AJC: GT and Tulane's Decision to Leave SEC

Techster

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A little reading before the game later today. Nothing entirely new, but some very interesting comments from former coaches. It's behind a paywall, so some may not be able to read it.

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/co...nbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#d149ff07.3568866.735482

Some interesting quotes:

Bill Curry:

“Bobby Dodd Stadium would be 80,000 seats, and it would be packed almost every week,” said Curry, a Tech man who was an All-American for coach Bobby Dodd and later the school’s coach. The stadium that bears Dodd’s name now seats 55,000, with sellouts infrequent.

Curry called Dodd’s motives correct. From a business perspective, he said, “it was a very poor decision.”

Curry, while acknowledging “this may be Georgia Tech arrogance,” said that “I don’t think we would be like Vanderbilt or anybody else. I think we could win. We’ve done it enough against tough competition.”

Pepper Rodgers:

To remain competitive in the SEC, Rodgers said, “I think Tech would have had to make some major changes academically. I don’t think Georgia Tech would have done that. And so I think it would have been very difficult. The ACC’s tough enough.”

Said Rodgers, “I never would have left the SEC.”

Paul Johnson:

As for the coach presently in charge, coach Paul Johnson acknowledged the Jackets have had a tough time against Georgia. Tech is 1-5 against the Bulldogs in his tenure, although a Tech die-hard would note that three of the losses were decided late in the fourth quarter or overtime. But the Jackets are 3-2 against the rest of the league.


Said Johnson, “We’d probably be about .500.”


The rest of the article details the circumstances behind the decision to leave (GT and Tulane). GT fans should be familiar with it as it revolves around Dodd's disagreement on 140 scholarship rule, which the SEC ultimately agreed with eventually after GT left.
 
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A little reading before the game later today. Nothing entirely new, but some very interesting comments from former coaches. It's behind a paywall, so some may not be able to read it.

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/co...nbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#d149ff07.3568866.735482

Some interesting quotes:

Bill Curry:

“Bobby Dodd Stadium would be 80,000 seats, and it would be packed almost every week,” said Curry, a Tech man who was an All-American for coach Bobby Dodd and later the school’s coach. The stadium that bears Dodd’s name now seats 55,000, with sellouts infrequent.

Curry called Dodd’s motives correct. From a business perspective, he said, “it was a very poor decision.”

Curry, while acknowledging “this may be Georgia Tech arrogance,” said that “I don’t think we would be like Vanderbilt or anybody else. I think we could win. We’ve done it enough against tough competition.”

Pepper Rodgers:

To remain competitive in the SEC, Rodgers said, “I think Tech would have had to make some major changes academically. I don’t think Georgia Tech would have done that. And so I think it would have been very difficult. The ACC’s tough enough.”

Said Rodgers, “I never would have left the SEC.”

Paul Johnson:

As for the coach presently in charge, coach Paul Johnson acknowledged the Jackets have had a tough time against Georgia. Tech is 1-5 against the Bulldogs in his tenure, although a Tech die-hard would note that three of the losses were decided late in the fourth quarter or overtime. But the Jackets are 3-2 against the rest of the league.


Said Johnson, “We’d probably be about .500.”


The rest of the article details the circumstances behind the decision to leave (GT and Tulane). GT fans should be familiar with it as it revolves around Dodd's disagreement on 140 scholarship rule, which the SEC ultimately agreed with eventually after GT left.
 

Animal02

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Without the academic changes, Tech would not be competitive in the SEC....yeah we might have a 80,000 stadium and fill it.....with the opponents fans. With Tech's enrollment half or less than that of SEC schools, the fan base will never be there.
 

Whiskey_Clear

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Leaving the SEC was a bad move....period. It was just the first in a series of moves (or lack of moves) made by Tech following that. To the point when Curry took over that the president nearly disbanded the football program alltogether. The institute failed to make football, or any athletics really, any kind of a priority until Homer Rice turned things around. Now would that lack of emphasis on athletics have taken place if we had still been in the SEC.....hard to say but my gut says yes. God Bless Homer Rice.
 

WreckinGT

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It's easy to say it was a mistake looking at the current landscape in college football, but no one really knows for sure. College Football was changing and GT wasn't really changing along with it. I don't think just staying in the SEC would have made us a much better football program. I think the notion that we would have had an 80k filled stadium rocking every Saturday is a bit ridiculous. I think we would have been a slightly better program than Vandy. Our last 7 years in the SEC, we only finished in the top 25 once, and that was with Dodd coaching. We would have needed to make pretty big changes to our school and program to remain competitive. Something I seriously doubt we would have done.
 

