Losses linger for Georgia, Georgia Tech fans

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Posted November 26, 2016 01:53 pm - Updated November 26, 2016 02:03 pm

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sports@onlineathens.com

The rivalry between Georgia and Georgia Tech is spirited, colorful and historic. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have been pounding on each other since 1893, and when it’s all over each year, new stories are created and new legends are born.

And until the next time the two teams meet, what we’re left with are our memories – our misty, bourbon-flavored memories.

Saturday not only represented the 109th time Georgia and Tech have renewed “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate,” but it also provided fans the opportunity to reminisce about the clashes that have illustrated a college football tradition that began the year Grover Cleveland took occupancy in the White House.

Not surprisingly, many fans’ favorite Georgia-Georgia Tech game involves a victory for their team but their most memorable games are losses, proving once again that a defeat lingers long after the memories of a victory have dissipated.

“My favorite Georgia-Georgia Tech game was probably last year,” Alex Dombrosky of Grantville said of the Bulldogs’ 13-7 triumph in 2015. “We went down to Atlanta and had a great time. It was an intense game and was pretty close.”

Interestingly, fans from both Georgia and Georgia Tech pointed to 1978, when the Bulldogs came back from a considerable deficit to knock off Georgia Tech 29-28 in Sanford Stadium as a pivotal game in the series.

“In 1978, I was a junior in college and it was the first Georgia-Georgia Tech game I’d seen in person,” said Dr. Brian Forrester of Athens. “We were down like 20-0 and Buck Belue came in and rallied us and the excitement in the stadium was just incredible.”

“I remember 1978 when Georgia came back to win the game,” said Jim White of Lawrenceville. “We actually were watching it at home in Atlanta. Eddie Lee Ivery was playing for Tech and Georgia came from behind for a great victory and we piled into the car and headed to Athens and partied all night.”

Of course, Tech fans recall the game as well, but not with as much relish.

“My least favorite game was here, it was in 1978 and we led for most of the game, but Buck Belue came in, he was a freshman, and Georgia won 29-28,” said Jeff Hanauer of Atlanta. “We had Eddie Lee Ivery, who got injured in the first quarter and between quarters they announced that Eddie Lee was hurt and wouldn’t return to the game and the Georgia fans cheered.”

A former Georgia player said a particular game resides in his memory banks, but not for anything that happened on the field.

“It was in Atlanta in 2009,” said Savannah native Jamie Lindley, a letterman in 2012. “I went with my dad and he knew a Tech alum who got us club passes. I remember being around what seemed like the whole Georgia Tech booster club and my dad is not an aggressive guy, but he actually got into it with a Georgia Tech fan. That’s how bad it was – it really got heated. We won… and that was one of those years when they were ranked and we weren’t.”

Hindered no doubt by Saturday’s early hour and the passage of time, other fans surveyed didn’t recall specific years but did summon memories of plays, players and passion.

“The games that I remember the most were the games that hurt the most,” said Don Garmon, a 1990 UGA graduate from Hoschton. “My son and I were up in the booth watching one game and Georgia Tech came from behind to beat us. That was hard to take. It was terrible.”

“One of the best games I saw against Tech was when Alec Ogletree picked one of their players up and tossed him around like a rag doll,” added Chandler Garmon, a UGA senior. “We were dominant on both sides of the ball that day, which was beautiful to see.”

Although they weren’t speaking for the entire Bulldog Nation, the Garmons’ sentiments about the Georgia-Georgia Tech series seemed to sum things up pretty well.

“What I mainly remember is us winning every year, and that’s what counts,” said Don Garmon.

“Anytime the nerds get defeated, it’s a beautiful day,” Chandler Garmon added.

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