First Bulldog to be taken No. 1 overall since The 49ners took receiver Harry Babcock in 1956, according to Tim Tucker of The AJC.
Trippi and Sinkwich were also No. 1 picks, Tucker notes. So was Herschel, really. --- Correction: The Georgia media guide says Trippi and Babcock were No. 1 picks, Sinkwich went No. 9 to Detroit in 1943. --- Damn sure worth smiling about.Image: Brian Huff.
Stafford is now the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL. The guaranteed portion of his contract represents a 40 percent increase over the $24 million that San Francisco had to give quarterback Alex Smith in 2005, and a 25 percent increase over what Oakland gave JaMarcus Russell just two years ago.
There's a Munson line from a few years back, after the '99 Auburn game, that I think is appropriate.
A lot of people lost this weekend that would come under the heading of a surprise, but how many of them got embarrassed?
That may very well have been the worst half in Georgia football history. I'm pretty certain it's the worst I've ever seen, and the feeling is very similar to that 1999 Auburn game.
But there were some positive things in the 2nd half, including the crowd support with recruits looking on. The students did not leave. This picture was taken with 1:59 to go in the 4th:
Thanks, guys.
The team fought in that second half. Everything else... it just pales in comparison to the absolute vomit sickness that was that first half. I blame simply everyone.
Charley Trippi: Basically the only Dawg who saw the field Saturday I wasn't disappointed with.
Even so, we absolutely can still win the Southeastern Conference, and I suggest we re-dedicate ourselves to the fundamentals that will be needed to reach that goal.
Former University of Georgia quarterback and College Football Hall of Fame member Johnny Rauch has died at his home in Oldsmar, Fla. He was 80.
From everything I've ever read about Rauch, he was one of the best. He started every game of his college career from 1945 to 1948. He played on the undefeated 1946 Bulldog team, sharing the backfield with fellow Bulldog great Charley Trippi in two of those years.
Rauch was the first pick of the 1949 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. There are some old timers who will tell you Johnny Rauch was maybe the best quarterback Georgia ever had. He coached the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl II in 1967.
UPDATE: I called Mr. Trippi. His thoughts on Rauch as a player:
"He came as a freshman and took over the team," Trippi said. "He took four teams to a bowl game so I'd have to say he was one of the best we ever had."
Georgia ran the T formation back then, with Rauch under center and 3 backs behind him, Trippi said. Rauch "could throw all kind of passes, according to the situation," Trippi said.
"The thing that I remember the most about him would be he was a winner," Trippi said. "He knew how to win. And he utilized his personnel that played behind him. He had a good football mind. ... Anybody that's ever coached with him or played with him would have high praise for him."
Last week I saw something on the Intertubes about Georgia wearing black jerseys for the 1943 Rose Bowl.
Yes, Georgia once played in the Rose Bowl. Beat UCLA 9-0 to cap a National Championship season.
But then I saw Dan Magill, who knows everything worth knowing about University of Georgia athletics, quoted as saying he didn't think the team had worn black jerseys as far back as the 1940s.
Now these pictures have surfaced, courtesy of David Ching and one of his readers. That's Frank Sinkwich, Flatfoot Frankie, Frankie the Fireball, Georgia's first Heisman winner... in a black jersey.
Of course, as Ching notes, there's no way to know from the picture whether the team wore those jerseys in a game or if Sinkwich donned the jersey for the photo.
So I called Charley Trippi, who starred in the 1942 backfield with Sinkwich, then went to World War II, then came home and led the Dawgs to an 11-0 season in 1946. He played in that Rose Bowl and lives in Athens.
"I don't remember ever wearing the black jersey. ..." Trippi said. "To my knowledge we always wore red jerseys and silver britches."
That includes the Rose Bowl, Trippi said. As for the picture of Sinkwich:
"It could have been his freshman year (when Trippi was still in high school)," Trippi said. "I'm not sure. Or maybe he did it for a picture."
The boys at Georgia Sports Blog have some YouTube up of Charley Trippi, who some old timers swear was the greatest athlete Georgia ever produced. Look at the highlights. Then consider that he played defensive back, running back, quarterback and baseball, and there's an argument.
Bear Bryant said he was the greatest safety to ever play in the South. He also won the Maxwell award, which goes to the country's best offensive player. Plus, anyone whose resume looks like this:
National title -> World War II -> Undefeated season -> No. 1 draft choice -> pro football hall of fame
has a pretty good resume.
I met Trippi once, and asked him why he wore the #62, which is odd for a defensive back or a backfield player.
He said it was because "the guy in front of me got 61."
Seriously, folks, as soon as time travel is invented (shouldn't be long now) I'm headed to the 1945 Oil Bowl to see a play listed in the Georgia Media Guide as "Trippi's Immortal Punt Return."
Here's my December, 2005, interview with Trippi from The Telegraph's archives:
TELEGRAPH: You spell Charley with a y. Is there a story behind that?
TRIPPI: Never really discussed it. Just to put down Charles doesn't sound athletic. Charley sounds athletic.
TELEGRAPH: In 1946 you guys went 11-0 but Notre Dame was generally considered the national champion. It that something that bothers you --- then or now?
TRIPPI: As long as you win it doesn't make any difference. We felt like we were champions in our own way. Notre Dame always got preference in everything.
TELEGRAPH: What about the number 62? I don't know about back then, but now you wouldn't see a safety or a halfback wear No. 62.
TRIPPI: Lot of people ask me about that number. Well, when I was a freshman the guy in front of me got 61, I got 62. And I kept it. There's no fascination with the number or anything, I just took what they gave me. Back when I played at Georgia we didn't negotiate numbers with (Coach Wally) Butts. ... I'd be afraid to go see Coach Butts and say, 'Hey, I want a different number.'
TELEGRAPH: Give me one story back from your days as a player.
TRIPPI: We played in the Sugar Bowl, New Year's Day '47. Normally (in New Orleans) you feel like you're going to be living comfortable. We slept in the Tulane gym on cots the night before the game. Coach Butts was going to make sure nobody got out of line.
