A little nostalgia

[GTech63]

The Shriner,s support of Childrens Hospitals is classic. They sponsored a High School football game in Spokane each year when I played there in HS. Drew about 30,000, Stadium was not much bigger.

THWG

 

[ClydeBrick]

Thanksgiving growing up in Atlanta meant Furman Bisher's what I am thankful for column

I miss this terribly.

 

[ClydeBrick]

@DaddyBill 's post made me look up some of Bisher's Thanksgiving columns. His first had the following and it is germane to this thread:

And most of all on this day, I’m glad that 30,000 will see the Georgia freshmen play the Tech freshmen at Grant Field so that some tyke will have a better life.

Strong legs will run that weak legs may walk.

 

[awbuzz]

@DaddyBill 's post made me look up some of Bisher's Thanksgiving columns. His first had the following and it is germane to this thread:

Strong legs will run that weak legs may walk.

The "Strong legs will run that weak legs may walk" brings back lots of memories...

Fuman's Thanksgiving columns were/are a treasure. Even after he "retired" he still wrote them for the AJC. He always had touching commentary in those... one of the most difficult and rewarding had to be the one he wrote after his son had died...

 

[iceeater1969]

A couple of dorm roomies who were DL line jocks from south ga talked me into trying out for freshman and walkin squad. We assembled at rose bowl field where the coaches divided the horde by approximate size. We were lined up on sideline from one goal line to next - whistle - run across field - hear whistle every second after first man across. Divided from slow to fast I ended up in their group as the smallest slow guy. I did not return for day two. They stuck it out for a while till calculus hit them in the ax. I had this in high school so I helped them get going. One became nuclear sub commander and other started his refinery company. There is nostalgia

 

[alaguy]

Besides the uga game , I saw several Frosh games vs other teams Frosh.It was fun thinking back about see the budding stars of the various varsities to come.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

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.
............

Did you play with the Hot Magic team?? Wow. Was it really Dodd who convinced Alexander to do the trickery?

 

[RamblinRev]

If I remember correctly it was the Thanksgiving Freshman game that dictated how long we had to wear our freshman rat hats. If we won we no longer had to wear them. If not, we wore them until the end of the school quarter. Do I remember correctly?

 

[Woodstock]

You are a rat.

You will remain a rat until:
A. Tech wins Homecoming.
B. Tech beats Georgia.
or
C. Hell freezes over.

I remember that in the early 1980s that some students were recruited to fill out the numbers of upper class scout team players, etc.

 

[jwsavhGT]

nm

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Who remembers sitting in the old south endzone (the horseshoe) that felt like you were a mile from the field?

Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium circa 1983.

For the younguns on the board, the track (rat track) actually ran under the old north stands. On games day, the put bleachers on the track in front of the student section for the freshmen (rats) to sit.

"Rats on the field, rats on the field, rats on the field....."

The lower east stands were covered partially by the upper east. If you were unlucky, your seat was behind a giant column. Also, from under there, you lost sight of punts as the went up, then came down. Ah, the memories....

 

[1939hotmagic]

Did you play with the Hot Magic team?? Wow. Was it really Dodd who convinced Alexander to do the trickery?

lol. I was born 20 years after the 1939 season. Just grabbed the "hot magic" name because I enjoy Tech football and appreciate deceptive offensive football.

 

[COJacket]

Who remembers sitting in the old south endzone (the horseshoe) that felt like you were a mile from the field?

Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium circa 1983.

For the younguns on the board, the track (rat track) actually ran under the old north stands. On games day, the put bleachers on the track in front of the student section for the freshmen (rats) to sit.

"Rats on the field, rats on the field, rats on the field....."

The lower east stands were covered partially by the upper east. If you were unlucky, your seat was behind a giant column. Also, from under there, you lost sight of punts as the went up, then came down. Ah, the memories....

Definitely sat in the old end zone. Played frat soccer on the old field under the security lights at night. Ran track in that stadium. Back in the 70's you could just walk into the field just about any time except game day. Lived in Brown my first quarter would come over at night and just sit in the stadium. Great memories. thanks for posting Cheese. THWG! And a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all!

