A little nostalgia

[DaddyBill]

Okay, many of you youngsters have no idea this happened, but Thanksgiving week "back in the day" had a very special occasion. The annual Tech-Georgia freshman game on T'giving afternoon. There would be a large crowd at BDS, where it was always played, to watch the freshman class of each team take to the field. You see, freshman did not play on the varsity back then.

IIRC, the shriners promoted and hosted the game, with the theme being "strong legs run so weak ones can walk". It was a great way to enjoy the day after having turkey and dressing...since there was usually only one NFL on TV and it was normally the Lions.

At times, and especially this year, I wish they still had that game. It gave you a good insight to the future.

 

[Ggee87]

Ive heard about this game. But am too young to have ever enjoyed it in person. Seems like it would have been alot of fun for the young guys on the team, as well as fans. I guess once too much money got involved in the sport... they had to abandon it.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I went with my grandfather often back in the early 80s. He was a Shriner and they were involved. I think the NCAA allowed freshmen to play on Varsity in the mid 80s (85-6ish) and that killed the game off. We would pick up boxes of food from the Varsity and go eat it in the stands at the game. He has 3 daughters who went to school and graduated from UGA but he is an Atlanta native who always favored Tech. It seems like every Christmas they have given him some sort of UGA merchandise. A few years ago the three daughters and their husbands each bought him a UGA cap since he had been wearing a Tech one around for a couple years. He good-naturedly wore their gifts for the day then when they left for home went back to wearing the Tech hat.

 

[GPD]

The Bullpups and Babyjackets... It was a "friendly" day for both sides and outstanding for the children that benefitted so much from the proceeds.

It was aired live on the radio always (WSB I think)

Great memories..!

 

[thebull35]

Can't remember what year or how old I was, just know it was in the early 80s, but this was my first Georgia Tech football game. I've been in love with Tech football (baseball and basketball and anything related to Tech athletics) since.

 

[1939hotmagic]

I sent to several of those games back in the day, enjoyed seeing some of the varsity reserves and scout-teamers play in the early '80s.

Currently, even if a player redshirts and doesn't participate on even one varsity snap in a season, participation in a mere JV game would remove the redshirt status and count just as if said player participated in a varsity game. I'd like to see NCAA rules revised so that a reshirted player who does not play in a varsity game could nonetheless participate in two or three JV football games maximum, in one season only, without costing the redshirt year for varsity participation purposes.

For college programs so inclined, bringing back a two- or three-game JV schedule would be (1) a grand way to provide some football action at home during varsity bye weekends, (2) give the scout-teamers and third-stringers some game action, and (3) provide fans a possible look at highly-regarded but otherwise redshirted freshmen. Of course, even if the NCAA ever did loosen the rules in such a way, no doubt there would be plenty of restrictions so that football factories wouldn't schedule junior-college powerhouses and post-high-school prep schools as "audition opportunities."

You may now return to your regularly scheduled anarchy.

 

[IronJacket7]

I remember it.

 

[Animal02]

My freshman year ('78), they asked for "walk ons" to play the game because Tech could not field a real freshman team (I think due injuries etc.) I think they had the secretary do the first cut based on size......hundreds signed up, I didn't even get to the first (I had lost about 20 lbs so I guess a 6'6 210lb OL was nort very impressive.)
It was not long after that the game was no longer permitted by the NCAA

 

[takethepoints]

Yes, it's too bad that nobody can play a JV schedule anymore. I really enjoyed this game for years; it was one way to gage the capability of the players coming up. I remember seeing the Dude, Brent Cunningham, Eddie MacShan, and a bunch of other good players cut their teeth in the contest.

Ah, well. Given my choice, I suppose I'd go with a smaller scholarship limit then with keeping the game. It sure would be nice to see it revived, however.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Can't remember what year or how old I was, just know it was in the early 80s, but this was my first Georgia Tech football game. I've been in love with Tech football (baseball and basketball and anything related to Tech athletics) since.

