GT vs. Nebraska National Championship Game.

chewybaka

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It is hard to explain Namath to non-believers. A guy who completed barely 50 of his passes, by today's standards did not throw all that many TDs or for great yardage. But that was before Bill Walsh and his West Coast offense, the dinks and dunks down the field which receivers turned into yardage and scores.The Namath era QBs threw down the field, repeatedly, 35-40 yards. They held the ball longer and thus got hammered more often by LBs and lineman with evil intent and little regard for the whistle. (They figured if they were in motion when the whistle blew, it was legal.)

Personally I liked that brand of offense better.
Joe is a classic flawed hero...one of my favorites. And being a Jets fan laid the ground work for me being a Tech Fan😜
 

Northeast Stinger

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I’m here!
Saw as a young child and thought Tech always won. Later my first Dodd game watching from beginning to end was Tech vs Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl. Donnie Anderson was the pro prospect running back for TT that got all the pregame press. A sophomore running back named Lenny Snow took over the game and overshadowed him for the good guys.
 

bobongo

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Saw as a young child and thought Tech always won. Later my first Dodd game watching from beginning to end was Tech vs Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl. Donnie Anderson was the pro prospect running back for TT that got all the pregame press. A sophomore running back named Lenny Snow took over the game and overshadowed him for the good guys.
Hey, me, too. Watched it on a black and white RCA "portable" (which probably weighed at least 30 pounds). Became a Tech fan for life that day.
 

Northeast Stinger

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Hey, me, too. Watched it on a black and white RCA "portable" (which probably weighed at least 30 pounds). Became a Tech fan for life that day.
I was at a friends house watching on color. At home we had black and white because my parents said, “They haven’t perfected color TV yet.” In hindsight they were right. Color was unnatural looking and prices would come down in later years.
 

bobongo

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I was at a friends house watching on color. At home we had black and white because my parents said, “They haven’t perfected color TV yet.” In hindsight they were right. Color was unnatural looking and prices would come down in later years.
Ha! My Dad's line was that almost all the shows were still in black and white (he exaggerated, but the majority still were in '65). By the end of '66, they would just about all be in color (but we still didn't get one for about 5 more years, after the price came down). Colors were vivid to me, and it was fun to fiddle with the dial to get the best shade between green and pink.
 

Northeast Stinger

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Not many people know that before he got that knee messed up (was that a Tech game?) Namath was an outstanding option QB. He would put that Yankee butt in gear and chew up yards. But flawed, yes. Aren't we all?
Remember him with taped up knees almost pulling a bowl win out against Texas.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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Where are the guys that saw Bobby Dodds' teams? ;)
I was at that game. A friend of mine, whose father played on the 1952 national championship team, drove down with me to Orlando. We played tennis that morning and went to the game. Nebraska was a 3 or 4 point favorite as I recall but there was no doubt as to who had the better team. Nebraska had a great cornerback named Bruce Pickens that was their "shutdown corner". He got burned repeatedly by Emmett Merchant and Bobby Rodriquez. Even after that, the Falcons still drafted him in the first round. William Bell had a great game and would not be denied. We had a great time at the Citrus Bowl that year. I had only seen Tech play in person two other times that year and each time I was struck by the balance on that team. Good offense both rushing and passing. Good defense against both the rush and the pass. Outstanding special teams. It was vintage Bobby Ross.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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Not many people know that before he got that knee messed up (was that a Tech game?) Namath was an outstanding option QB. He would put that Yankee butt in gear and chew up yards. But flawed, yes. Aren't we all?
I saw Namath being interviewed after his pro career had ended. He was asked what was the hardest you were ever hit? The interviewer naturally expected him to say it was a pro game but Namath, being Namath, said " I hate to give the bastards this much credit but Georgia Tech hit me the hardest in any game, college or pro" I cannot remember but I think he was talking about the 1962 game when he was a sophomore at Grant Field. Seems like he shared the quarterback position some with another player.
 

GoldZ

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I was at that game. A friend of mine, whose father played on the 1952 national championship team, drove down with me to Orlando. We played tennis that morning and went to the game. Nebraska was a 3 or 4 point favorite as I recall but there was no doubt as to who had the better team. Nebraska had a great cornerback named Bruce Pickens that was their "shutdown corner". He got burned repeatedly by Emmett Merchant and Bobby Rodriquez. Even after that, the Falcons still drafted him in the first round. William Bell had a great game and would not be denied. We had a great time at the Citrus Bowl that year. I had only seen Tech play in person two other times that year and each time I was struck by the balance on that team. Good offense both rushing and passing. Good defense against both the rush and the pass. Outstanding special teams. It was vintage Bobby Ross.
And that team was a young team! Sheds light on today's discussions about our need to get old....how bout get good instead? Yes, a repeat post.
 

Skeptic

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I saw Namath being interviewed after his pro career had ended. He was asked what was the hardest you were ever hit? The interviewer naturally expected him to say it was a pro game but Namath, being Namath, said " I hate to give the bastards this much credit but Georgia Tech hit me the hardest in any game, college or pro" I cannot remember but I think he was talking about the 1962 game when he was a sophomore at Grant Field. Seems like he shared the quarterback position some with another player.
Well, when you are trying to operate with Ted Davis and Billy Martin as the defensive ends, you probably will get nailed.
 

augustabuzz

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I saw Namath being interviewed after his pro career had ended. He was asked what was the hardest you were ever hit? The interviewer naturally expected him to say it was a pro game but Namath, being Namath, said " I hate to give the bastards this much credit but Georgia Tech hit me the hardest in any game, college or pro" I cannot remember but I think he was talking about the 1962 game when he was a sophomore at Grant Field. Seems like he shared the quarterback position some with another player.
IIRC, Namath was sandwiched between Ted Davis and Billy Martin and suffered a slight concussion. And, you're right about it being the 1962 upset win over no.1.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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And that team was a young team! Sheds light on today's discussions about our need to get old....how bout get good instead? Yes, a repeat post.
Well, in all fairness, this was the same team that struggled so much the previous two years but Ross had O'Leary and Ralph for coordinators. Makes a big difference...coaching that is.
 
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