TheSilasSonRising

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This is like whiz zing into the wind, but, yes, we would have been much better if we had stayed in the SEC. Look at the recruits we have lost in the last few years ( Douglas, Flowers first 2 off top of my head). There are plenty of players in the SEC qualified to get into GT even now.

We turned our back on our heritage. 80 k? Don't know but we would have been over 60 or 65 k and sold out with mostly GT fans. The schedule alone would have guaranteed it. Just compare 2008 - the MSU game atmosphere vs, say, Duke atmosphere.

Dodd had no vision and whether it was ship limits or holt incident - he picked up our marbles and said "I am going home". If the problem was the ship limits, you work within the system and help foster changes for the better. If it was the holt incident, in those days there were a lot of SEC teams that did not play each other. Dodd could have dropped bama and just picked up Kentucky / LSU / miss state / or ole miss. That was all that was necessary but his ego cost GT.

The question now is what to do. Beat UGa more and play better OOC teams and win as often as you lose. Wofford - Tulane - GSU is not helping GT. It is hurting.
 

Mr. Keen

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It was a GREAT move by Georgia Tech to leave the SEC. The SEC is the scum of the earth. I intensely despise the SEC with a heated passion. Bunch of deep south hillbilly in-bred butt-f*ckers.

If Georgia Tech were to have re-joined to SEC (as it has been rumored over the last several years) - I would instantaneously renounce my fandom of my alma mater. I would take down my Tech Diplomas off my wall. Instead of being a proud Tech Alum - I would be embarrassed to say I attended Tech.

Have I made my feeling clear on this?!?!?!
 
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Northeast Stinger

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It was a GREAT move by Georgia Tech to leave the SEC. The SEC is the scum of the earth. I intensely F*CKING despise the SEC with a heated passion. Bunch of deep south hillbilly in-bred butt-f*ckers.

If Georgia Tech were to have re-joined to SEC (as it has been rumored over the last several years) - I would instantaneously renounce my fandom of my alma mater. I would take down my Tech Diplomas off my wall. Instead of being a proud Tech Alum - I would be embarrassed to say I attended Tech.

Have I made my feeling clear on this?!?!?!
So I take it you do not envy the SEC like so many other people. :D
 

AE 87

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It was a GREAT move by Georgia Tech to leave the SEC. The SEC is the scum of the earth. I intensely F*CKING despise the SEC with a heated passion. Bunch of deep south hillbilly in-bred butt-f*ckers.

If Georgia Tech were to have re-joined to SEC (as it has been rumored over the last several years) - I would instantaneously renounce my fandom of my alma mater. I would take down my Tech Diplomas off my wall. Instead of being a proud Tech Alum - I would be embarrassed to say I attended Tech.

Have I made my feeling clear on this?!?!?!

Wait, so you're saying we should rejoin the SEC, now, at all costs? I disagree.
 

Mack

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It's easy to say it was a mistake looking at the current landscape in college football, but no one really knows for sure. College Football was changing and GT wasn't really changing along with it. I don't think just staying in the SEC would have made us a much better football program. I think the notion that we would have had an 80k filled stadium rocking every Saturday is a bit ridiculous. I think we would have been a slightly better program than Vandy. Our last 7 years in the SEC, we only finished in the top 25 once, and that was with Dodd coaching. We would have needed to make pretty big changes to our school and program to remain competitive. Something I seriously doubt we would have done.
I agree with you folks forget that in 64 Tech was still a pretty good football team and probably at its height compared to today but I agree a 80000 stadium....I doubt it.What I do think Dodd wanted was to end the scholly mess and running athletes off like some schools such as Bama and picking who he could make big gates with.If folks went back and looked at who Tech played the teams were certainly better than who we play now.......We played Tenn and Aubie and GA regulary and had games with USC and Penn State,Navy(big school at this time) and of course if we went to the bowl we didnt have to give money back to the SEC.If we had stayed ...I think we would have done well if we stayed since the gmes we lost were all ways close but it was a bad decision to leave no doubt.Of course you never know......in 64 Dodd was pretty damn popular with alums and admin so maybe they would have made changes..........Who knows but wish we had stayed.I think if we had stayed we would have been better than KY,VANDY,TULANE ,MS and Possibly MISS and of course we allwaays played Aubie and hte others tuff.We could at least go 7-5 !
 

Whiskey_Clear

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I will be pretty happy with the ACC if they can get ND in as a full member. Having said that. Woulda been better for GT if we had gotten AnMs place in the SEC....keen's diploma be damned ;)
 
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