It was a great way to build fans. In fact I think the GTAA might be able to find a way to be inventive enough to try and find things that replicate or update this old lost tradition. Bobby Dodd @ HGF is a great resource for its location, history, the skyline surrounding it. Obviously NCAA rules and the fact freshmen now play means nothing as nice as this can be created where you get current UGA and Tech players competing in any formal way.

I wish I could come up with something off the top of my head . . .

Maybe set up for some intramural squads or UGA and GT legacy former players in a touch or flag football match. You could even make it coed with any former UGA or GT letter winners able to play in events. That could be cool to get some Olympic medal winners as well as other legacy players from both schools to participate in kickball, softball, or flag football or whatever. Maybe Dominique Wilkins would show up and play flag football across from John Salley. Put in some kid events down on the field (tug-of-war, sack races, their own flag football or other matches).

Let ex coaches be the refs (get Bobby Cremins and Hugh Durham out there as Final Four coaches and Vince Dooley and Bobby Ross can flip the coin as MNC football championship coaches).

But, I am really thinking of the way the Shriners were involved so the charitable aspect of their children's hospitals would be the really important angle. Tied in with a charity with local appeal and that can help promote it as well as draw the former UGA and Tech players out to play. I bet you could field squads just of ex players from both schools nostalgic for having themselves played in the Freshman game. Then the GTAA places ticket reps working the stands handing out 50% off coupons for regular season ticket purchases or something like special discount to "first-time" season ticket holders, discounts for youth and pee wee groups, etc.

Make it Thanksgiving Day again and it will draw a great crowd and revive a lost tradition that I recall as having as much to do with community and charity for kids as it did being a UGA or GT college football fan. It was good for Atlanta in general.

 

[bartoma]

I remember the last couple games (my first couple years at GT) in the 80's... Was a great tradition I hated to see disappear...

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I sent to several of those games back in the day, enjoyed seeing some of the varsity reserves and scout-teamers play in the early '80s.

Currently, even if a player redshirts and doesn't participate on even one varsity snap in a season, participation in a mere JV game would remove the redshirt status and count just as if said player participated in a varsity game. I'd like to see NCAA rules revised so that a reshirted player who does not play in a varsity game could nonetheless participate in two or three JV football games maximum, in one season only, without costing the redshirt year for varsity participation purposes.

For college programs so inclined, bringing back a two- or three-game JV schedule would be (1) a grand way to provide some football action at home during varsity bye weekends, (2) give the scout-teamers and third-stringers some game action, and (3) provide fans a possible look at highly-regarded but otherwise redshirted freshmen. Of course, even if the NCAA ever did loosen the rules in such a way, no doubt there would be plenty of restrictions so that football factories wouldn't schedule junior-college powerhouses and post-high-school prep schools as "audition opportunities."

You may now return to your regularly scheduled anarchy.

As usual with the way the NCAA operates (and I know that is supposed to mean the way the college presidents operate) there is plentiful middle ground to be had. You can restrict such events to simply one a year per college with some kind of "non-profit" requirement as well as to only be played between programs in the same classification/level of competition, or even restrict it to in-state (or contiguous at most) as well. Basically, make the rules to allow what specifically went on between Tech and UGA and only closely similar type events.

But I just think the charitable aspect alone should make some alternative tradition be possible to build up. It would be good for situations like here in Atlanta where you have the two highest level programs in such a deeply traditional and heated rivalry. Both schools would profit from having an avenue to promote their legacies and ingratiate themselves charitably in the Atlanta area for general program strength and interest.

 

[OldJacketFan]

Lots of fun memories of the Shriners JV games, way too many to go into here. Suffice to say I was sorry to see it go by the wayside.