 

[takethepoints]

I like what the Batman (come on, we all know) says about letting ex-players play a Shrine game, but the very idea would be enough to send the HR reps at Tech and their respective employers running from their offices screaming at the top of their lungs, "Insurance Liability!" Too bad, that.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Went to a couple of these as a tyke before they were phased out. My understanding now is that the JV game was a strain on coaches leading up to the uga varsity game. I can see why coaches would not want to game plan both games that week.

 

[Essobee]

Who remembers sitting in the old south endzone (the horseshoe) that felt like you were a mile from the field?

Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium circa 1983.

For the younguns on the board, the track (rat track) actually ran under the old north stands. On games day, the put bleachers on the track in front of the student section for the freshmen (rats) to sit.

"Rats on the field, rats on the field, rats on the field....."

The lower east stands were covered partially by the upper east. If you were unlucky, your seat was behind a giant column. Also, from under there, you lost sight of punts as the went up, then came down. Ah, the memories....

One of us is so cussed old , he remembers sitting in the stadium watching games before the upper east, the upper west, and the "old" north stands were erected (the north stands in the picture above replaced wooden bleachers, IIRC, and I believe the old naval armory was where the Edge building now stands. The "old" basketball gym where I took gymnastics (Alexander Memorial had just been opened a year or two earlier) was behind the north stands and contained a swimming pool in the back where I took drown proofing...my only "A" that quarter). The following quarter I took track and we ran around the track (another much appreciated albeit lonesome "A") in the above picture, although it wasn't nearly so nice as in the picture.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Cheese. Nice.

 

[Essobee]

You are a rat.

You will remain a rat until:
A. Tech wins Homecoming.
B. Tech beats Georgia.
or
C. Hell freezes over.

I remember that in the early 1980s that some students were recruited to fill out the numbers of upper class scout team players, etc.

Back in the day, failure to wear one's rat cap until after our usual victory over UGA resulted in a "T" cut if caught. Saw several "T" cuts around campus (not all Tech freshmen were real bright in those days).

 

[Essobee]

I like what the Batman (come on, we all know) says about letting ex-players play a Shrine game, but the very idea would be enough to send the HR reps at Tech and their respective employers running from their offices screaming at the top of their lungs, "Insurance Liability!" Too bad, that.

Is this the same Batman who wore a trench or rain coat around campus to protect himself from cosmic rays?

 

[Animal02]

One of us is so cussed old , he remembers sitting in the stadium watching games before the upper east, the upper west, and the "old" north stands were erected (the north stands in the picture above replaced wooden bleachers, IIRC, and I believe the old naval armory was where the Edge building now stands. The "old" basketball gym where I took gymnastics (Alexander Memorial had just been opened a year or two earlier) was behind the north stands and contained a swimming pool in the back where I took drown proofing...my only "A" that quarter). The following quarter I took track and we ran around the track (another much appreciated albeit lonesome "A") in the above picture, although it wasn't nearly so nice as in the picture.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Cheese. Nice.

Played intramural floor hockey in the the old gym before it moved to Okeefe....survived drownproofing there as well. Watched the demolition of the old armory painting Glenn dorm rooms for housing one summer. Alexander was known as "The Tit" in my day.....a very apt description. Watch Jimmy Carter get an honorary degree there and then threw snow balls at the presidential motorcade because they kept us contained in the cold. I always thought (as an architect) that they should have kept the North Ave. facade for historical reasons.......but who listens to students. (My terminal project in architecture was a new theater for Drama Tech.....I got reamed in my review for my site selection....next to the Student Center........ten years later....they built the theater about 100 ft from where I had selected.......JUSTICE!!!!!!!)

 

[GT18YJ]

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.

It was actually Fall '72 when fr were allowed to play. They were allowed, but very few did. The game stayed a true freshman game in '72 and '73 but went JV in '74. Our '72 team went 5-0-1 and '73 went 6-0.

Trivia - Who was the first fr at Tech to play under the new rule in '72?