980
• College Football Playoff Appearances: 1 — Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
• New Year’s Six Bowl Games: 23 — (Orange: 3 - 1941, 1948, 1959 Cotton: 3 - 1966, 1975, 1983 Rose: 2 - 1942, 2017 Peach: 5 - 1973, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2006 Sugar: 10 - 1946, 1968, 1976 1980, 1981, 1982, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2019)
• Conference Championships: 15 — (SIAA: 1896, 1920 SEC: 1942, 1946, 1948, 1959, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2002, 2005, 2017)
• Division Championships: 8 — (2002, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• 2017 Season Record: 11 - 3 (7 - 1 SEC)

Past Results:

• Team Head-to-Head Record: 41-66-5 (.388)
• Recent Meetings:
  2015 - 13-7 the school in Athens (Atlanta, GA)
  2016 - 28-27 Georgia Tech (Athens, GA)
  2017 - 38-7 the school in Athens (Atlanta, GA)
  2018 - 45-21 the school in Athens (Athens, GA)
• Coach Head-to-Head Record: 0-0-0 (N/A)
• Tech record against the school out east in this week’s venue: 19-30-3 (.388)

It’s Time to Break Out Some Old Favorites:

As inspired by a real interaction:

ALRIGHT IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WE PLAY THEM TECH BOYS FROM THE TRADE SCHOOL ON NORTH AVENUE SO THAT’S THE THING THAT TEAM WELL THEY’RE NO GOOD THIS YEAR THIS IS BARELY A POWER FIVE SCHOOL I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR 404 OR YOUR WAFFLE HOUSE NO SIR AT LEAST THEY GOT RID OF THAT BORING HIGH SCHOOL OFFENSE WOW MAYBE THEY HAVE A SHOT WHO ARE WE KIDDING THEY HAVE NO CHANCE THEM DAWGS ARE ABOUT TO RUN RIGHT THROUGH THEM LIKE AN ARMY OF HERSCHELS WHAT A GUY I STILL MISS HIM WOW WHAT A THROWBACK ANYHOW WE ALREADY PLAYED THE REAL TEAMS ON OUR SCHEDULE AND THOSE BOYS FROM COLLEGE STATION DIDN’T STAND A CHANCE JUST LIKE OUR REAL RIVALS FROM FLORIDA AND COW COLLEGE AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ABOUT CAROLINA THAT GAME WAS A FLUKE AND IT DOESN’T MEAN SQUAT WE BEAT NOTRE DAME THIS YEAR AND THEY’RE A GREAT TEAM RESPECT THE HECK OUT OF THOSE BOYS THEY GET UNFAIRLY SLANDERED IN THE MEDIA TOO JUST LIKE US NO LOVE FOR THE DAWGS FROM ESPN OR ANYONE IT’S THE DAWGS AGAINST THE WORLD PRAISE DOOLEY SEE WE DON’T THINK ABOUT THE GNATS FROM THE FLATS OR THOSE BACKWATER HILL PEOPLE FROM TENNESSEE BOTH OF THEM AREN’T WORTHY TO BE ON OUR SCHEDULE ANYMORE THEY’RE PAST THEIR PRIMES GO BACK TO THAT ASTROLOGY AND PSYCHICS AND TAKE YOUR TECH AND SCIENCE AND MATH NONSENSE BACK TO THE LIBRARY NOT THAT ANY OF YOU WILL BE IN YOUR TINY STADIUM BECAUSE IT WILL BE FULL OF RED AND BLACK GO DAWGS PRAISE DOOLEY BUT ALSO WHITE BASE COAT FORGOT ABOUT THAT LET’S GO BOYS IN SILVER BRITCHES THE HEDGES ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THE GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATES AGAINST US AND THE ARCH HAS MANY COLUMNS WOO WE ARE ATLANTA’S COLLEGE TEAM AND WE WILL PROVE IT THIS WEEKEND WE ARE THE OLDEST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY AND WE HAVE HAD A CONSTANT UNDERDOG STORY THE WHOLE TIME EVEN AGAINST TEXAS OUR PLAYERS NEVER GET ARRESTED AND DEFINITELY ALL KNOW HOW TO READ WOOOOOOOOOO GO DAWGS

Always a joy talking to the folks from out east.

A Brief Selection of Self-Quotes:

• “The school in Athens, chartered in 1785, first accepted students in 1801, with graduation first happening in 1804. The first building was complete in 1805. I leave you with one question: how the heck did that work? Did they sit under a tree in some field up there in Athens? On second thought, that wouldn’t be too surprising.”
• “The propaganda-like histories of each stadium, Sanford and Keenan, maintain the splendor of their respective bush, even though the obvious answer is that they both stole the idea from the Rose Bowl. Keenan Memorial, which dates from 1927, preceded the opening of Sanford in Athens, its architectural derivative.”
• “Annie Lisle was first used by Cornell. Since then, ‘literal legions of schools [have used] “Annie Lisle” as their alma mater, from Syracuse to Alabama, and Indiana to that resort in Dirty Dancing,’ Chapel Hill is joined by the school in Athens in having appropriated Annie Lisle. Because of course they are.”
• “You know why this is here. They chased us out of town literally armed to the teeth with pitchforks and torches the first time we visited. That’t not hospitality. The Athenians called us yellow-bellied cowards for operating the most advanced and prestigious military institution in the southeast during the heights of the Great War. Somehow, Tech is demeaned as both a trade school and a bastion of nerds, often in the same breath. The administration stole our commerce school as a direct attack on Tech, both to cripple it financially and to strip it of a whole four classes of athletes. In Tech’s first breaths, the Athenians tried to use the state government as a weapon. They still do. It’s a potpourri of vile shenanigans. Don’t even start on the unoriginality of their mascot, stadium, hedges, logo, colors, band, and fight song.”
• “Conveniently, the school in Athens had ripped off Notre Dame’s offense, already possessing Yale’s stadium design and mascot, marching band uniforms from the British, a fight song from the Union Army, hedges from literally everywhere, and, later on, a logo sourced from a bunch of Wisconsinite meatpackers. It makes sense their schemes weren’t any more original than putting both peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich.”

Boy, do I love that last one. As always, as far as Tech football history goes, the short version is that Tech football began ignominiously in 1892 and has experienced everything between the pinnacle of success and abject failure. If you missed this season’s short history blurb, check it out here. As of last week’s 28-26 victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the Jackets have an all-time record of 739-508-43.

The Rearview Mirror Hate Week Collection:

I realize that I was due to publish the latest in this series yesterday, but, well, between having to fly home and classes, to put it delicately, turning it up to 11, well, it’ll be until next time when we check in on the Streak and the Drought and the status of Tech and the boys from Athens. Besides the lack of Rearview content lately, there’s almost too much to talk about between these two teams. Anything I say here, as a relatively new Tech fan, is going to miss something important to someone. We all know the kick and the pick, and Qua Searcy’s leap. Who knows what we’ll see tomorrow? No one, yet. What have been your favorite moments?

Toe meets leather this week against the school in Athens (41-67-5 all time) Saturday at 12:00 pm. The game will be aired on ABC. A better option might be tuning into the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Andy Demetra, analyst Sean Bedford, and the illustrious Wiley Ballard on the radio at the usual suspects, 680 AM / 93.7 FM and the Georgia Tech IMG Football Radio Network.

With the appearance of the historical matchup preview, that means it’s after Friday at 10:00 AM, and that concludes From the Rumble Seat’s regularly scheduled pregame content. Tune in tomorrow starting at 6:00 AM for How to Watch continuing through the gameday thread and the postgame recap. Less than 36 hours until toe meets leather! As always, go Jackets!