Uga VI has died

Don't mess with this Dawg.

Uga would have been 10 next month. From the University of Georgia Athletic Association:

ATHENS, Ga. --- Uga VI, the winningest mascot in the University of Georgia’s history, died on Friday evening from congestive heart failure in his hometown of Savannah, Ga., owner Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler announced.

“He was a good one,” Seiler said. “What can I say? He had a marvelous record. He was a very strong and healthy dog. He was the biggest of all the dogs, and he had the biggest heart. It just played out.”

Damon Evans called him "an outstanding representative of our fine institution." I wholeheartedly agree.

We've had seven wonderful mascots since the Uga line began roaming the sidelines, and each has had his own personality and overseen his own era of Georgia athletics.

But I think this linebacker of a Dawg was my favorite. I hope he's on a big bag of ice in the sky.

Uga VI will be buried in the vault at Sanford Stadium, next to his predecessors, no doubt with an appropriate inscription.



Georgia Sports blog has all the links you need on Uga's passing.

And Dawgs Online has great pictures and video.




















When he was just a kid, 2000 from my paper, The Telegraph. Sign the guest book if you like.






More from The Telegraph:

Uga VI was breathing heavily Friday evening, Sonny Seiler noticed.

“I noticed he had a little congestion in his throat, which usually is not a cause for alarm,” Seiler said. “I gave him a bath, which he always loved, to cool him off. After that, I called (family veterinarian Stanley Lester), whose office is about a four-minute drive from our house. (Uga’s) heart just played out. He suffered no pain and died peacefully.”

Cecelia Seiler, the matriarch of the Uga line, said the family lost more than just a pet.

“He lived right here in my den with me for 10 years,” Cecelia Seiler said. “He was a happy dog.”

And from Athletic Director Damon Evans:
“This is a very sad day for the entire Bulldog Nation. Uga VI was a damn good mascot and a damn good dog. He was an outstanding representative of our fine institution.”

I agree with every bit of that.