Tech's 1952 National Championship season

[Old South Stands]

I remember looking over one of the programs from that team and was shocked to find that Perdoni was the sole 200+ lb starter. He was a massive 5'11" 235 lbs.

I asked my dad last year why he didn't walk on at Tech (he was a freshman in '58). He was 6'1", 230lbs, fairly fit and athletic, plus he'd been in the Coast Guard for four years, so had 4 years of physical maturity over most of the freshmen. I was like, you could have played for Coach Dodd! His answer was: Well, I never really ever thought about it... I had just married your mom and was concentrating on studying and getting a degree. It's strange to think how small all those guys were back then. By the time I was at Tech, guys like Mike Mooney and Joe Siffri were the kinds of players that were normal in college football.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

I remember looking over one of the programs from that team and was shocked to find that Perdoni was the sole 200+ lb starter. He was a massive 5'11" 235 lbs.

Players were a whole lot smaller then. NFL Hall of Famers Jim Marshall and Alan Page were 220-230 and going to 1977-1980 3 time All American FSU great NT Ron Simmons was 220

 

[takethepoints]

Players were a whole lot smaller then. NFL Hall of Famers Jim Marshall and Alan Page were 220-230 and going to 1977-1980 3 time All American FSU great NT Ron Simmons was 220

The great Steeler OLs that made Franco Harris and Terry Bradshaw stars averaged about 235 (real, not program weight). That was small even then, but look at the films and you'll notice that every one of those medium-sized suckers was as fast as lightening. Speed kills on OLs if the rules don't allow, you know, blatant holding. Like they do today.

 

[Eastman]

Perdoni was a beast. So fun to watch him. Wish he had a taller son we could recruit.