We need to jump ship

[Heisman's Ghost]

The Mississippi schools never forgot Dodd’s refusal to do away games in their state, so my guess is they would also blackball us.

Well, in fairness, it was rather highhanded of Coach Dodd. According to his biography, there was scheduled a college football doubleheader at Grant Field sometime during the 1950s. UGA was to play Ole Miss in the afternoon and Tech was to play Kentucky in the nightcap. There was a press conference with all four coaches (let me tell you, Johnny Vaught did not look like a happy camper in the group photograph). Anyway, the SEC Commissioner point blank asked Dodd: "Coach, will you consider playing Mississippi or State?" Remember this was in front of reporters. Dodd brazenly replied: "No offense, Johnny but I can make more money playing Girls High at Grant Field than going to Starkville or Oxford"

The reference to Girls High leads me to think this occurred in the early or mid 1950s. Until the late 1940s, the Atlanta school system had basically 4 high schools Boys High, (for those going to college) Tech High (for those desiring a vocational education) and Commercial for those who wanted to work in businesses with office skills. Girls High was the equivalent of Boys High. My father graduated in 1944 from West Fulton which was then a county school but my mother lived in the city and went to Commercial. Boys High was a major football powerhouse. My mother's senior year they beat Commercial 89-0.

 

[augustabuzz]

uga and the Mississippi schools blocked us. MSU and Ole Miss both had grudges because Dodd wouldn't play them.

Also, Auburn went along with UGA.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Also, Auburn went along with UGA.

I think they only needed three "No's" to kill it. Dooley didn't want us competing on level ground for recruits. He saw the advantage he had and wanted to keep it.

 

[augustabuzz]

Well, in fairness, it was rather highhanded of Coach Dodd. According to his biography, there was scheduled a college football doubleheader at Grant Field sometime during the 1950s. UGA was to play Ole Miss in the afternoon and Tech was to play Kentucky in the nightcap. There was a press conference with all four coaches (let me tell you, Johnny Vaught did not look like a happy camper in the group photograph). Anyway, the SEC Commissioner point blank asked Dodd: "Coach, will you consider playing Mississippi or State?" Remember this was in front of reporters. Dodd brazenly replied: "No offense, Johnny but I can make more money playing Girls High at Grant Field than going to Starkville or Oxford"

The reference to Girls High leads me to think this occurred in the early or mid 1950s. Until the late 1940s, the Atlanta school system had basically 4 high schools Boys High, (for those going to college) Tech High (for those desiring a vocational education) and Commercial for those who wanted to work in businesses with office skills. Girls High was the equivalent of Boys High. My father graduated in 1944 from West Fulton which was then a county school but my mother lived in the city and went to Commercial. Boys High was a major football powerhouse. My mother's senior year they beat Commercial 89-0.

The stadiums in MS were less than half the size of Grant Field. Also, Tech was playing 8 sec schools every year while others were playing a few lessthaan 8. IIRC Tech played the afternoon games and uga played at night.

 

[swampsting]

I don't get all the thrill of a push for the Big 10.
Maybe I just don't look forward to away games in November in West Lafayette or Bloomington or Piscataway.

Besides, when the Big 12 does eventually break up, the ACC will make a play for Kansas to solidify itself as the No. 1 basketball conference because of all that March Madness generates. Of course, the ACC also had been hoping that Miami and FSU joining what push the ACC profile in football. FSU held up its end - for a while.

 

[MWBATL]

I don't get all the thrill of a push for the Big 10.
Maybe I just don't look forward to away games in November in West Lafayette or Bloomington or Piscataway.

Besides, when the Big 12 does eventually break up, the ACC will make a play for Kansas to solidify itself as the No. 1 basketball conference because of all that March Madness generates. Of course, the ACC also had been hoping that Miami and FSU joining what push the ACC profile in football. FSU held up its end - for a while.

Money

 

[swampsting]

Money

I still think the ACC is banking on the March Madness cash cow.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

The stadiums in MS were less than half the size of Grant Field. Also, Tech was playing 8 sec schools every year while others were playing a few lessthaan 8. IIRC Tech played the afternoon games and uga played at night.

Yep. You are correct it was the opposite of what I posted on who played when. Johnny Vaught wasn't happy either way.

 

[orientalnc]

The stadiums in MS were less than half the size of Grant Field. Also, Tech was playing 8 sec schools every year while others were playing a few lessthaan 8. IIRC Tech played the afternoon games and uga played at night.

The only SEC team that regularly played night home games during Dodd's time at GT was LSU. Miss State did occasionally, but none of the others. When uga played a night game it was on the road. I cannot remember them playing games at night.