 

[Butler22]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Hope you and Tre are doing well. God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I went with my grandfather often back in the early 80s. He was a Shriner and they were involved. I think the NCAA allowed freshmen to play on Varsity in the mid 80s (85-6ish) and that killed the game off. We would pick up boxes of food from the Varsity and go eat it in the stands at the game. He has 3 daughters who went to school and graduated from UGA but he is an Atlanta native who always favored Tech. It seems like every Christmas they have given him some sort of UGA merchandise. A few years ago the three daughters and their husbands each bought him a UGA cap since he had been wearing a Tech one around for a couple years. He good-naturedly wore their gifts for the day then when they left for home went back to wearing the Tech hat.

I think by the 80s, it had ceased to be a Freshman game, and had become a JV game. I forget when they finally gave up on that idea.

 

[Essobee]

Ah, back in the day...

I remember as a student during the '50s not traveling home for Thanksgiving holidays so that I could attend the freshman game. It was played at Grant Field each year and I recall one game that around 45,000 fans attended.

 

[augustabuzz]

I went with my grandfather often back in the early 80s. He was a Shriner and they were involved. I think the NCAA allowed freshmen to play on Varsity in the mid 80s (85-6ish) and that killed the game off. We would pick up boxes of food from the Varsity and go eat it in the stands at the game. He has 3 daughters who went to school and graduated from UGA but he is an Atlanta native who always favored Tech. It seems like every Christmas they have given him some sort of UGA merchandise. A few years ago the three daughters and their husbands each bought him a UGA cap since he had been wearing a Tech one around for a couple years. He good-naturedly wore their gifts for the day then when they left for home went back to wearing the Tech hat.

BW, freshmen were made eligible to allow Marshall to rebuild their program after the plane crash. I think it was 1970. Marshall was the only school allowed to do so until 1973, IIRC.

 

[bke1984]

Augustabuzz is correct. When the NCAA made freshmen eligible for the varsity squads, this game lost a lot of its meaning. Prior to 1973, freshmen were not allowed to play on varsity, so the annual Tech vs. Georgia Scottish Rite game was a pretty big deal to see the up-and-coming players in action. A lot of great players from both Tech and Georgia played in this game over the years.

The Scottish Rite classic officially started in 1933 (though, I believe Tech and Georgia freshman teams played each other before this season). The game was played every year at Grant Field to support attendance, as a game in Athens would not have drawn very large crowds, and thus not generated much money for charity.

When Freshmen became eligible, the teams were basically filled with walk-ons, and eventually it became more of an intramural game.

For interested, I've got a page with all of my Tech vs. Georgia Frosh tickets here. I can't identify it for sure, but I'm 99% sure that the first ticket on the page is from the first Scottish Rite game in 1933 (based on some research I've done on the images on the reverse side of the ticket). BTW, there are still some games in my collection, so if anyone has tickets from these games that I need and is either willing to donate or sell them, please shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]

http://georgiatechticketstubs.com/other-tickets/tech-vs-georgia-freshmen-jv/

http://georgiatechticketstubs.com/other-tickets/wanted-freshmen-tickets/

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Okay, many of you youngsters have no idea this happened, but Thanksgiving week "back in the day" had a very special occasion. The annual Tech-Georgia freshman game on T'giving afternoon. There would be a large crowd at BDS, where it was always played, to watch the freshman class of each team take to the field. You see, freshman did not play on the varsity back then.

IIRC, the shriners promoted and hosted the game, with the theme being "strong legs run so weak ones can walk". It was a great way to enjoy the day after having turkey and dressing...since there was usually only one NFL on TV and it was normally the Lions.

At times, and especially this year, I wish they still had that game. It gave you a good insight to the future.

Attended several in the 50's and 60's. Back in the day the tickets for the varsity games at Tech were hard to come by so the freshman game was a rare chance to be in the stadium. Like so many great traditions, the Freshman Game for the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital has been done in by greed.

 

[DaddyBill]

Wow...nice to see all these posts and awaken the memories. In some ways "back in the day" was a lot better than our now. Thanksgiving growing up in Atlanta meant Furman Bisher's what I am thankful for column, turkey, the Tech-GA freshman game then the lighting of the great tree on the bridge at Rich's. Now it's just turkey...lol. Thanks for taking this trip with me.

oh...and THWG!