Ross Statue

[MikeGT]

I feel like this would be like Auburn putting a statue of Gene Chizic. He won a title but wasn’t a presence nationally for the school or changed the program or anything. Maybe a really nice plaque?

That’s not a good comparison at all. Chizik happened to be at Auburn with Cam Newton and then was fired a couple years later when they went winless in the SEC.
Bobby Ross left for the pros and took the Chargers to the Super Bowl.

 

[MikeGT]

It’s a no brained. Boss Ross was one of the best coaches ever at GT and was a presence on campus. The fact he didn’t stay but went to the next level is no problem for me. It’s not like he left to go to Bama. He has brought the greatest memories for any GT fan younger than 60.

It really is a no brainer like you say. In the last 60 years, how many elite teams has GT fielded? In my opinion, only 3. Of those, how many were really good on both sides of the ball? Only 1. That 1990 National Championship team

 

[yeti92]

That’s not a good comparison at all. Chizik happened to be at Auburn with Cam Newton and then was fired a couple years later when they went winless in the SEC.
Bobby Ross left for the pros and took the Chargers to the Super Bowl.

Taking the Chargers to the Superbowl should have no impact on whether he get's a statue at Tech, that is completely irrelevant to Tech football.

 

[LongforDodd]

It would just have to be taken down when they find out he did something that made somebody upset.

Go Jackets!

An older friend of mine, another GT alum and successful business person around ATL, once said to never honor a person while they are alive. You must know him.

 

[Ibeeballin]

It would just have to be taken down when they find out he did something that made somebody upset.

Go Jackets!

Of course there was going to be a guy

 

[UpperNorth]

The greatest thing Ross did for us was win a Natty, the 2nd greatest thing was that he brought us Friedgen and O’Leary who then brought us 3 in a row and some national relevance again.
Ross’ tenure was short but impact was more lasting. Not sure that warrants a statue just thought I’d share.
(Essentially CGC is a product of Coach Ross’ tree, a lot to be determined on how that turns out, but just another potential lasting legacy of Ross at tech)

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

It would just have to be taken down when they find out he did something that made somebody upset.

Go Jackets!

I heard Bobby Ross ate steak during the 1990 season...

Don't worry, this will be morally repugnant soon enough.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Yeah, anyone who thinks the coach who brought us our greatest accomplishment in the past 70 years and has allowed us to scream “1980” for the last 31 years shouldn’t get a statue is just flat wrong. Ross built us up like no coach other than Dodd.

 

[SteamWhistle]

I think so. I think our 90’ team should be recognized as many ways as we can. It’s sucks to think about but we may never win one again.

 

[00Burdell]

4 Nattys. 4 Statues. Do it.

 

[MikeGT]

Taking the Chargers to the Superbowl should have no impact on whether he get's a statue at Tech, that is completely irrelevant to Tech

If you want to equate Chizik that lucked into a title at a football factory and then FIRED only 2 years later vs. a coach that took a team that had only 1 good year in the previous 15 to an undefeated national championship. Ok. Fine.

Generally speaking, what a coach does somewhere else isn’t important, but if you’re going to compare, then compare how they left too.

 

[nyto]

3 winning seasons? A GT record of 31–26–1 doesn't do it for me...

 

[yeti92]

If you want to equate Chizik (I don't) that lucked into a title at a football factory and then FIRED only 2 years later vs. a coach that took a team that had only 1 good year in the previous 15 to an undefeated national championship. Ok. Fine.

Generally speaking, what a coach does somewhere else isn’t important (that's literally what I said), but if you’re going to compare, then compare how they left too.

Why did you quote my post?

 

[GoldZ]

I feel like this would be like Auburn putting a statue of Gene Chizic. He won a title but wasn’t a presence nationally for the school or changed the program or anything. Maybe a really nice plaque?

MY gawd, this is easily the sickest most pathetic post I've seen on here, and I'm old as hell.

 

[GoldZ]

3 winning seasons? A GT record of 31–26–1 doesn't do it for me...

Geesh, do you have any knowledge whatsoever of what he inherited and how the players revolted against a REAL coach.

 

[Coloradojacket]

I think a statue for Ross should be put up. I would say one for CPJ as well but I think he should actually be given a statue at Georgia Southern as well as Erk. Erk created that program and CPJ got them 2 National Championships.

 

[TooTall]

I think a statue for Ross should be put up. I would say one for CPJ as well but I think he should actually be given a statue at Georgia Southern as well as Erk. Erk created that program and CPJ got them 2 National Championships.

Erk has his in front of the stadium and I feel CPJ is refusing to endorse a statue down here s it will be put up after he passes. He is a "god like Dodd" down here.

 

[RhoChi]

Listen, I am just as happy and thankful for CBRs tenure at Tech. But was kinda not super impactful besides the one championship. Growing up I knew that Tech had won the 1990 natty and I knew Pat Swilling and Marco Coleman and all the others. I even knew O’Leary but I had never heard of Ross until I watched a documentary on the season. I just don’t think he was here long enough to warrant this.

And I may catch flak for this opinion, but I’d put up a statue of CPJ before I put one up of Ross. As rough as it was under him at times, Tech had a great run and great results under him for the most part. We only missed a bowl game twice in his entire coaching time here. We also stayed nationally relevant for the most part even while running the triple option And while we didn’t win a national title, I feel like CPJ had much more of an impact than Ross.

That being said, in truth I wouldn’t want a statue of either coach. Both did good things, but neither really did enough to warrant immortalization like that. Maybe a nice plaque or small mural.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Listen, I am just as happy and thankful for CBRs tenure at Tech. But was kinda not super impactful besides the one championship. Growing up I knew that Tech had won the 1990 natty and I knew Pat Swilling and Marco Coleman and all the others. I even knew O’Leary but I had never heard of Ross until I watched a documentary on the season. I just don’t think he was here long enough to warrant this.

And I may catch flak for this opinion, but I’d put up a statue of CPJ before I put one up of Ross. As rough as it was under him at times, Tech had a great run and great results under him for the most part. We only missed a bowl game twice in his entire coaching time here. We also stayed nationally relevant for the most part even while running the triple option And while we didn’t win a national title, I feel like CPJ had much more of an impact than Ross.

That being said, in truth I wouldn’t want a statue of either coach. Both did good things, but neither really did enough to warrant immortalization like that. Maybe a nice plaque or small mural.

I get what you are saying. Heisman, Alexander and Dodd were the “only coaches Tech ever had” for the first several decades of Tech football existence. Each of those coaches had winning records, stayed a long time, gained national recognition for Tech and built the program. I love Ross, and he may be one of my favorite coaches, but he was not at Tech long enough to have the kind of lasting effect the other coaches had on the program.

 

[yeti92]

How I see things:

Dodd, Heisman, Alexander
Ross
Johnson, O'Leary
The rest
BL

Ross just doesn't have the same impact, he was only here 5 years. The biggest appeal to adding a statue for him is for marketing the program to recruits, and frankly that's a terrible reason to erect a statue of anyone.