Bobby Dodd Renovation in the NE Stands

[bobongo]

unrelated to this renovation but I found a RARE photo of the 2001-2003 renovation.
View attachment 16588

The beautiful thing about that picture is the upper east, untouched and pristine. May it ever be so.

 

[OlaJacket]

Wow the horseshoe configuration pre-Wardlaw is jarring.

Last season, my tickets were in 111. I love the switchback ramp in the NW corner and have a newish tradition of snagging a photo from it at the opening game every season.

View attachment 16584

That was my "seat" for many years from around '95 until joining the Army in '06. When I came back Tech hired a bunch of ramp nazis and it was never the same. I really miss it.

 

[Ramble1885]

BDS used to be very symmetric and beautiful. The only lack of symmetry was the east stands being lower than the west, and thus, with the press boxes, the UW is much higher than the UE. Since the demolition of the south, the reconfiguring of the east, and the new UN the stadium has become very asymmetrical. Kind of sad, really.

The current layout is quirky though and reminds me of Fenway Park the way it juts in and out of the city grid.

 

[jpw67]

BDS used to be very symmetric and beautiful. The only lack of symmetry was the east stands being lower than the west, and thus, with the press boxes, the UW is much higher than the UE. Since the demolition of the south, the reconfiguring of the east, and the new UN the stadium has become very asymmetrical. Kind of sad, really.

This is what I remember too. Wasn’t always a frankenstadium…

 

[stinger78]

This is what I remember too. Wasn’t always a frankenstadium…

You can see it in the Gary Lee runback video. The old south stands were condemned a year or two later and torn down.

 

[g0lftime]

Jarring in what way? I sat there a couple of times, and the *front* of the old south stands were a good 25 yards behind the *back* of the south EZ. If you sat on the back row of the old south stands you were 40+ yards from the back of the south EZ - almost on N Ave. They were way away from the action. Horrible seats.

That said, my dad - a letterwinner - had season seats for many years in the 50's-early 60's. By the allocation system at the time, he never got out of the SW corner. His brother - an Atlanta attorney and UGAg graduate and huge bulldwag fan - had seats in the lower west and would go and pull for Tech's opponent. After years, my dad finally gave up and never gave another dollar to Tech athletics.

There was a cinder track that ran around the field. It was designed to be 440, 880, mile, etc. That horse shoe shape is a hold over from those days.

 

[stinger78]

There was a cinder track that ran around the field. It was designed to be 440, 880, mile, etc. That horse shoe shape is a hold over from those days.

Yes, I ran on that cinder track in PE my freshman year. I have a story about that, too, but I won’t bore you guys.

 

[g0lftime]

Yes, I ran on that cinder track in PE my freshman year. I have a story about that, too, but I won’t bore you guys.

Didn't the north end of the track run under the stadium on that end.

 

[stinger78]

Didn't the north end of the track run under the stadium on that end.

The north end, yes, the south end was open. Under the north end zone stands was the (outdoor) weight room. Amazing!

 

[awbuzz]

Didn't the north end of the track run under the stadium on that end.

Yes it did

 

[awbuzz]

The north end, yes, the south end was open. Under the north end zone stands was the (outdoor) weight room. Amazing!

Well, if I'd had scrolled I would have seen the question was answered.

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

Gate 3 is VERY pretty.

Gate 9 is my gate and I love it because it has the old facade from pre-renovation.
View attachment 16581View attachment 16582

This is how I remember most locations over 50 years ago, which had not changed much over the previous decades. I lived in Towers Dorm and ate very meal except Sundays at the Athletic Training Table located between the East Stands and the Naval Armory at the corner of Techwood and 3rd (now Bobby Dodd Way). I had classes at the Skiles Bldg and the ROTC Bldg. Bobby Dodd and from 28 to eventually 58 staff were in the Athletic Department Bldg. We had the first computerized registration int eh Heisman Gym. Life was simple then.

 

[roadkill]

This is how I remember most locations over 50 years ago, which had not changed much over the previous decades. I lived in Towers Dorm and ate very meal except Sundays at the Athletic Training Table located between the East Stands and the Naval Armory at the corner of Techwood and 3rd (now Bobby Dodd Way). I had classes at the Skiles Bldg and the ROTC Bldg. Bobby Dodd and from 28 to eventually 58 staff were in the Athletic Department Bldg. We had the first computerized registration int eh Heisman Gym. Life was simple then.
View attachment 16598

Arrived for summer quarter as an early enrollee and had gymnastics class in the Heisman gym.
It got pretty toasty in there with no A/C!

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

The north end, yes, the south end was open. Under the north end zone stands was the (outdoor) weight room. Amazing!

Also on the North End was the T-club room (disbanded in 1976 when women became letterwinners, now called the Letterwinner Club. Also there was the mandatory Athletes Study Hall run by retired Academic Director of Athletics George "Goose" Slayton Sunday through Thursday nights every quarter. Goose passed away in January 2024 at age 94. https://www.davisstruempf.com/obituaries/George-Slayton-2/#!/Obituary

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

Arrived for summer quarter as an early enrollee and had gymnastics class in the Heisman gym.
It got pretty toasty in there with no A/C!

Same sweating for Fall Quarter registration. My favorite game in the Heisman was the basketball game with the Dean Dull - led GT faculty, vs. the Atlanta Playboy Bunnies.

 

[stinger78]

Also on the North End was the T-club room (disbanded in 1976 when women became letterwinners, now called the Letterwinner Club. Also there was the mandatory Athletes Study Hall run by retired Academic Director of Athletics George "Goose" Slayton Sunday through Thursday nights every quarter. Goose passed away in January 2024 at age 94. https://www.davisstruempf.com/obituaries/George-Slayton-2/#!/Obituary

I knew of George, though I never met him, and FCA was in the T-club during that time.

 

[AUFC]

Thank god we got rid of the track. One of the best aspects of Bobby Dodd is that we get to breathe down the neck of our opponents from every seat in the stadium. If we could get 55,000 in that place again, it would be hell for the rest of the ACC. I'm only at 15 FBS stadiums but our noise-to-attendance ratio is unparalleled in my experience.

 

[Gold1]

Thank god we got rid of the track. One of the best aspects of Bobby Dodd is that we get to breathe down the neck of our opponents from every seat in the stadium. If we could get 55,000 in that place again, it would be hell for the rest of the ACC. I'm only at 15 FBS stadiums but our noise-to-attendance ratio is unparalleled in my experience.

The noise we CAN make at BDS could be one the loudest stadiums in the country without a doubt. If we can string together a couple great seasons Bobby Dodd Stadium will be packed and loud

 

[Ramble1885]

The noise we CAN make at BDS could be one the loudest stadiums in the country without a doubt. If we can string together a couple great seasons Bobby Dodd Stadium will be packed and loud

The noise we DO make even when not even close to full is already amazing. Imagine if we can get back to that ‘06–‘16 level noise.

 

[Gold1]

The noise we DO make even when not even close to full is already amazing. Imagine if we can get back to that ‘06–‘16 level noise.

We will man. And I think sooner rather than later