Dodd's place in the best 100?

Skeptic

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From Sports on Earth which had some sort of top 100 football coaches of all time, ever and always, Tech's Bobby Dodd is rated No; 33. Though there are a number of coaches above him whose clock he rewound with some regularity. Interesting, anyway, particularly for the Doddophobes who either played for him or watched the teams he coached. The most interesting point of the whole thing is the last sentence.

33. Bobby Dodd

Teams: Georgia Tech (1945-66)
Record: 165-64-8 in 22 seasons

A star quarterback under Robert Neyland at Tennessee, Dodd made a quick transition from Volunteers player to Georgia Tech assistant, and he'd never leave the Yellow Jackets. After a 14-season apprenticeship under coaching great William Alexander (who had taken over for John Heisman), Dodd ascended to the head coaching job in 1945 and continued the Yellow Jackets' success. While not voted No. 1, Georgia Tech claims a share of the 1952 national title for going 12-0 with a Sugar Bowl win. Dodd led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back SEC titles in 1951-52, a time in which they went 31 games without a loss (including two ties). Dodd finished with a losing record only twice and coached nine teams that finished in the top 13, and at one point he won eight straight bowl games that he coached in, including three Sugar Bowls, two Orange Bowls and a Cotton Bowl. From 1904-66, Georgia Tech had only three coaches -- Heisman, Alexander and Dodd, all Hall of Famers.
 

TheSilasSonRising

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Sadly, Dodd never could beat dooley. And dooley realized from his first day on the job that the key to his success was, no matter what, beating GT.
And we, after leaving the SEC, thought beating ugag was no big deal. It would require leadership & dedication and that became to much to ask. Not having 17,000 attendance at a game in the 80's made people wake up.
 
99jacket

99jacket

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It appears that coaching for Notre Dame got you way too many bonus points in this poll. Rockne and Frank Leahy were great coaches but #2 and #4 all time? You have to have more longevity than either for my vote at those spots. Any poll that puts Heisman and Dodd below Dooley is crap. Dooley was a good coach but take away the Herschel years and he doesn't even make the Top 100.
 
ClydeBrick

ClydeBrick

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99jacket said:
It appears that coaching for Notre Dame got you way too many bonus points in this poll. Rockne and Frank Leahy were great coaches but #2 and #4 all time? You have to have more longevity than either for my vote at those spots. Any poll that puts Heisman and Dodd below Dooley is crap. Dooley was a good coach but take away the Herschel years and he doesn't even make the Top 100.
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Take away that one player and UGAg is Mississippi State.
 

takethepoints

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Ok, this is sheep-dip. Dodd regularly squashed many of the coaches ranked above him (Bear Bryant comes to mind and why, in Gawd's name, is he #1?) and one - Johnny Vaught - refused to play Tech under any circumstances. Further, of all the coaches in his era, Dodd came closest to coaching the way it is done today.

My biggest problem isn't with this, however, but with some of the other decisions. Where is Clark Shaughnessy? You know, the guy who invented modern football? True, his time as a college football coach was limited, but his influence was immense. If Rick Leach is on the list, why not Clark? And what in the name of all that is holy is Red Blaik doing rated so low?

No use arguing with it at this stage, I suppose.
 
Whiskey_Clear

Whiskey_Clear

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In fairness to Vaught, he didn't want to come to Atlanta every year to play and Dodd pretty much didn't need or want to play away there any year; and I believe Dodd refused to do home and away series with either Mississippi school. Dodd still better than Vaught though. These lists are almost always manure.
 
iceeater1969

iceeater1969

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Whiskey_Clear said:
Having the award named after him is makes him the ultimate winner of the award. :D
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At GaTech
Coach of year award named for dodd.
Asst coach of year named for broyles.
Athletic director of year named for rice

If there is an Athletic program Markting award, it sure wont be named for anyone from gt.
We are a perennial bottom dweller in selling gt athletics, history, buzz. As all engineers know there is no need for sales as "we will get what we deserve in the end"!
 

Sideways

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Skeptic said:
From Sports on Earth which had some sort of top 100 football coac hes of all time, ever and always, Tech's Bobby Dodd is rated No; 33. Though there are a number of coaches above him whose clock he rewound with some regularity. Interesting, anyway, particularly for the Doddophobes who either played for him or watched the teams he coached. The most interesting point of the whole thing is the last sentence.

33. Bobby Dodd

Teams: Georgia Tech (1945-66)
Record: 165-64-8 in 22 seasons

A star quarterback under Robert Neyland at Tennessee, Dodd made a quick transition from Volunteers player to Georgia Tech assistant, and he'd never leave the Yellow Jackets. After a 14-season apprenticeship under coaching great William Alexander (who had taken over for John Heisman), Dodd ascended to the head coaching job in 1945 and continued the Yellow Jackets' success. While not voted No. 1, Georgia Tech claims a share of the 1952 national title for going 12-0 with a Sugar Bowl win. Dodd led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back SEC titles in 1951-52, a time in which they went 31 games without a loss (including two ties). Dodd finished with a losing record only twice and coached nine teams that finished in the top 13, and at one point he won eight straight bowl games that he coached in, including three Sugar Bowls, two Orange Bowls and a Cotton Bowl. From 1904-66, Georgia Tech had only three coaches -- Heisman, Alexander and Dodd, all Hall of Famers.
Click to expand...


These rankings are pretty much one man's opinion. But I think Dodd was one of the best, probably in the top ten for HIS time along with General Neyland, Bear, Johnny Vaught,
Woody Hayes at Ohio State, and others. Comparing coaches, and players from different eras is a fool's errand in my opinion but have had it. For what it is worth, Dooley in my mind belongs in the next generation of coaches. He played at Auburn in the early 50s and acknowledged Dodd and Bear as having the most influence on him as a coach. For his era, I would put Dooley in that top ten. A couple of very under rated coaches from Dodd's time, though probably not in the elite status were Frank Howard of Clemson and Wally Butts of Georgia who coached Sinkwich and Trippi among others during the 40s. Bear Bryant worshiped Wallace Wade of Alabama and Duke who was his coach when he played at the Capstone. Sometime during the 1950s during a players reunion Bryant and his former teammates were in a hotel reception room smoking cigarettes as was the custom then and when Coach Wade walked in the room every man hastily put his smoke out knowing how Coach Wade felt about smoking. He commanded that much respect even from the Bear.
 
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