I do not think GT played 8 SEC teams every year. Tulane was not an SEC member at that time and Arkansas and USCe had not yet joined.

It seems weird to think about right now, but Tech played Clemson at Grant Field every year because they (Clemson) could make more money coming to Tech.

 

[tmhunter52]

A traditional alternative to “jumping ship” has always been to making the captain walk the plank…

 

[orientalnc]

A traditional alternative to “jumping ship” has always been to making the captain walk the plank…

Interesting. Jumping ship was used as a way for ancient sailors to illegally get off a ship when the captain refused to release them. Forcing the captain off the ship was also illegal. I don't think jumping ship was ever a serious alternative to mutiny which was usually done by junior officers, not crew members. Suggestion: read Mutiny on the Bounty.

 

[Randy Carson]

I think we are actually discussing joining another Navy.

 

[orientalnc]

I think we are actually discussing joining another Navy.

I think our current Navy would consider that treasonous and withhold all our back pay, and force the new navy to withhold all our future pay.

Jumping ship was always a last resort for sailors. Not only the risks inherent in the act itself, but the new port might not see you as a desireable addition to their community.

 

[Techster]

If GT gets left out in the cold, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

SEC: Dodd's hubris and short sightedness took GT from one of the most important members of the SEC to being stranded in the college desert for decades. If there was a decision that you can point to as the turning point of our athletics program, it was that decision. It also didn't help that Dodd and GT lorded GT's position in Atlanta over the SEC for decades causing enmity to build up towards us among the SEC schools. That enmity came back to bite us when GT tried to get back into the SEC multiple times. GT lost hundreds of millions over the years because of that decision. The kicker is, Dodd pulled us from the SEC for reasons that ALL schools fought for and got not long after GT left the SEC. Instead of working within the system, Dodd tried to be the system. In essence, Dodd didn't get his way, took GT's ball and went home...a decision that still haunts us to this day.

Big Ten: It's no longer a secret that GT was given an invite to the Big Ten in 2012...and of course we turned them down. The Big Ten has had one of the most lucrative, if not the most lucrative, media contracts in college sports. Last I checked, the average payout for a B1G member is around $20 million MORE than the average ACC member payout. Do the math on how much revenue GT has lost out on in media revenue alone over the past decade. Unless the B1G has some secret moves waiting, the SEC will probably eclipse the B1G media contract the next go around given SEC landed two of college sports royalties: Texas and Oklahoma. Whatever happens, GT voluntarily left or turned down the two most lucrative conferences.

Make no mistake, GT's fate has always been in our hands. We thumbed our noses at it with our hubris and short sightedness, and we got exactly what we deserve. GT isn't where we are today because we're a small fanbase with a limited academic curriculum, we're where we are because our decision makers have made bad business decisions after bad business decisions (and those decisions go beyond just leaving the SEC and turning down the B1G). Being an academically elite institution with a small fanbase has only amplified our stupid decisions because it's harder for us to bounce back from our business mistakes.

 

[Randy Carson]

I think our current Navy would consider that treasonous and withhold all our back pay, and force the new navy to withhold all our future pay.

Jumping ship was always a last resort for sailors. Not only the risks inherent in the act itself, but the new port might not see you as a desireable addition to their community.

lol Right now, we're cannon fodder for just about everyone...regardless of what navy they belong to (looking at you NIU).

I understand that this would not be easy. The question is: would it be in our best interest in the long run?

I'm not saying we need to form a new division of the Ivy League, but we don't need to lose to UGA, Clemson, and teams like ND or Ole Miss year after year, either. At present, Grant Field is just another home game for the Dawgs.

 

[LargeFO]

Without hoops we would be the Pac12. It seems like we are well on our way.

Expansion damaged hoops some.

 

[travgt01]

Vandy used to be really good in basketball as well. Competed with Rupp when UK dominated the SEC. They have had two reasonably successful football coaches since the 60's. Steve Sloan and Franklin. Sloan was using Peabody which was owned by VU for shall we say marginal students. He started having success and the SEC shut that off. He came to Duke from there. He was a heck of a golfer too. Franklin must be one heck of a recruiter
and coach to have been even marginally successful at Vandy.
I am from Nashville. The only people interested in their football team are local alums. Sidewalks in Nashville are Vol fans.

I've never understood why vandy hasn't tried to become the duke of the sec. They could have been using all that football money to build a powerhouse basketball program. But they've never been more than just meh. Couple good years, but they've never had any deep runs in the tourney. I don't think they've won an sec title anytime recently. Getting rid of that sillyass arena would have to be the first step in really buying in.

 

[g0lftime]

I've never understood why vandy hasn't tried to become the duke of the sec. They could have been using all that football money to build a powerhouse basketball program. But they've never been more than just meh. Couple good years, but they've never had any deep runs in the tourney. I don't think they've won an sec title anytime recently. Getting rid of that sillyass arena would have to be the first step in really buying in.

My high school won the Tennessee basketball championship on that floor in 1964. No classifications back then.

 

[WreckinGT]

If GT gets left out in the cold, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

SEC: Dodd's hubris and short sightedness took GT from one of the most important members of the SEC to being stranded in the college desert for decades. If there was a decision that you can point to as the turning point of our athletics program, it was that decision. It also didn't help that Dodd and GT lorded GT's position in Atlanta over the SEC for decades causing enmity to build up towards us among the SEC schools. That enmity came back to bite us when GT tried to get back into the SEC multiple times. GT lost hundreds of millions over the years because of that decision. The kicker is, Dodd pulled us from the SEC for reasons that ALL schools fought for and got not long after GT left the SEC. Instead of working within the system, Dodd tried to be the system. In essence, Dodd didn't get his way, took GT's ball and went home...a decision that still haunts us to this day.

Big Ten: It's no longer a secret that GT was given an invite to the Big Ten in 2012...and of course we turned them down. The Big Ten has had one of the most lucrative, if not the most lucrative, media contracts in college sports. Last I checked, the average payout for a B1G member is around $20 million MORE than the average ACC member payout. Do the math on how much revenue GT has lost out on in media revenue alone over the past decade. Unless the B1G has some secret moves waiting, the SEC will probably eclipse the B1G media contract the next go around given SEC landed two of college sports royalties: Texas and Oklahoma. Whatever happens, GT voluntarily left or turned down the two most lucrative conferences.

Make no mistake, GT's fate has always been in our hands. We thumbed our noses at it with our hubris and short sightedness, and we got exactly what we deserve. GT isn't where we are today because we're a small fanbase with a limited academic curriculum, we're where we are because our decision makers have made bad business decisions after bad business decisions (and those decisions go beyond just leaving the SEC and turning down the B1G). Being an academically elite institution with a small fanbase has only amplified our stupid decisions because it's harder for us to bounce back from our business mistakes.

If we went to the SEC or the Big 10 right now, we would be near the bottom of those conferences in terms of revenue even with the extra money. We would struggle to compete long term. The truth is we have a mediocre program at best with a small declining fan base. We would be fine in the ACC if we solved that problem.

 

[JacketFan137]

If GT gets left out in the cold, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

SEC: Dodd's hubris and short sightedness took GT from one of the most important members of the SEC to being stranded in the college desert for decades. If there was a decision that you can point to as the turning point of our athletics program, it was that decision. It also didn't help that Dodd and GT lorded GT's position in Atlanta over the SEC for decades causing enmity to build up towards us among the SEC schools. That enmity came back to bite us when GT tried to get back into the SEC multiple times. GT lost hundreds of millions over the years because of that decision. The kicker is, Dodd pulled us from the SEC for reasons that ALL schools fought for and got not long after GT left the SEC. Instead of working within the system, Dodd tried to be the system. In essence, Dodd didn't get his way, took GT's ball and went home...a decision that still haunts us to this day.

Big Ten: It's no longer a secret that GT was given an invite to the Big Ten in 2012...and of course we turned them down. The Big Ten has had one of the most lucrative, if not the most lucrative, media contracts in college sports. Last I checked, the average payout for a B1G member is around $20 million MORE than the average ACC member payout. Do the math on how much revenue GT has lost out on in media revenue alone over the past decade. Unless the B1G has some secret moves waiting, the SEC will probably eclipse the B1G media contract the next go around given SEC landed two of college sports royalties: Texas and Oklahoma. Whatever happens, GT voluntarily left or turned down the two most lucrative conferences.

Make no mistake, GT's fate has always been in our hands. We thumbed our noses at it with our hubris and short sightedness, and we got exactly what we deserve. GT isn't where we are today because we're a small fanbase with a limited academic curriculum, we're where we are because our decision makers have made bad business decisions after bad business decisions (and those decisions go beyond just leaving the SEC and turning down the B1G). Being an academically elite institution with a small fanbase has only amplified our stupid decisions because it's harder for us to bounce back from our business mistakes.

i think half our fanbase thinks it’s cool dodd did what he did cause they hate the SEC but that really F’d us and is the main difference between being perennially ranked and being a roller coaster team the last 2 decades